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Diamondwood

B

BELLATOR

Sep 7, 2005
467
2
#1
What species of wood is diamondwood? I couldn't find much information about it searching talkbass or on the internet. I know Roscoe uses it for fretless basses and it sounds pretty resilient. Does anyone have any information about this wood?
 
#3
Do you know why Roscoe doesn't use it for fretted basses? How would diamondwood compare to ebony and rosewood in terms of hardness, durability, stability, and tone? I'm looking for an alternative to ebony that is still jet black but doesn't shift and crack in my climate.
 
#5
BELLATOR said:
Do you know why Roscoe doesn't use it for fretted basses? How would diamondwood compare to ebony and rosewood in terms of hardness, durability, stability, and tone? I'm looking for an alternative to ebony that is still jet black but doesn't shift and crack in my climate.
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I suppose they don't use it on fretted basses because the necessity isn't there. It's also hard on tools since it's so hard. I'd think Roscoe might be willing to sell ya a Dymondwood fb on a fretted bass for an upcharge.

I suppose you could get it in jet black, too.

It's much harder than ebony, so comparing the hardness to rosewood is no contest! Not even a fair fight. :D The durability is why it's an excellent choice for fretless fingerboards. It doesn't expand or contract like ebony. I can't comment on long term stability since I've only had my bass for about a month. I'll advise you that the tone is a shade brighter than ebony, too. Personally, I don't see the need for it on a bass with flats.

My new Conklin features a coco bolo colored Dymondwood fb. When they sent Conklin a bunch of little pieces, the coco bolo seemed to match well with the bubinga top.

DSC00707.jpg
 
#6
doctorjazz said:
I'll bet it's too difficult to fret to use in anything but fretless basses. It's harder than ebony and rosewood, from what I hear it's damn near indestructible and sounds similar to epoxied ebony.
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Compared to ebony and epoxy/polyester coated fingerboards, I'm kinda hearing it somewhere between the two, closer to either depending on the rest of the bass.

So it's bright and really sings, but with a nice pre-amp like Bartolini's piezo buffered 3 band, you can get plenty of warmth out of it. I mainly use my RMC piezos at this point since it has been producing sounds I really love. I also recommend adding a passive tone knob. It doesn't affect the tone a whole lot per say, but it removes a lot of finger noise associated with roundwound strings.
 
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#7
I've used diamond wood for knife handles. It's not any harder than high quality ebony. High quality ebony or lignum vitae are probably the two most dense woods you can find. Look at some of the exotic wood suppliers that have the wood listed in weight per cubic foot. Also woods can vary, not all ebony is the same. This goes for tonewoods also. It's not an exact science. If you want something that's super tough and rock hard, go with a linen Micarta (Phenolic) like what Squire uses. Now THAT stuff is HARD!! :) It even comes in lots of nice colors!!
 

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