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Does enyone use or have been used wenge for fingerboard and bridge for acoustic guitar? If it is what is the experience.
Also what do you think about that?

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My old EKO has a wenge fingerboard and it seems to have worn well.

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Formerly JJH

I learn more from my mistakes than my successes

Wenge has a reputation for being splintery so I've been a little leery about using it for a fingerboard but I've seen it used a lot, especially on electrics, so perhaps the splinters are not a problem once it's sanded and polished. Not sure how stable it is compared to ebony or rosewood.

Ya sure...the plastic people will love the 1/4 inch epoxy
you dip the board in to prevent slivers.

Ok ...maybe me a bit off on the 1/4 ...better go 1/2 inch.

Sometime a bit of exaggeration really helps gets the point across...


makes nice flat top bridges...not so nice arch top ones.

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I made a couple SS bridges with it 6-7 years ago. I was a bit scared of splitting, but never had a problem.

I've used it for dulcimer fingerboards. It worked fine. Certain cuts of it (vertical grain IIRC) when oiled turn black.

I've used it once for a fingerboard (bookmatched actually) and a bridge. No problems yet. It was interesting though that when I glued on the bridge glue squeezed out through the top of it. How's that for porous?

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I have a couple of wenge finger boards that I am working on right now that I am very happy with. As usual, the secret is wood selection, I have used wenge on furniture projects which had splinters that would fly across the room and attack you if you looked at it wrong.

-jd

Warwick and Tobias use it on their basses. I've used it on basses and guitars. It's not splintery in service.
You o have to be careful about splinters and chips when refretting though

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Old growth, shmold growth!

I've finished a wenge guitar recently, using wenge in the bridge, fingerboard and headstock veneer. The fingerboard finished beautifully and there are no issues with splintering at all. Although porous, it's a nice hard wood that I think works really well for a fingerboard.

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Flindall Guitars
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Seems like a good fingerboard wood, perhaps better if epoxy filled?

I just made my very first bridge out of the stuff, mainly because I had it laying around. I've used it for headstock veneers before,
and outside of how porous it is, it's a beautiful wood under nitro. One of us didn't seal it so it soaked up about a pint of lacquer
before it got level. At least I don't have to worry about splinters on that one, lol.

I have to admit i built some guitars with wenge fingerboard and bridge and i was pleasant suprised. I just want to hear your opinions about that. In my country is very hard to find nice rosewood or ebony and that is the main reason because i want to use wenge for fingerboard. I am not strictly wenge fingerboard user, when i have a chance to buy nice rosewood i do that.
I agree that should be careful with splinters and chips, it's really nasty wood, but i didn't have that kind of problem. It looks really nice only oiled and i did not hear some diferences in sound.
For couple days i sould finish classical guitar with walnut back and sides, spruce top, mahagony neck and wenge fingerboard and bridge the first of this kind material. Will see what sound guitar will make.

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Details about building:
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Email:
aleksandar@jurisinguitars.info

I had a one piece Tele neck made of wenge. Nice feel under the fingers. Splintering wasn't an issue. Workability is the issue though I think you'll be fine with the end product.

Collings is using wenge on their CJ 35, for the fretboard and bridge.

I too get wenge splinters from 40 feet away. I've used it as a fingerboard. I had a few split on me. Then I switched from quartered to rift. Too early to say, but so far, so good.

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Mike Lindstrom

African Splinter Wood is a terror while working it, but once sanded smooth it's like buttah. I've made several fretboards from it, a tricone handguard and topped a couple electrics with it. Wonderful stuff, just be careful while it's still rough.