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Due to the way lutherie has developed around the traditional woods used in Europe and the U.S.A. I have collected a good selection of these tonewoods from Europe, the Americas, Africa and India. As Australia has some great instrument woods as well, I have researched and collected these also. All these woods make for a great range of options in my instruments which you probably won’t find anywhere else.
There are some Australian woods I use almost exclusively for specialised parts of fretted instruments.
For interior neck blocks I have found nothing to equal Tasmanian Myrtle - Nothofagus Cunninghamii. It is also called Southern Beech or Antarctic Beech. It grows in the rainforests of Tasmania and is found in the highlands of Eastern Australia as well as in New Guinea. Trees of the same genus have been found in Chile and Patagonia. This occurrence, with fossil evidence from Antarctica and other places was used as some supporting evidence in early discussions of the theory of continental drift now studied as plate tectonics. I any event, it is a great wood for neck blocks. Somewhat harder and heavier than mahogany it is easy to carve and very stable. The extra hardness makes it a good choice for my bolt-on neck system, which I have been using for over 15 years with not a single problem.
For tail blocks and linings I use Australian Red Cedar (Toona Australis) which is an aromatic light hardwood (unlike the American Cedars). It has properties similar to Spanish Cedar or Cedro de Cuba, being lighter and softer than mahogany but strong enough to make a classical guitar neck. As linings I believe it isolates the top from the sides very well, suspending it lightly and allowing more volume. As a tail block it helps keep the weight down. It also smells good and keeps bugs out!
For steel string guitar necks I like to use Queensland Maple (Flindersia spp). It is a pale pinkish wood with a great sheen. Similar in density to mahogany but stronger, its only drawback is the colour, which does not have mahogany’s charm. I tone it in the finishing process to suit the body woods of the instrument. For classical guitar necks I tend to use Australian Red Cedar. I believe its lighter density enhances the response of nylon strings.
Please follow the links to the woods I offer for tops, backs and sides, fingerboards and bridges and necks
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