building with exotic woods of africa

dave the slave · Feb 9, 2014

what is good african wood for ukulele

i am in the democratic republic of Congo for the year, and want to build a solid body electric nylon string tenor ukulele with local wood, since i can probably find it for cheap, and heard that some good instrument building wood comes from here. does anyone know of wood that grows in this area that will be good for the body, neck and/or fret board of my ukulele. thanks!

ModlrMike · Feb 9, 2014

Can't help on the woods except to say that Mahogany might be available. As well, you will want to change your design to use steel strings. Unless you intend to use a rod piezo as your pickup with a conventional bridge. Electric pickups rely on disruption of magnetic fields to generate sound. This can only be achieved by using steel strings.

dave the slave · Feb 9, 2014

ModlrMike said:
you will want to change your design to use steel strings. Unless you intend to use a rod piezo as your pickup with a conventional bridge. Electric pickups rely on disruption of magnetic fields to generate sound. This can only be achieved by using steel strings.

i am aware of that. thanks, what i am really trying to go for is a traditional ukulele sound but very quite for when i play at home, and my understandingis that stell strings will make it sound like an electric guitar high up on the neck. unless you think otherwise. honestly this will be my first build and i am still in the "get as much information as i can" stage. thanks

Kent Chasson · Feb 10, 2014

Wenge! It may be a bit coarse for the neck but sustain would be fantastic. http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/wenge/

BlackBearUkes · Feb 10, 2014

You can use any wood you wish, but it must be well seasoned if you wish it to stay flat and not crack or split down the road.

dave the slave · Feb 10, 2014

Kent Chasson said:
Wenge! It may be a bit coarse for the neck but sustain would be fantastic. http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/wenge/

wouldnt that make for a very heavy ukulele? also, what kind of sound would i get out of that?

dave the slave · Feb 10, 2014

BlackBearUkes said:
You can use any wood you wish, but it must be well seasoned if you wish it to stay flat and not crack or split down the road.

what does that mean well seasoned, is that a way that i treat it? thanks for the reply.

ukulian · Feb 10, 2014

Seasoning is the process of removing the moisture content of the timber before it can be used for anything sensible. It can be done by air drying or through forced methods such as Kiln drying. If you are only in Congo for a year, you can forget air drying from freshly cut logs. It would be easier to find a local supplier. The MC needs to be around 10% so check it. Meters are cheap.

Kent Chasson · Feb 10, 2014

Yes, heavy but the damping of wenge is about as low as any wood out there. It is very efficient at turning vibration into sound.

Timbuck · Feb 10, 2014

Gaboon Ebony from Western Africa is quite good for fretboards nuts bridges saddles etc:

Warbulele · Feb 11, 2014

A word of caution about wenge, (although it does have interesting properties) this is from the wood database website:

Although severe reactions are quite uncommon, breathing Wenge wood dust has been reported to cause central nervous system effects, irritation of the skin and eyes, and is a sensitizer. Also, Wenge splinters tend to take longer to heal and are more likely to go septic (get infected) than splinters from other woods. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity and Wood Dust Safety for more information.

http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/wenge/

They also mention it being used in instruments, so it's obviously worth it to some people - which seems like a vote of confidence for the sound - just be careful, and remember to clean the wood well after it's cut, before glueing it together.
If you want to know what good woods they have in congo, I would suggest looking at what wood they make congo drums out of there. Sure, drums need more bass, but they also build them much thicker, so if it vibrates a lot when thick, just imagine how it will when it's thin!
It will also be easier to track down cured (seasoned) wood because there is already a market for it. Good luck, enjoy the mother continent

Kent Chasson · Feb 11, 2014

Wenge splinters are quite unpleasant.

Never heard of the nervous system effects. Never heard of the nervous system effects. Never heard of the nervous system effects.

Many (maybe most) tropical hardwoods and many seemingly innocuous species like Walnut and Cedar are irritants and sensitizers. Fortunately, severe reactions are rare but it's prudent to take precautions with any wood dust.

As for cleaning before gluing, I've never had a problem with wenge. It's not oily. And freshly surfaced joints, not cleaning, are the key for problem woods. It even works with cocobolo.

Wenge is not uncommon on Marimbas. It wants to make music.

The Big Kahuna · Feb 11, 2014

Might this be a good time to suggest a wood allergy/toxicity sticky on this forum? I'm sure the distilled wisdom of all the luthiers here would be welcomed by anyone considering a build.

ksquine · Feb 11, 2014

Sapele or Khaya are similar to mahogany in tone and appearance. Ovangkol is another option but is smells bad when you work on it. There are several types of ebony there for fingerboards and bridges. Maybe even Bubinga which is more like rosewood...probably best with a spruce top.

But "exotic" might mean something else in Africa. Is a local wood really "exotic"?? Maybe over there they consider maple or cherry wood exotic.

dave the slave · Feb 11, 2014

ksquine said:
Sapele or Khaya are similar to mahogany in tone and appearance. Ovangkol is another option but is smells bad when you work on it. There are several types of ebony there for fingerboards and bridges. Maybe even Bubinga which is more like rosewood...probably best with a spruce top.

But "exotic" might mean something else in Africa. Is a local wood really "exotic"?? Maybe over there they consider maple or cherry wood exotic.

well actually i am planning on building a solid body electric so i think the body will all be one piece. would these suggestions stil apply to a one piece? also what kind of properties will these woods give me in the finished instrument?

Wicked · Feb 11, 2014

Bubinga. Figured Bubinga is stunning.

Bruce Sexauer · Feb 12, 2014

There are a great many woods where you are that have not been exploited commercially, and so we out here know nothing about them. You can make a solid body Uke from just about anything, heck you can make an acoustic Uke from just about anything! I'd just look around, if I were you, and use what ever I thought was interesting. Find someone who cuts wood, if you don't, and flatter them into helping you choose. I'd go with pretty and light weight, as long as it has integrity. It should be absolutely dry, which means a couple of years or more since it was a tree, more time yet for a dense hardwood such as most mentioned here. Give yourself a break and use something workable, which does not describe Bubnga, Wenge, or Ebony of any sort.

dave the slave · Feb 12, 2014

ukulian said:
The MC needs to be around 10% so check it. Meters are cheap.

any suggestions on a meter

building with exotic woods of africa

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