Local wood for guitar body

[burnsbhm]

Anyone have more info on the wood they call "igim"??  I don't know if it's spelled that way, but they use it in cebu for the acoustics.

Igim, as I was told is a Japanese hard wood that is used as a Katana blade handle. Very very expensive daw ito. And pretty tough to find.

[RJ UBEr jam]

thanks! . . hope local guitar builder(kahit amateur) may be inspired to use local resources. . it may differ in tone or looks. . but its not bad at all. .  rock on!

[jbarot]

thanks! . . hope local guitar builder(kahit amateur) may be inspired to use local resources. . it may differ in tone or looks. . but its not bad at all. .  rock on!

If I can find quarter sawn cuts of planks I'll be willing to try.  The problem is 99% of the wood here is flat sawn. I don't know of any local mills that will custom cut logs. 

 I want to make an acoustic guitar made of narra.  Maybe when the time is right 

[RJ UBEr jam]

One of my first(late 80's) "home made" electric guitar is made of Narra. .  its color is very nice orange red. . Its tone. .  lovely. . .  Yun katabi ko matulog nung binata pa ako . .  . . UNTILL. . . .

Inarbor nung cousin ko from US. .  Di ko natanggihan. . . ngayon US Citizen na yung guitar ko(visited it once) . . .

An Acoustic(narra)guitar . . . that would be interesting!!!. .  baka mahirapan ka lang sa pag hanap nung correctly sawn wood for the project. .  but if ever. .  undoubtedly pinoy na pinoy dating nun. . . keep us posted!.

   

[jbarot]

if i could find planks of narra i would bro

my parents have this really old bookcase made of narra.  now it looks like crap and one day i was looking at it my wife said "you are NOT turning that to a guitar!! i-rerestore mo yan!"  thats the end of the discussion   sayang, the bookcase is big enough for 2 or even 3 guitar back and side sets

baka molave ok.  basta quartersawn.  now i've seen american luthiers working with dao wood.  they call it paldao from the philippines.  heard one guitar made by a friend.  it sounded great!  then again, he is a really good luthier.

[stringman]

Narra is really heavy.

[jbarot]

Narra is really heavy.

it is but really dense too.  which means that you can thin it down a bit more without fear of its structural integrity.  but i haven't worked with narra before so i'm just going by with what others have told me

sa australia ginagamit nila narra for guitars.  sometimes they call it new guinea rosewood pero di naman rosewood.  it looks really good, and they say it sounds really good too. 

if i get some narra i'll definitely work with it

[free2rock]

it is but really dense too.  which means that you can thin it down a bit more without fear of its structural integrity.  but i haven't worked with narra before so i'm just going by with what others have told me

sa australia ginagamit nila narra for guitars.  sometimes they call it new guinea rosewood pero di naman rosewood.  it looks really good, and they say it sounds really good too. 

if i get some narra i'll definitely work with it

You can always build it chambered.

[jbarot]

You can always build it chambered.

hahaha!  true!  but honestly after my hollowbody project i don't think i'll be making another chambered/hollowbody anytime soon.  i'm thinking of making that flamenco guitar from the wood i've set aside for it years ago.  and that stick dulcimer that has captured my interest. 

pero hinay hinay lang muna 

still, i am WASSING for a few narra guitar sets...

[maxi_musikero]

i passed by Sta Rosa last weekend going to Tagaytay and saw a lot of wood planks/logs all around.  i'm really curious as to what types of wood those were.  maybe some day i can stop by and ask. 

[free2rock]

hahaha!  true!  but honestly after my hollowbody project i don't think i'll be making another chambered/hollowbody anytime soon.  i'm thinking of making that flamenco guitar from the wood i've set aside for it years ago.  and that stick dulcimer that has captured my interest. 

pero hinay hinay lang muna 

still, i am WASSING for a few narra guitar sets...

Tell me if you'll be pursuing that project. Totally interested. Hahaha!

[jbarot]

Tell me if you'll be pursuing that project. Totally interested. Hahaha!

which one?

[free2rock]

which one?

The Narra ones. Wonder how will a Narra LP Jr sound? Probably like an untamed animal. Hahaha

[maxi_musikero]

The Narra ones. Wonder how will a Narra LP Jr sound? Probably like an untamed animal. Hahaha

only downside is it might be heavy as hell. 

[free2rock]

only downside is it might be heavy as hell. 

How about making a thinner body? Making it 1.5" thick may shave off a pound or so

[jbarot]

Everything's possible.  But with electrics wood gets the backseat when it comes to tone.  The more gain and fuzz you crank the the less wood tone you'll hear. I'm sure that the wood does contribute to tone, but with electrics not so much.  In my opinion putting old growth wood into a guitar that would be played for heavy rock is a waste of time and money hehehehe.  It's just luthier's salestalk to me. I'm sure many would disagree with me on this. 

But a narra guitar would be so cool.  We could chamber it for or make it thinner.  Personally I would chamber it, I like my guitars thick ( or tall) and with the hollow body I'm making now when I tap the top it really sounds like a drum and it rings like a bell.  Don't ask me how I did it, I don't know   But I bet will  density and hardness it will blunt the tools used. 

Ther's this company in muntinlupa called " ancestral building materials"  Haven't been there, but their website says that they have old narra, molave and kamagong beams salvaged from old houses.  If anyone from that area can check it out and report it to us, it would be a great help.  How much and if they custom cut.

