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Does anyone have experience using Pernambuco for back and sides? What did you think? How does it bend? Any recommendations? The tap seems terrific. What are tonal qualities? Does it oxidize and darken? If it is figured is this a major bending issue? Thanks in advance.

I have not worked with B/S but I have bent for binding-no problem. I did not know you could obtain Purn. for backs and sides, I have only seen it for high end violin bows. Where can larger pieces be obtained?

It is great wood--as good as anything we build guitars from. Exceptional clarity and balanced support for all registers. Some interlocking grain but not especially hard to work.

Only a couple of builders I know of have any sets. It's not available from any commercial tonewood companies. Guitar size boards are extremely rare; good pieces for bows have also become hard to obtain, although most bowmakers appear to have a stash. But there is a relative in the same genus from Mexico that is available in guitar sets from Hibdon under the name Paela; more commonly called chackte-viga.

Pernambuco looks like this (there are subspecies, according to the Brazilians. This one is called "orange leaf"):



Here's a different flavor pernambuco, built by Bruce Sexauer. Bruce has more experience building with it than anyone else I know of:

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

Thanks Howard, and what a guitar!! That's about as beautiful as any guitar gets. It sounds like the tone coming out of it is as good as it looks.

Beautiful guitar Howard!!!

Randolph can you say e*x*p*e*n*s*i*v*e!!!! Last time I checked this stuff was the Ti-stick of tonewood....

Randolph :You might try over at the UMGF,in the Log Cabin there is a good thread on this wood.Bruce Sexauer is there a fair bit and he speaks very highly of Pernambuco. Good luck
Tom

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A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

Pernambuco is the wood violin bows are made of. It is an endangered species but very good for bows and very expensive.

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Ken

Tom, thanks for the lead, I will head over there after this.

Hesh, I like the Thai stick idea. I wonder if anyone has tried it in conjunction with Pernambucco or if it is better to use it alone? Maybe someone has had experience with this?

The way I got onto this is that I have a couple of pieces of unidentified wood that I'm pretty sure are Pernambuco. The tap on this stuff is absolutely remarkable so....... I just thought.

What Howard said... Bruce Sexauer is the man to talk to. I've seen many photos of the guitars he's made with Permbuco and they are stunning. Not only that, but Bruce is super helpful.

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Jamie M

So Howard, or anyone, how does the Paela/chackte-viga relative compare to the real thing?

Someone could probably answer your question Randolph except that they probably can't remember what to say..... Some Oreos may help....

I am building one now from Hibdon and the tap tone is great.

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tim...
http://www.mcknightguitars.com

Hey Tim, you mean a Pernambuco or a Paela/chackte-viga?

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...imagine there were no hypothetical situations...

Bruce showed us that very guitar (the one in the photo in Howard's reply above) at last Sunday's NCAL meeting. He expounded on the wonderful tonal and working qualities of the wood (that you can thin it right down and it's still stiff and resonant), and then proved it by playing the guitar. It sounded fantastic, with great volume and projection, a nice even tone, and great overall frequency response. Part of that is to do with the way Bruce builds guitars, of course, but a lot of it is due to the wood choice. He told us that specimens of the tree that produced tonewood wide enough for guitars were very rare, but that he'd stockpiled enough of it for the rest of his building career! I'd like to make a guitar with a set someday....

Cheers,
Dave F.

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Cambrian Guitars

"There goes Mister Tic-Tac out the back with some bric-brac from the knick-knack rack"

It's pretty sweet wood. I built a size 5 guitar with it (redwood topped) with Rick Davis of Running Dog Guitars. Love it. I'm in the process of making a second with a spruce top for comparison.

Some pics of the process shown here...http://kuoguitars.com/index_files/Page1018.htm

-Charles