Anyone build with Morado, Lacewood, purpleheart

rickmorgan2003

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I am about to start my first two Ukes, a standard and a concert size. My local exotic lumbar guy had two nice pieces of lacewood and a bunch of short morado (bolivian rosewood) pieces that were a great deal. Has anyone built Uke's from these? I was also able to get a 3'x9" piece of 4/4 purpleheart that's begging to be used.
My thoughts were to make the smaller one from the morado entirely and the larger one from the purple heart for B/S/N with the lacewood as a top.
Thoughts
 
Thanks Sven, I saw some pics of his lacewood ukes- they're gorgeous. I saw these lacewood boards in my local hardwoods place and they were just screaming to be made into something. I am making two ukes this fall and I think one will be lacewood body and neck, maybe a center strip of purplewood on the back and neck, and a purplewood fingerboard and bridge.

The other is going to be Morado (bolivian rosewood) B/S/N. maybe even for the top or I will use a lacewood top.

If I get totally carried away, the purplewood board I have is 11" wide and I may make a whole 3rd uke from it.
 
Pic of the Stuart Longridge lacewood Uke:
 

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We've used morado (also known as santos palisander) quite a lot. It is very hard/stiff but works well and polishes beautifully with its very fine grain. However, despite it's rich tone I really can't imagine morado as the topwood for your soprano, but that's just me.

We have also done some work with purpleheart, which is much harder to work with - particularly with drilling we had some issues with grain tear-out and of course the dust is awful. But the color is so spectacular, it's worth the effort and the mess.

Hope this helps
 
If I get totally carried away, the purplewood board I have is 11" wide and I may make a whole 3rd uke from it.
Hi Rick, please feel free to get totally carried away. I have been searching for a purpleheart ukulele. If you build it, I will buy it!
 
I've not built ukes with it, but I've made a few purple heart cutting boards. Make sure you get a good, sharp blade and do everything you can to prevent it from burning. The burn marks are extremely hard to remove because the go deep.

~DB
 
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