[free2rock]

Everything's possible.  But with electrics wood gets the backseat when it comes to tone.  The more gain and fuzz you crank the the less wood tone you'll hear. I'm sure that the wood does contribute to tone, but with electrics not so much.  In my opinion putting old growth wood into a guitar that would be played for heavy rock is a waste of time and money hehehehe.  It's just luthier's salestalk to me. I'm sure many would disagree with me on this. 

But a narra guitar would be so cool.  We could chamber it for or make it thinner.  Personally I would chamber it, I like my guitars thick ( or tall) and with the hollow body I'm making now when I tap the top it really sounds like a drum and it rings like a bell.  Don't ask me how I did it, I don't know   But I bet will  density and hardness it will blunt the tools used. 

Ther's this company in muntinlupa called " ancestral building materials"  Haven't been there, but their website says that they have old narra, molave and kamagong beams salvaged from old houses.  If anyone from that area can check it out and report it to us, it would be a great help.  How much and if they custom cut.

Totally agree with you on that. I prefer cleans to subtle overdrives and none of those homogenized, distorted tones. I like it when the sound is transparent.

Do I smell a trip to Muntinlupa? Care to share the website URL?

[jbarot]

Totally agree with you on that. I prefer cleans to subtle overdrives and none of those homogenized, distorted tones. I like it when the sound is transparent.

Do I smell a trip to Muntinlupa? Care to share the website URL?

here you go bro.  if you can get there and check it out, please let us know what its like:

http://malatumbaga.com/beams.html

[maxi_musikero]

here you go bro.  if you can get there and check it out, please let us know what its like:

http://malatumbaga.com/beams.html

ah sa Alabang Hills!  hope i find time to drop by this place when i visit my relatives that live in Alabang. 

they have a wide variety of aged wood!  i think it's best to test each one's tap tone first.  hopefully they can make cuts that are as thick as the ones used for acoustics so that tap tone can be easily tested.  from there, we will at least have an idea how each wood sounds and resonates. 

[jbarot]

ah sa Alabang Hills!  hope i find time to drop by this place when i visit my relatives that live in Alabang. 

they have a wide variety of aged wood!  i think it's best to test each one's tap tone first.  hopefully they can make cuts that are as thick as the ones used for acoustics so that tap tone can be easily tested.  from there, we will at least have an idea how each wood sounds and resonates. 

Maxi, I sense excitement hehehe

I'm excited too! If I go there I'll check if the grains are fairly straight then try to cut it in planks of at least 1/4 inch thick.  Only then I can check for tap tone.  Wood to me sounds the same when they are in thick slabs, their character comes out when they are progressively thinned.  So I would have to buy a beam and hope for the best.  One thing about logs and beams is that you'll never know what they are really like until you look inside.

One thing about this company is that they're pretty coy when you ask for prices via email.  I think that they will be more accommodating when you visit personally.  sana reasonable ang prices...  I'll get a beam and worry about cutting it somewhere else if I have to.

[maxi_musikero]

Maxi, I sense excitement hehehe

i am!  just too much potential!  hopefully we find a jewel amongst these old fellows. 

I'm excited too! If I go there I'll check if the grains are fairly straight then try to cut it in planks of at least 1/4 inch thick.  Only then I can check for tap tone.  Wood to me sounds the same when they are in thick slabs, their character comes out when they are progressively thinned.  So I would have to buy a beam and hope for the best.  One thing about logs and beams is that you'll never know what they are really like until you look inside.

One thing about this company is that they're pretty coy when you ask for prices via email.  I think that they will be more accommodating when you visit personally.  sana reasonable ang prices...  I'll get a beam and worry about cutting it somewhere else if I have to.

correct.  that's why i always wondered how electric guitar makes can test the tap tone of the wood they are working on because they are just too thick to produce tap tone. 

another question here is, would the tap tone be consistent all throughout the beam of wood?  i read somewhere that wood in the lower part of a trunk will sound different from wood further up.  there's just too many variables, the brain would explode. 

[jbarot]

i am!  just too much potential!  hopefully we find a jewel amongst these old fellows. 

correct.  that's why i always wondered how electric guitar makes can test the tap tone of the wood they are working on because they are just too thick to produce tap tone. 

another question here is, would the tap tone be consistent all throughout the beam of wood?  i read somewhere that wood in the lower part of a trunk will sound different from wood further up.  there's just too many variables, the brain would explode. 

I don't think it would be consistent.  But to me it's a fool's errand to do that in a log because we would have to cut the log into workable planks. So I only tap the plates that are cut to specs.  I've read that some luthiers check for tap tone in a log.    Another salestalk/wow factor to push their work. "the tone is warm/bright in this log!" WTF?!   Hahaha  Unless we use the whole log and string it up as is it's a waste of time.

Now look what you've done, I wanna go on a road trip south

[maxi_musikero]

Now look what you've done, I wanna go on a road trip south

you gave us the link in the first place. 

[jbarot]

you gave us the link in the first place. 

ay least we're not arguing about tone!  hahaha!

seriously one should check the place out.  take pics even.  i emailed them again and maybe this time they'll be more open.  WASSING for narra sets...

[stringman]

it is but really dense too.  which means that you can thin it down a bit more without fear of its structural integrity.  but i haven't worked with narra before so i'm just going by with what others have told me

sa australia ginagamit nila narra for guitars.  sometimes they call it new guinea rosewood pero di naman rosewood.  it looks really good, and they say it sounds really good too. 

if i get some narra i'll definitely work with it

I have an old Narra wood at the back of my in-laws house in Bulacan. I wanted to saw it into separate planks but i don't know where to start ha ha ha...