#1
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Tonewood Suppliers?
As the title suggests I am interesting in seeing which suppliers you find reputable and easy to work with?
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#2
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A big supplier of tone woods to the major guitar companies come from
http://pacificrimtonewoods.com The are located in Northern Washington state, in a town by the name of CONCRETE. I have no idea if you can buy directly from them, but I doubt it.
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OM-28 Marquis (2005) Kenny Hill Player (nylon) Gibson AJ (2012) Rogue Resonator (kindling) |
#3
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Yeah I checked them out and they seem to be a big supplier for major companies. They don't have any purchasing options on their site so I guess they only cater to larger company / luthier orders. Thanks anyways for the response. Nahil. |
#4
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I can list a few I have used over the years:
LMI Steward MacDonald RC Tonewoods Hix Tonewoods Alaska Specialty Woods Old World Tone wood West Penn hardwoods Eurotonewood Allied Luthrie Collonial Tonewoods |
#5
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Thanks Redir! There are a few that you've listed that I have not checked out Cheers! |
#6
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I've bought multiple times from all these sellers with consistently excellent results:
Sellers with websites: RC Tonewoods Alaska Specialty Woods Gilmer Wood Company Fiddleback Wood Shack Wood From the West Pacific Coast Woods ebay sellers: zootman2 (ebay handle for RC Tonewoods) ahix1176 (ebay handle for A Hix Tonewood) shabbychicguitars eurotonewood exoticwoodzone |
#7
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Add the Hampton Brothers to that stellar list. They are harvesters of domestics (red spruce from NC and WV, black locust, black walnut, curly maple, etc.) and supply many of the more well-known tone wood vendors. They don't have a website yet, but do offer a sample of their inventory on Ebay. Recent acquisitions include some amazing quilted sapele, curly black walnut, and Guatemalan rosewood.
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#8
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Thanks John, I'll be sure to check them out. |
#9
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Your local Hardwood Lumber yard is hard to beat. Yes, you have to know what you’re doing, but you will learn quickly; in twenty years you’ll be a master! You or a close associate will need a resaw.
I have built many instruments from wood I cut in my local forests, or from the yards Of my neighbors. With permission, of course. You or a close associate will also need a chainsaw. |
#10
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Unfortunately Oman doesn't have much local timber (we do have date palms and frankincense) but nothing in terms of tonewoods. The lumber yards here are generally overpriced and you'd be hard pressed to find anything close to quarter sawn. Nonetheless my obsession with wood doesn't stop me from strolling around and seeing what they've got. Cheers, Nahil. |
#11
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A "tonewood" is simply any wood that someone has used twice to make an instrument. Somebody tried it once, found it worked well enough for the purpose and used it again. Don't be limited to just the popular wood choices for guitars - rosewood, maple, mahogany, Koa and spruce. Date palms won't be a great choice, but there are many, many other possibilities.
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#12
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#13
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It's a good use of time to peruse the resources at www.mimf.com . There are builders, suppliers, newbies, old hands, famous builders, and everything in between. Plus the way the place is set up involves moderators who cull old messages to preserve the material that involves substance from someone who has experience, so if you do research there, you'll find material that's worth reading. It's an excellent place to learn and to get good answers to questions just like yours. It's a nice complement to this site: a different place with a different purpose, but it dovetails well.
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Taylor 815C '59 Gibson LG2 Washburn J4 jazz box, ebony tailpiece Gold Tone open back banjo Anon. mountain dulcimer Creaky old Framus 5/1 50 About 1/2 of Guitar One completed; currently intimidating me on account of the neck geometry. Stacks of mahogany, spruce, maritime rosewood, western red cedar Expensive sawdust |
#14
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Thanks buddy, I will check it out! |
#15
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FWIW I do try to find sources close to home - at least with regards to how the wood is stored in order to reduce acclimation. I'm blessed to be a day trip by car from Steward MacDonald or RC Tonewoods and (with the exception of east Indian rosewood) am trying to work with "domestic" woods such as maple, walnut and red spruce or red cedar. Still, I need to stabilize the materials I work with - which unfortunately also requires time for them to acclimatize to my local environmental conditions. I have to admit, I still struggle to understand how to determine moisture content from a wood moisture meter but am told to look for a 6% figure. All I know is that if my wood is visibly warping I need to put it up on stickers so that there is consistent air flow across all six sides. If my boards are still "potato chips" then it's time to find something else to do to let time and season change do their thing. |