Green friendly fingerboards?

[tjclem]

I think this has been discussed before if anybody remembers where that would be great. If not what are our ecologically friendly options?

 

[MPU]

I'd say maple is one. Depends what's ecologically friendly to you.
Marko

 

[tjclem]

Yes you are correct. But it does have to be coated or finished. I forgot to mention I was looking for woods tough enough to be used without that. Thanks for pointing that out..Tom

 

[orgmorg]

Well, if by "green" you mean indigenous to the US, There are a few that will hold up unfinished.

Osage orange ( maclura pomifers ) - nuclear yellow color which ages to a russet brown. somewhat porous grain.

Black locust ( Robinia pseudoacacia ) - less porous, light brown with slight olive cast, takes a nice polish.

Persimmon ( Diospyrus Virginiana ) - Mostly white with yellowish/silverish streaks, greyish mottling, occasional black inclusions. Relative of ebony.

Mesquite ( Prosopis sp. ) Very pretty, med. brown with pinkish tones, lots of color and wild grain.

There's probably a few others, but I havent messed with any much. Hickory would probably hold up, but it's rather porous.

But green doesn't have to mean non-imported. Do some research, I belive there is a lot of exotic wood that is sustainably harvested or plantation grown these days.

 

[orgmorg]

I imagine my descriptions are probably sketcy, so I went out and took a pic of the ones I mentioned.
Left to right: Osage orange (unaged), osage (aged a bit), Black locust, Persimmon, Mesquite, Hickory (heartwood)

 

[eleonn]

I'm using bulletwood... I guess the latin name is manilkara bidendata... but if its not you can look for the thread of my porject and look for the correct name.

 

[allenhumble]

I dont know what exactly you mean by "Green" but if it is what I think it is you could use reclaimed wood and LMii now offers FSC certified wood. From what I understand it is a environmentally responsible product. Hope that helps.

 

[SDB Guitars]

What about Dymondwood or Ebonol? Wood veneer (or some other fiberous material) with a binding agent, like epoxy or acrylic resin?

Is the use of the acrylic resin "non-green" enough to offset the "not cutting down endangered trees" idea?

Discuss

 

[Jonsbasses]

The contrast of sapwood and heartwood in Hickory is insane, I'd love to see a fingerboard made from the stuff. I'm going to grab a few pieces from work so I can do some fingerboard work out of them.

 

[PaleMelanesian]

What about the farm-grown hybrid Lyptus wood? Not local, but sustainable.

 

[JLBW]

If you're talking about FSC-certified wood it's really hard to get information about that. I'm currently waiting for a respons from a couple of companies about this. Anyway, chechen and katalox are supposed to be similar to ebony if you're looking for something dense and for softer alternatives, maple is ok. Hope this helps.

 

[erikbojerik]

OSB?

More than once I've toyed with the idea of making a whole instrument from OSB. Its pretty heavy though, being about 30% epoxy.

 

[RLK]

With enviro-friendliness being so fashionable, any reason there hasn't been more use of bamboo laminate?
Its supposed to have all the properties of hard maple, and bamboo only takes 5 years to fully mature.

(AFAIK), Emmett Chapman seems to be the only builder using bamboo;
Invalid Link Removed

 

[peterbright]

With enviro-friendliness being so fashionable, any reason there hasn't been more use of bamboo laminate?
Its supposed to have all the properties of hard maple, and bamboo only takes 5 years to fully mature.

(AFAIK), Emmett Chapman seems to be the only builder using bamboo;
Invalid Link Removed

Bamboo is a grass, but a laminated bamboo body or fretboard are darned good ideas.

 

[RLK]

Bamboo is a grass, but a laminated bamboo body or fretboard are darned good ideas.

Yep, I meant to mention Bamboo laminate as a Material, not a possible wood.
To me seems it would be most ideal for necks.
Its suposed to be very stable, and it would look a bit like the Kubicki Factor laminated necks.

 

[jonpopu]

I think I remember someone posting a very Diy fretless instrument that used bamboo a little while ago.

Edit: Here's one, not the one I was thinking of. Fretless w/ bamboo neck. (not good pics of the neck though)

http://profile.ultimate-guitar.com/tiv0/pictures/gear/134162/134165

Edit again: Here's the one I was thinking of.

http://unfretted.org/loader.php?LINK=/profs/ghd_fretless