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This came as packaging material for some wood I bought. Iam having trouble identify it. Can anyone help?

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Kevin Mason
Mason Guitars and Ukuleles on Facebook
http://masonguitars.net

Looks like Zebrawood except for the color. (I'm curious what the red Zebrawood that a few vendors are selling right now looks like up close - a set from Uncle Bob is on it's way to me now.)

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Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

That's some nice packing wood.

Looks like Zebrawood to me. Does it have an unpleasant, sort of pungent smell?

Where are you buying wood from if they are using this as packaging?

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久保
美智え

Out of curiosity I googled red zebrawood pictures
http://theunofficialmartinguitarforum.yuku.com/topic/157970#.U5LhyvldVA0

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

This happens to me on a fairly regular basis from various sellers. I am guessing they are used for shipping because they are orphan sides and they have knots. But to a ukulele builder like me, I am getting a very back and side set for a tenor ukulele and there is enough wood to avoid the knot (the sides might end up being slightly less wide), and there is enough side material left over for binding. I don't know if the sellers realize that the packing can be reused (I think they probably do), and maybe ther is some altruistic component of not wanting to have good wood wasted, but doing it sure helps to ensure my repeat business. Needless to say, I love my wood sellers!

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Kevin Mason
Mason Guitars and Ukuleles on Facebook
http://masonguitars.net

Kevin, you came to same the conclusion I did. Not sure of the wood species, but it looks to me like you have the free makings of a pretty uke. Or....quite a few pretty overlay plates for head stocks, heel caps, elevated finger rests, rosette tiles, etc. etc. I see the blemish in the set, near the top. But it's so near the end, I'm surprised the shipper didn't sell the set for a smaller sized instrument. As has been said, perhaps there was no matching side set. Regardless, I think you lucked into some pretty stuff.

Looks more like Shedua/Ovangkol to me. At the price of zebra wood, you would need to be over-the-top altruistic to use it as packaging material, I think.

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Alain Moisan
Former full time builder of Acoustics, Classicals and Flamencos.
(Now building just for fun!)

Doesn't look anything like the Ovangkol I resawed about 5 years ago, which is sort of irridescent brownish, with much finer grain lines, but I don't know how much that varies within the species. (I tried to upload a picture but it's too big)

Zebrawood doesn't seem to be any more expensive than any other exotic around here. (Less than Ovangkol, at least based on stuff I've purchased.)

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Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

Here's an Altamira classical back made with Ovangkol.



Figured ovangkol is expensive. Straight grain ones are cheap (about 50$ to 60$ a set). Anyhow, I may be wrong anyway. Just my .02$.

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Alain Moisan
Former full time builder of Acoustics, Classicals and Flamencos.
(Now building just for fun!)

It seems to me that the real question is "did the new guy in shipping send u someone's back set as packing?" I'd call the dealer and ask.

In leaning towards red zebra.

The wood was guitar side dimensions. The photo is showing the wood cut for uke back size.

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Kevin Mason
Mason Guitars and Ukuleles on Facebook
http://masonguitars.net

Looks like ovangkol to me. The thicker black lines with wider grain look very similar to some stuff I got from LMI. If I remember right, it smelled like dog poo poo when I bent it.

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Jason Moe
LaCrosse WI 54601

Ebiara (berlinia grandiflora) is also known as Red Zebrawood, berlinia, aben, poculi, and essaben. This exotic hardwood comes mostly from West African countries such as Cameroon, Gabon, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Congo and Zaire where the tress can be found growing up to 130 feet tall and with trunk diameters up to 48 inches. Ebiara has a whitish pink sapwood with a heartwood color that ranges from red to brown and purplish brown streaks throughout. When quartersawn this timber resembles Zebrawood but without the Zebrawood odor. Tap is somewhat brighter than IRW.

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Beautiful and unusual tone woods at a reasonable price.
http://www.rctonewoods.com/RCT_Store
The Zootman
1109 Military Rd.
Kenmore, NY 14217
(716) 874-1498

There you go!

My Ebiara (Red Zebrawood) arrived from Bob. I still think the OP's set of wood could be the same thing, but do comment on the smell.

I have a few sets of wood around that could possibly be off-putting to a potential client or two, but this stuff ... how shall I say it ... stinks!
Hopefully it will lose some of that as it ages.

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Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

As I have aged my sense of smell has diminished to a point of no return, but my sinuses lack of sensitivity are certainly no match for Ebiaras pungency.

Steve