Osage Orange back and sides set price

[LewisBrookshire]

I actually make fiberglass backed longbows and use Osage alot (Its my favorite bow wood). One cool thing about Osage is it darkens over time by UV light to a really nice Honey brown color. One way to acheive this look immediatley is to wipe the sanded wood down with Bleach. I am not sure how the bleach would react to guitar finishes but I know with all of the bow finishes I have used there is no reaction. Here is a picture of a bow riser 4 years ago and then what it looked like about two years ago....its even darker now.

[LewisBrookshire]

With all the Osage threads I thought I would bump this one back up to see if any Luthiers have ever tried the bleach trick.

[Tim McKnight]

Originally Posted by Reviveourhomes

With all the Osage threads I thought I would bump this one back up to see if any Luthiers have ever tried the bleach trick.

No, I haven't but I believe there is a way to darken Osage with a mixture of iron, vinegar and salt solution. It will turn it nearly olive black.

[LewisBrookshire]

Interesting, I will have to give that a try as well. I love the look of Osage when it changes to the nice Honey-Brown color.

[Leftyprs]

Here is my lefty Gramann Engelmann/Osage combo that I picked up a few months back. I loved the tone and feel of this guitar right out of the case! The back on this guitar has a beautiful honey color to it, and more flame than any other Osage guitar I've seen.

[Otterhound]

Originally Posted by Leftyprs

Here is my lefty Gramann Engelmann/Osage combo that I picked up a few months back. I loved the tone and feel of this guitar right out of the case! The back on this guitar has a beautiful honey color to it, and more flame than any other Osage guitar I've seen.

I played that guitar at the Woodstock show . Very nice choice . It was cool to see his reaction at finding a lefty to play it since he can't play it . You have chosen well .

[Brock63]

no need to dye osage darker.....it will darken naturally by being exposed to UV light.....I have a few bows made of osage that were bright yellow on day they were sealed and finished that now are a deep, warm, dark chocolate cream color......it ages beautifully but will not stay yellow unless you have some secret that bowyers have not figured out yet. It took my last osage selfbow about 3 years to go a dark golden rich brown color completely sitting in my office on bow rack or from excursions out hunting with it. Here is one of mine by John Strunk....
No dye added but is a beautiful honey-red brown color...




This picture was years ago and it is even darker now....


Here is one showing contrasts in wood color before and after some UV exposure..these are not mine though as my pictures are at home...I was lucky to find the one above on internet of my old Strunk Traditional Spirit bow.

[Chazmo]

Very cool information, guys!

Speaking strictly from an aesthetic point of view (and I'm just being frank about the looks, really) the fresh wood suffers from its yellow hue and lack of figuring. I hear (and see) what you guys are talking about with how it darkens over time, but its hard to find the virtue in the body-sized planks of the light wood without any figuring. Compared to the quilting and other figure you can get with maple, I'm left wanting.

Woody's picture is very interesting... The wood looks like a little like ash or oak with the grain highlighted by black alcohol stain. I definitely like this more than plain.

All that said, here's a crazy idea.... How about baking these sets in UV light for a couple of weeks before finishing them? Would that be bad for the wood? Would it do what I think it would?

[Leftyprs]

Originally Posted by Otterhound

I played that guitar at the Woodstock show . Very nice choice . It was cool to see his reaction at finding a lefty to play it since he can't play it . You have chosen well .

Otter this is the same guitar. Your post over on the Martin forum tipped me off, and ultimately buy the guitar from Bob. Did you find that the neck on this guitar was extremely comfortable with the slight V shape, and the sanded satin finish? The guitar just has a really great feel to it, and it really is the best sounding acoustic I've owned yet. However I do have a couple Pernambuco guitars coming my way in 2012, so we will see what happens. It's definitely a keeper though!

[Otterhound]

Originally Posted by Leftyprs

Otter this is the same guitar. Your post over on the Martin forum tipped me off, and ultimately buy the guitar from Bob. Did you find that the neck on this guitar was extremely comfortable with the slight V shape, and the sanded satin finish? The guitar just has a really great feel to it, and it really is the best sounding acoustic I've owned yet. However I do have a couple Pernambuco guitars coming my way in 2012, so we will see what happens. It's definitely a keeper though!

I didn't have but a few minutes with it at the show , but it felt good in my hands from moment one .
I was pleased to see more than one lefty there and for that to be one with a top and back woods that I had never played before was a bonus . Had I been in the market for a new guitar , this may well have been it and it should only get better with time . From what I could tell with this guitar , Englemann and Osage Orange work very well together .
I even went so far as to eMail Bob about it and thank him for bringing a lefty along even though he couldn't play it .
Bruce Sexauer told me that he had a lefty or two to build when I saw him at the show . Is one of those lefty guitars yours ? I will be looking for a comparison of the two combinations after you receive one of the Pernambuco guitars . It's got me wondering now about just how good Osage Orange can sound .
May you be very happy with your Gramann .

[dekutree64]

Originally Posted by Chazmo

All that said, here's a crazy idea.... How about baking these sets in UV light for a couple of weeks before finishing them? Would that be bad for the wood? Would it do what I think it would?

I was thinking of trying that myself when I get to building one with it. As long as you're careful to keep it from drying out and cracking, a little UV exposure shouldn't hurt it. I've heard of violin makers hanging them out in sunlight to darken the wood too.

Here's an interesting shot I got yesterday. My brother recently discovered a new park that has them all over the place, and this one had a branch broken/cut off and fully oxidized and suntanned. Almost looks like pernambuco

[Leftyprs]

Originally Posted by Otterhound

I didn't have but a few minutes with it at the show , but it felt good in my hands from moment one .
I was pleased to see more than one lefty there and for that to be one with a top and back woods that I had never played before was a bonus . Had I been in the market for a new guitar , this may well have been it and it should only get better with time . From what I could tell with this guitar , Englemann and Osage Orange work very well together .
I even went so far as to eMail Bob about it and thank him for bringing a lefty along even though he couldn't play it .
Bruce Sexauer told me that he had a lefty or two to build when I saw him at the show . Is one of those lefty guitars yours ? I will be looking for a comparison of the two combinations after you receive one of the Pernambuco guitars . It's got me wondering now about just how good Osage Orange can sound .
May you be very happy with your Gramann .

Yes, Bruce and Howard Klepper are each building a lefty Pernambuco guitar for me this year. I have a general idea where I'm going with each build, but I still need to make some decisions before each build begins. That's where Bruce and Howard can really help point me in the right direction, especially with their rare building experience with Pernambuco. To be continued...

[Chicago Sandy]

My Gramann Rappahannock OM is made with back & sides of fustic, a very close relative of Osage orange. It's a real "stealth" tonewood--looks like it should sound like sapele, but is as rich and clear as any of my EIR guitars.