Wenge questions

[JSDenvir]

I just strung up a new OM, lutz and ziricote. It's a little brash, but boy, is it loud!

Not to mention lively. The notes seem to jump out.

I used a wenge bridge and fretboard for the first time, and wonder if they might be the reason why.

Does anybody have any experience with wenge in this role? I've used wenge back and sides in the past, and it turned out to be one of the nicer guitars I've made.

Next steps, maybe a wenge bridge plate. Any thoughts?

Steve
denvirguitars.com

P. S. Pics to follow.

[EverettWilliams]

My Collings CJ-35 has a wenge board and bridge. I really like the feel. I think their objective was to get closer to the reduced dampening of Brazilian.

That said, though Collings can often be on the brighter side, this is probably the warmest and woodiest Collings I've played.

This leads me to no broad sweeping conclusion, but it does help to confirm my longstanding belief that bridge and fingerboard material plays a really minimal part in the tone of a guitar. Sure, there may be a difference, but if the guitar sounds brash, there are many more likely culprits than the fingerboard and bridge wood.

I'm in the minority in that I don't really like ebony fingerboards because they feel a little dry to me. There's a smoothness to rosewood that feels better to me. Wenge, while more porous than Brazilian, does land in that smoother realm.

[dberkowitz]

Like Brazilian, wenge has a vitreous, bright bell-like presentation. You're using it for a bridge, so it has lower mass, and will have less damping than ebony which is more dense and emphasize more bass. So it is unsurprising that the presentation has the focus you describe. Also, not in your post, how old is the guitar? If it's just strung up its too early to ascertain what its going to be like. In a few months its character can change.

Lastly, the bridge is a brace. It is not just an anchorage. There's a lot of variability and perhaps it was very stiff and relative to the stiffness of your top and bracing might be too stiff, which would make it brighter.

Lots of stuff to play with, and no absolutes as there are approaches to bracing that work fine with low mass bridges, but its all contextual.

[Maks Lavrov]

Can't comment on sound quality, but I'm working on an 00 with wenge bridge and fretboard and am pretty happy with how it's turning out so far. This will be a first for me as well.

[JSDenvir]

Thanks for the thoughts. In terms of "brashness," it's well within tolerances for a newly strung up guitar. I expect it to mellow over the next few days.

But really struck by, for lack of a better term, the liveliness.

Steve

denvirguitars.com

[dberkowitz]

Originally Posted by JSDenvir

Thanks for the thoughts. In terms of "brashness," it's well within tolerances for a newly strung up guitar. I expect it to mellow over the next few days.

But really struck by, for lack of a better term, the liveliness.

Steve

denvirguitars.com

Everyone makes the occasional guitar that doesn't have it. Can't necessarily attribute it to the Wenge.

[ukejon]

Originally Posted by dberkowitz

Everyone makes the occasional guitar that doesn't have it. Can't necessarily attribute it to the Wenge.

I don't think that the OP is saying this guitar "doesn't have it". In fact he is suggesting rather the opposite. While it is sounding a bit brash right off the bench the instrument also is loud and lively, which are desirable attributes.

[Tim McKnight]

Originally Posted by JSDenvir

I just strung up a new OM, lutz and ziricote. It's a little brash, but boy, is it loud!

Not to mention lively. The notes seem to jump out.

I used a wenge bridge and fretboard for the first time, and wonder if they might be the reason why.

Does anybody have any experience with wenge in this role? I've used wenge back and sides in the past, and it turned out to be one of the nicer guitars I've made.

Next steps, maybe a wenge bridge plate. Any thoughts?

Steve
denvirguitars.com

P. S. Pics to follow.

I've used Wenge for Fretboards, Bridges and bridge plates. Wenge is lighter than Ebony so IME it makes the top livelier since there is less mass to move. I think Wenge and (lighter, less dense BRW) bridges are VERY similar in performance.

I would suggest that you FP the fretboard using Glue Boost "Fill n Finish" CA It will fill in the massive pores quite nicely. Make sure to wear rubber gloves and eye protection and within the air stream of a small fan!

I laminate my bridge plates and the two woods I use the most are Wenge cross grain laminated to BRW or Padauk cross grain laminated to BRW.

[JSDenvir]

Thanks Tim. I was wondering about laminating bridge plates simply because the wenge is so splintery and inclined to crack.

Thanks for confirming my suspicions.

Steve
denvirguitars.com

[printer2]

Tim, how thick were the laminations?

[Tim McKnight]

Originally Posted by printer2

Tim, how thick were the laminations?

.050" (Wenge or Padauk) and a cross grain .020" BRW cap. I use TAP "Super Hard" or TAP Marine epoxy to laminate them. Both of these epoxies dry to the same hardness, which is VERY hard. Super Hard has an amber cast and the Marine is much clearer in color. The Wenge or Padauk grain runs parallel to the top's grain and this side glues to the top. The BRW cap runs cross grain to the top and is what you visually see. I run these through my thickness sander after the epoxy cures because if your like me you will have epoxy all over them and the epoxy usually permeates one or both woods during clamp up.