Rocklite Ebano

Never heard of this before - got a relevant link to share?

Mahalo :)
 

thanks for the link, brother!

To save other folks the click, and answer the obvious first question, I have copied the following info from their web site:
http://www.rocklite.co.uk/ said:
WELCOME TO ROCKLITE®

Rocklite® is a new, revolutionary, and totally environmentally friendly approach to tonewoods for musical instruments.

Other applications for the Rocklite® products include sawcut veneer for restoration, and cut sizes for cue building, wood turning, and cabinet making.

WHAT IS ROCKLITE®?


Rocklite is a man made product, engineered entirely from real, sustainable wood.it is NOT vulcanised paper!

Rocklite is designed to replicate exactly the beautiful exotic hardwoods, whose very existence is now so endangered by excessive and in some cases illegal logging.

Thereby offering a sustainable and Eco friendly alternative to the relentless march of the logging companies, further into the rain forests of the world.

In short,

ECO FRIENDLY TONEWOODS!

ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY EBONY!

So now, Luthiers, Cue builders, and other master craftsmen can give their clients a far more consistent, sustainable, and stable product than ever before.

AND, DO THE RIGHT THING BY OUR PLANET!

ROCKLITE TONEWOODS

Here is a close up photograph of a typical ROCKLITE® Ebano guitar fingerboard.
as you can see the fine grains of this product rival the most perfect ebony ever seen.

ROCKLITE® EBANO

Rocklite® Ebano is an ebony type product that can be used very successfully in lutherie as fingerboards, head veneers, bridges, and guitar backs & sides.

other applications for the Rocklite® product include cue buts and splices, sawcut veneer for restoration, and many other craft applications.

All of this without the headache of all the usual grading problems!

On average, less than 10% of the ebony logging yield would be considered good enough for high class Lutherie, cue building and cabinet making.

This is mostly due to colour defect, splits shakes and pin worm etc.

now,with ROCKLITE® EBANO we are able to ensure that every piece is, jet black,arrow straight grained,and sawn dead on quarter!

In short, as good as the most perfect ebony you have ever seen! Every time!

ROCKLITE® Ebano colour stability.

ROCKLITE® Ebano is more colour fast and stable than most exotic woods.

The latest technology in Phenolic Ultra Violet light absorbers are used in its production.

During pre production testing we subjected Rocklite Ebano many times to extreme long-term UV exposure, and in each case it held its colour far better than the natural hardwood or other faux ebony we were using as a comparison.

We would however always recommend that when finishing, with lemon oil, coconut oil, or any other finishing product that you use a finish containing a UV inhibitor.
 
Well, no recommendations. Looks like we'll have to chop down a few more ebony trees!

Maybe it's just too new, and has not caught on yet?

Sorry to say that if nobody has used it, you will likely not get any meaningful replies.
 
I'm familiar with the stuff and think it might make a good material. I just have no experience with it so can't comment one way or the other. Seems to have potential. I was hoping somebody would chime in with comments and pictures maybe. This is probably the wave of the future.
 
Makers make the uke for customers. If the customers wont buy it the makers wont use it, they don't need unsold product lying around. Perhaps this would be a good discussion to put to the potential customers?
If customers ask for it, will the makers use it? That is a better question to ask the makers.

Nobody asked for ekoa but Blackbird went ahead and developed it anyways. It was been VERY well received both in their ukulele, (Clara and Farallon) and in their guitar line. I understand they are going full bore just to meet their advertised production schedule.
 
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I just got some and it's tap tone is as nice as some ebony fingerboard blanks I have. It taps both lower and higher in pitch then my ebony, depending on the blank.
It apparently bends very well so i am exploring that avenue more than fingerboards and bridges.
 
I've got a couple of finger boards in Rocklite and almost ready to use it for the first time Will get back to you on how it goes. It's a lot easier to work though! It's not as hard as Ebony though so it marks more easily.
 
I've got a couple of finger boards in Rocklite and almost ready to use it for the first time Will get back to you on how it goes. It's a lot easier to work though! It's not as hard as Ebony though so it marks more easily.

Thanks, I'd like to know. Mike.
 
I just got some Rocklite Ebano binding to try. Will report after I bend and get it on
 
I've used ebano for guitar bindings, and it bent fine in the LMI bender treated in the same way as any other wood. So no problems at all in that respect and a very useful replacement for ebony.

Unfortunately, I had taped all four bindings together to bend them, with each pair having the boxwood purfling edges together. It seems the manufacturer (not sure whether Rocklite themselves or a third party) had used a glue which softened and ran whilst at bending temperature. Net result was two pairs of bindings glued together at the purfling edges. My attempts at separation using a hot air gun and a variety of spatulas & blades proved only partially successful, and in the end the damage to the purfling was too serious to be able to use them. :(
I still have them, as with the purfling removed they might re-bend to fit a uke.
 
I've used ebano for guitar bindings, and it bent fine in the LMI bender treated in the same way as any other wood. So no problems at all in that respect and a very useful replacement for ebony.

Unfortunately, I had taped all four bindings together to bend them, with each pair having the boxwood purfling edges together. It seems the manufacturer (not sure whether Rocklite themselves or a third party) had used a glue which softened and ran whilst at bending temperature. Net result was two pairs of bindings glued together at the purfling edges. My attempts at separation using a hot air gun and a variety of spatulas & blades proved only partially successful, and in the end the damage to the purfling was too serious to be able to use them. :(
I still have them, as with the purfling removed they might re-bend to fit a uke.

Hi Paul, I remember you telling me about the binding edges sticking together. I'm thinking more in terms of fingerboard use. I bought an Ebano fingerboard blank from Bill a few weeks ago, thinking I might give it a go, but now I'm wondering whether I should. There doesn't seem to be anyone using it for fingerboards and recommending it. Maybe I might leave it for a future build.
cheers Mike.
 
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