Good / Poor quality bone

[Wooly]

How does one determine the difference between a good quality or poor quality bone saddle blank? For example you have the two laying side by side, how would you tell?

I know there are some very inexpensive ones that can be purchased and then there are the ones from Bob Colosi at a premium.

Thanks

[Mark Hatcher]

First of all you have to know this is a natural material and there can always be hidden cracks or soft spots.
The first thing to do is drop them on something really hard like a granite counter top and listen for the ping. Stay away from thuds and buzzes. Look at the surface closely for porous veins (not good) Look for dull spots on an otherwise more shiny surface (not good). Color variations may or may not have differences in density, see if you can detect a difference with your fingernail.
It's good to have more than one so you can compare differences. We humans are far better making comparisons than judging singles.

[Ned Milburn]

Some bone has large pores and is really soft. If you put a file to it, you'll find out pretty quickly. Like many things, experience and careful observation is the BEST teacher.

Bleached bone that is dense and with few pores often tends to look not pure white, and sometimes even shows some dark brown or blackish streaks. I'm guessing it is because of the lack of pores, the bleach doesn't penetrate deeply and the bone retains much more original colouration.

[Wooly]

Thanks for the info.

[Silly Moustache]

I've often wondered about this. My assumptions are confirmed, so thanks for the info.

[rodmbds]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

I've often wondered about this. My assumptions are confirmed, so thanks for the info.

Same here. Thanks!

[Bax Burgess]

I hold it up to a light for signs of uneven density.

[rodmbds]

That's an interesting thread. Don't mean to "bomb" it, but here's a picture. Which one would you pick and why?

[Wooly]

Originally Posted by rodmbds

That's an interesting thread. Don't mean to "bomb" it, but here's a picture. Which one would you pick and why?

I'm going to go with the darker yellow one because of what Ned Milburn said. If the darker one is bleached, it's likely denser (less porous)so therefore the bleach didn't penetrate as much?????

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by rodmbds

That's an interesting thread. Don't mean to "bomb" it, but here's a picture. Which one would you pick and why?

There is nothing in this fuzzy photo to really indicate which is the better one to choose.

[rodmbds]

Originally Posted by Wooly

I'm going to go with the darker yellow one because of what Ned Milburn said. If the darker one is bleached, it's likely denser (less porous)so therefore the bleach didn't penetrate as much?????

Thanks, that was exactly what I was thinking. Now I got to understand these bleach / dense aspects.

[mirwa]

My first step is as referenced above, I hold it to a light to see if marrow or vessels exist in the bone.

Then I put a file to it.

Steve

[brianli408]

There really is no good or bad difference for bones. Bone just bone, they are not necessarily to have graded like tonewoods. Moreover, even if grading, it does not mean that higher grading would have a better bone with better sonic, it simply means a more promising quality.
So to conclude you are asking a question that unecessary to solve.
And I would like to question you that so what if you find a so called poor bone, what will you do.
And I would like to say that so what if you find a poor bone?

[redir]

I can only recall a few times over many years that I had problems from reputable suppliers. Holding it up to the light does show some interesting things.

[Ned Milburn]

Originally Posted by brianli408

There really is no good or bad difference for bones. Bone just bone, they are not necessarily to have graded like tonewoods. Moreover, even if grading, it does not mean that higher grading would have a better bone with better sonic, it simply means a more promising quality.
So to conclude you are asking a question that unecessary to solve.
And I would like to question you that so what if you find a so called poor bone, what will you do.
And I would like to say that so what if you find a poor bone?

Sorry. You are wrong. "Poor quality" bone is bone that either has cracks or fissures in it, and will often break apart after some usage. And "poor quality" bone also includes bone that is so porous and soft that it will degrade quickly and the strings wear deeper grooves into the surface of the bone.

I don't know why you would post uninformed comments such as those you wrote above.