Metalhead28 Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 I found a super wide board today, and I'm thinking about some one piece wenge tops. I think it would be an awesome look, but what do you think I'd end up with tone-wise? Anyone ever done a carved top, have any experiences to share? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
postal Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 Flatsawn wenge carved top looks awesome. Dont ask me about the "tone" since I'm not a player. I made a pair of wenge capped carved tops and they looks great. I used zebra for the body under the wenge just because the colors go together really well. Down side is they're kinda heavy, but they look awesome. People tell me they sound good- but thats subjective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wood is good Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 I saw an explorer someone posted here with a wenge top, and i think Daniel Sorbera did one a long time ago. It seems nice. It is hard and heavy, probably being close to maple sounding, but probably brighter since its a lot harder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToddW Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 I think it'd look good, but google some images of bleached wenge too. You may like it since is shows the grain more. http://www.1stdibs.com/vintagelighting/fur...l.php?id=166320 Todd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 I think it'd look good, but google some images of bleached wenge too. You may like it since is shows the grain more. That looks like red oak. Which means it looks like poop. BTW: Wez did a baritone that was covered in wenge. http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.ph...96&hl=wenge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Sorbera Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 I've done a few, and I've seen quite a few around here. It's a pain in the butt to work and finish. But the end result looks pretty awesome and the tone is great. You would think it would be very bright since it's so dense, but all the guitars I built with it had a really strong midrange (in a good way) but not a lot of brightness. It was something like mahogany, but with much more mids. That being said, I hope you have sharp tools (lookout for tearout any time your routing!) and sharp finishing skills because it's a real pain in the rear. I was never really impressed with that piece of wenge on Wez's baritone (of course the guitar was great, just not that wood) I thought it looked flat and bland. Wenge can get so much more interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 I was never really impressed with that piece of wenge on Wez's baritone (of course the guitar was great, just not that wood) I thought it looked flat and bland. Wenge can get so much more interesting. it wasnt the best bit, quite pale and not much colour variation. best i could do at the time, although - as always happens, even though i spent ages looking before the build i have found loads more suitable since i was happy that i managed to get the final look i did, rich and chocolately but still not much grain to talk about oh, and it carves fine but you have to be very aware of grain direction Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToddW Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 That looks like red oak. Which means it looks like poop. actually, I didn't like that look either. but http://www.woodturningart.com/pagefour.htm or http://www.woodturningart.com/pageseven.htm are interesting and don't look like oak to me. One of these days I want to try and bleach a piece, then dye it some super bright color to see what effect I get. Todd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 Beware of wenge splinters, as they invariably go septic. Would hate anyone to get a wenge splinter in their eye if they didn't bother using safety glasses... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 Very splintery, fairly dense, and very difficult to level sand when flatsawn. Looks pretty awesome, though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 Monster pores, and has occasional veins of resin similar to bubinga. Too easy to tear out due to it's coarseness if you're rasping, planing or using a spokeshave against the grain. Leave plenty of margin and prepare to use lots of abrasive paper :-D It is a fantastic wood once finished though. Worth the effort, but practice a little on some scrap to get a feel for how it works I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
postal Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 I'd say that one was a bit too bleached. This is what bleached *should* look like. Here's the matching pair. Yeah the splinters hurt- Yeah it splinters easy. Yeah, it's hard, and your tools should be sharp, but it's not that difficult to work. BTW, I did the "carve" with a 4" angle grinder with sanding disks- easy cheasy. Bleaching however, is *****REALLY****** hard. I used household bleach soaked for 40 minutes. I would guess the cabinet in the link was done with wood bleach which is a lot stronger. You see I made a matching pair- 1 bleached- 1 normal- If I were to sell a bleached wenge guitar, I would want $1K extra for doing it. Seriously- It's *that* much of a PITA, I wouldnt do it for less than a *K*. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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