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Buckeye burl

#3
Well usually the wood is quite spongy so most tops that use it that I have seen are really thin...only for looks. My personal favorite buckeye top I have seen is the Garrison bass I used to own. There is a picture below. I am guessing Fodera likes it because the right piece can be quite beautiful and customers will buy it accordingly.

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#5
My 8-month old once made a stinky that looked frighteningly similar to the buckeye top on my Elrick. I still love it though, and I agree that it's way too spongy/porous to lend much tone to a bass.
 
#10
Bigwan said:
Raw buckeye burl feels like balsa wood, and weighs about the same too... I don't think it could be even classed as a tone wood (maybe y'all feel differently). It's getting a bit overused these days I think...
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Yeah, I'd agree w/ the tone wood comment. They have to use a copious amount of filler to cover the holes and crevasses so I would gather you're getting a fair amount of the 'tone' of the filler.
As for looks, I remember first seeing it...I think it was an early model Fodera. I thought...after a gasp..."I've GOT to have it." Then I remembered that most of the pompous asses that hire me for THEIR gigs would frown on such a striking instrument. Probably a smart move...cause now, I'd have to agree on the last point. It's becoming a bit overused. I will have to say that Sadowsky was an interesting piece, mainly because it just seemed so out-of-character for a Sadowsky.
 
#11
Jared Morante said:
Well usually the wood is quite spongy so most tops that use it that I have seen are really thin...only for looks. My personal favorite buckeye top I have seen is the Garrison bass I used to own. There is a picture below. I am guessing Fodera likes it because the right piece can be quite beautiful and customers will buy it accordingly.

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That is very nice Jared :bassist:
 
#12
Bigwan said:
Raw buckeye burl feels like balsa wood, and weighs about the same too... I don't think it could be even classed as a tone wood (maybe y'all feel differently). It's getting a bit overused these days I think...
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I have to disagree on this point. I think all luthiers should be reqired to use buckey burl exlusively on their basses. I've rarely seen one that didn't make me reach for my wallet (only to open it and find three singles and some pocket lint...)


BTW, I know burl wood typically comes from the underground part of the trunk, branches and other tree anomalies, but has anyone ever seen any examples of non-burl buckey?
 
#14
quallabone said:
Oh my. I do hope you're joking. If not I don't even know what to say.
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Exageration or joke... either way my tounge was firmly in my cheek while typing. Not joking about rarely seeing a Buckey Burl I didn't like, but I'd hate to not see any of the other fantastic wood the finer builders are using these days...
 
#15
Jon Shuker produces some of the best

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Buckeye as already metioned is very spongy and also full of holes that usally have to be filled ...you couldnt make a bass out of it unless u had a huge chunk which is inpossible as it comes from the inside of the bark layer on a tree not from a trunk...

Its also one of the lightest woods used ...

Very cool tho.... Jon also has a very nice Canoe Tree Burr which looks similar to buckeye but with more outragous figuring...
 
#16
LajoieT said:
BTW, I know burl wood typically comes from the underground part of the trunk, branches and other tree anomalies, but has anyone ever seen any examples of non-burl buckey?
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The top on my fretless is made from the trunk of the tree that produces buckeye burl. According to Larry at Gallery Hardwoods, it's really rare to find pieces of the trunk that are usable and have a nice figure. This is mine:
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For bigger and higher-quality pics, go [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
I've also seen a Benavente made with this type of buckeye.
 
#17
Bryan R. Tyler said:
The top on my fretless is made from the trunk of the tree that produces buckeye burl. According to Larry at Gallery Hardwoods, it's really rare to find pieces of the trunk that are usable and have a nice figure. This is mine:
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For bigger and higher-quality pics, go [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
I've also seen a Benavente made with this type of buckeye.
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NICE Hill Bass!!! The Elrick's pretty sweet too!!! Thanks, Always wondered what that would look like, I guess it makes sense that it would be dark...
 
#18
Carey Nordstrand has some buckeye that came from the trunk of a tree in Washington state. I found it a couple of years ago, and he still has some pieces left. Check out his gallery page to see some basses he's made with it...my singlecut fretless 4, as well as a bass that Jeff Rader owns with a drop-dead gorgeous piece of buckeye on the back!
 
#20
ZenBass said:
Jon Shuker produces some of the best

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Buckeye as already metioned is very spongy and also full of holes that usally have to be filled ...you couldnt make a bass out of it unless u had a huge chunk which is inpossible as it comes from the inside of the bark layer on a tree not from a trunk...

Its also one of the lightest woods used ...

Very cool tho.... Jon also has a very nice Canoe Tree Burr which looks similar to buckeye but with more outragous figuring...
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Zenbass, is that a wenge neck with maple laminates? Looks darker but probably from the pic, great look!
 

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