Barnosauros
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How would purpleheart sound as a soundboard? I've only seen it used as back and sides, is there a particular reason why?
Purpleheart soundboards?
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jcalkin
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Purpleheart is definitely on the stiff/hard/heavy side for a soundboard. Probably quieter than you'll like, too. I worked on a soprano that was made entirely of Brazilian rosewood. The owner thought he had a treasure, but I didn't think it had anything to offer, soundwise. Quiet and dull, with no projection at all. Purpleheart would be in the same category. There's a good reason that soundboards have always been made of soft wood. If Hawaii had spruce trees ukes might have developed with soft wood tops, too. On the other hand, moderately soft hardwoods like koa, mahogany, and walnut work OK on trebley instruments like ukes. But even they tend to suffer when the top wood gets too stiff/heavy.
Pete Howlett
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'ere we go again... there are some woods that re never destined to be soundboards and the roswood family and its imitators are them.
Kekani
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I agree with John and Pete, personally.
Unless your name is Rick (bet he could make it work), I'd stay away from it.
Aaron
Unless your name is Rick (bet he could make it work), I'd stay away from it.
Aaron
Liam Ryan
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Waaaaaayyyyy too dense to make a good top. The string energy's never going to get it moving.
BlackBearUkes
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I once built a soprano out of Brazilian rosewood, top, back and sides. This wood was over 60 years old and came off of a smashed Washburn parlor guitar. The top was stable and thin and it had a surprisingly good sound. It also looked great. Having said that, that is the only uke I have made using such a dense wood for the top. To get it to work, the Purpleheart would have to be thin, thin, thin, and that would probably mean cracks, cracks, cracks! Personally I hate the look of the stuff, wood isn't suppose to be so gaudy IMO. I gave all my Purpleheart away to a wood turner.
Barnosauros
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So its kinda like the less dense the better? Thanks for the replies!
Rick Turner
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Maple, cherry, acacia, and walnut are about as dense as I'd want to get with a uke top. I tend to think of purpleheart as having a fairly high damping factor, too. I love it as a laminate with maple for electric instrument necks, though, and it's great as an accent wood. I do a lot of the "Build a Uke in Four Days (errr, three days now!)" fingerboards, bridges, and peghead overlays in purpleheart. Works really well for those parts, and the students just love it since it's such a dramatic looking wood. Great for binding, too.
southcoastukes
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Purpleheart grows where we build. It does, of course, have a spectacular purple color when fresh. There are lots of craft pieces made from it - tourists love it.
Just the same, it's not a wood that holds it's appearance well. It doesn't have a pronounced grain pattern, and over time, oxidizes to a nondescript muddy brown.
You don't see it used much in goods for the local market.
I also think it has a strong dampening effect.
Just the same, it's not a wood that holds it's appearance well. It doesn't have a pronounced grain pattern, and over time, oxidizes to a nondescript muddy brown.
You don't see it used much in goods for the local market.
I also think it has a strong dampening effect.
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Rick Turner
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Dirk, instruments I made thirty years ago with purpleheart laminations in necks have held their color perfectly under urethane and polyester finishes. The bass I built for Jack Casady in 1971 (Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna) which was Alembic #001 has a predominantly purpleheart neck with a thin maple stripe. It's oil finished, and it has darkened a bit, but is still quite purple.
I agree re. the grain...boring. It's really great for color accents.
I agree re. the grain...boring. It's really great for color accents.
erich@muttcrew.net
Well-known member
Our purpleheart bass has only changed color slightly over the years - it's a little more "burgundy" now, but still close to its original purple. But the grain really has everything you could ever want - ribbon, flame, leopard spots... really beautiful purple candy.
southcoastukes
Well-known member
Thanks for the info, Rick - & Erich, too.
Working with all the "alternate species" we normally run across, and the newer ones we're digging up thanks to CITES has led us to be ultra conservative in our evaluation of woods. If we can come up with any possible scenario for problems, we move on.
I have seen this wood in it's truly oxidized state. Like that, you wouldn't like it. Just the same, I didn't know it would hold its' color so long.
We do have it readily available at good local pricing. Hmmmm!
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