Kingwood Fingerboard

bassman74 · #1 01-25-2009, 11:19 AM

I have notice that fodera is using Kingwood for fingerboards...

I never heard of that wood before. Does anyone here knows about kingwood. I only found out that it's in the Rosewood family...

Is it the KING of rosewood, does it worth the investment ? it's 3 to 4 times more expensive than indian rosewood...

Thanks for your help!!!

vbasscustom · #2 01-25-2009, 11:31 AM

well, as far as i know. its pretty close to rosewood, being in the family. but it does make an awsome fretboard, its really up to you though, if your willing to mspend that kinda money

mikeyswood · #3 01-25-2009, 12:19 PM

It is a dalbergia species common to Mexico. A delightful color but I would not use it for a fingerboard since the oxidation will turn it colorless brown and the oils in it have made it the Number 1 painful splinter in all of the species that I work.

bassman74 · #4 01-25-2009, 01:01 PM

Thanks mikeyswood i didn't know about those downsides...

mikeyswood · #5 01-25-2009, 01:26 PM

I did not either --- at the time... It has been the only wood with a splinter powerful enough to drop me to my knees in pain for something smaller than a pin head.

I still love working with it and I have a couple of tops planned with it and a Zircote fingerboard.

pilotjones · #6 01-25-2009, 07:48 PM

So, you're saying that finished it's OK, but unfinished (as for a fretboard) it fades to a fairly uniform brown?

mikeyswood · #7 01-25-2009, 08:41 PM

Yes. The brilliant purples in the fresh cut can be preserved the same way as Cocobolo:

Otherwise you get this:

Just Thumpin' · #8 01-26-2009, 09:27 AM

Folks -- there are multiple different kinds of Kingwood from all over the world. The one that Fodera commonly uses is Madagascar Kingwood. It is denser than Indian Rosewood (very close in density to Brazilian Rosewood). This added density gives it sonics somewhere between Indian Rosewood and Ebony. Imagine the clear mids and highs of Ebony with some of the warmth of Rosewood in the low-end.

Vinny also just built a bass with Brazilian Kingwood which looks very similar to Brazilian Rosewood. This wood is even warmer sounding than the Madagascar Kingwood to my ear...whereas I would place Madagascar Kingwood 50% between Rosewood and Ebony from a tone perspective, I would put the Brazilian Kingwood much closer to Rosewood...of course this is all subjective as heck.

But, I do own one Fodera bass with each type of board (Brazilian Kingwood, Madagascar Kingwood and Ebony), so that is based on my personal experience. BTW, I think it is a GREAT fingerboard wood. I do not have any experience with Mexican Kingwood....