• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Olive as a fretboard wood?

#21
jschulman said:
I'm looking for a lightweight 5-string, and I've almost settled on a custom Frog from Maruszczyk. One of the options for the fretboard is olive. The grain is absolutely beautiful, but I can't find too much information about this wood as far as stability, sound, feel, care, etc.

Anyone have experience with an olive fingerboard?
Click to expand...
Olive is very similar to ebony in hardness and tone, opposite though as you have seen in color. It's becoming more common to see it used in the sides, backs, and even tops of acoustic guitars.

As far as stability, can't answer that one, but with it's use becoming more widespread I would guess it's pretty stable or guitar builders wouldn't be using it.

The biggest problem I've seen with olive is getting pieces big enough to do anything with because of how twisted the tree grows.

And yes it is a gorgeous wood.
 
  • Like
Reactions: andronik
#22
My only experience of working with olive is in using figured veneers, so here's some information from the from the Wood Data Base:
Weight - 62lbs per cubic foot, hardness - 2,700, so 10lb per cubic foot heavier than Indian Rosewood which is a bit softer at 2,440 and weighs 52lbs per cubic foot, though with variations from tree to tree, hardly any difference. With the small amount of wood used to make a fretboard the weight difference would be just ounces.

Olive is described as often having wavy grain prone to tearout when working (most likely when cutting, planing, routing) and as having poor stability and "high movement in service", which generaly means being prone to twisting, shrinkage, splitting, cupping etc. Possibly not big issues when glued down to a hopefully more stable wood and reinforced neck?

It can be really pretty wood, but it wouldn't be there are probably better options in terms of stability. Woods such as Cocobolo, Bubinga, Bocote, Goncalo Alves, Pau Ferro, Wenge and Katalox are all In the same general range of hardness of hardness.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Engle and Rabidhamster
#23
I think Olivewood is beautiful. The grain patterns can be crazy cool. Here's my Olivewood top Fodera which to me is stunning. I'd love to see it as fretboard wood.

IMG_0385.jpg
 
  • Like
  • Wow
Reactions: andronik, Kindness, B-Mac and 5 others
#30
Giraffe said:
It is a little resistant to glue, but the biggest issue for me is the weight, which runs pretty high.
Click to expand...

Most fretboard woods are pretty dense. Maple and Pau Ferro are similar in density, and olive wood is right there with them - those woods are in the range of .7 to .72 (grams per cubic centimeter). Ebony is considerably heavier than any of those 3. Olive wood may have characteristics that are't good for a fretboard, but its density isn't something that should remove it from consideration.
 
Last edited:
#31
Olive is a great looking wood, but very hard to work with. I bought a small piece once to do some decorative wood work with and it damaged a router bit and the piece. I didn't personally have any issues glueing it (using Titebond 3), but it was very hard to work with.

If you found a bass builder willing to work with it, it would make a very beautiful detail piece. I personally lost patience, but woodworking for me is really just a hobby, therefore all my tools are hardware store variety. A career luthier probably has the right tools to work with it if they're offering it as an option.

Another consideration you could run into with olive is country of origin and making sure it's ethically sourced (if you consider things like that).
 
  • Like
Reactions: Watchootognbout
#32
There are many hardwoods that can be used for fingerboards and since Ebony and Rosewood are endangered you’re going to see more different woods used for that purpose. Pau Ferro and Maple have been used for years. Until recently, Ebony was cut and if it wasn’t perfectly Black it was discarded, so over half the trees were thrown out just because there were imperfections in color. Taylor Guitars has a concerted effort going to preserve ebony in Gaboon and Madagascar. Rosewood is also endangered. That said there’s a reason Ebony and Rosewood have been used for centuries it’s durable and retains it’s shape.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: songwriter21
#34
guli said:
Vincent Bass Guitars from Germany use Olivewood as fretboards, here’s a clip of Rob Mullarkey playing their passive Akkurat 5.
Click to expand...

Their fretboards are thinner than the fret slots are deep. That way, they end up with multiple small fretboards, one between each pair of frets.

Their builder says they do it this way to prevent the negative tension effects that can occur when you glue together two large pieces of different types of wood.
 
Last edited:
#35
I can confirm at least one instance of olivewood being used for a fingerboard. I can't find any negatives about it other than the internet recommends finishing or oiling it frequently if you plan to do outdoor gigs. Leave it to Wishnevsky to use a wood that no one wants to use in an application no one expects :D.
 

Attachments

  • wishbass2.jpg
    wishbass2.jpg
    634.2 KB · Views: 15
Last edited:
#37
songwriter21 said:
Don't be concerned about the sound, when it comes to being on a solidbody instrument. It doesn't really matter. A bunch of people say it does, but it doesn't. What matters, are feel and then looks. I love the smooth feel of ebony!
Click to expand...

Maybe not a HUGE difference if if you think of "sound" mainly as bright vs warm, but if you bring dynamics into the picture (attack, sustain, dead spots, an even or uneven response along the neck...) the choice of wood, even for the fretboard, can certainly make a noticeable difference. This can actually also change the perceived brightness of an instrument, like for example when dynamically "faster" instruments are often perceived as brighter sounding.

But even if we're only talking about warm vs bright there's definitely a difference. Try soaking a rosewood board with oil until it's completely saturated, wipe off the excess and see what happens to the tone. (Hint: nothing good, and please don't ask me how I discovered this...). The oil content and density of the fretboard wood definitely matters.

As for using olive, I have no personal experience with it whatsoever. My gut feeling says I wouldn't worry too much about instability as long as it's hard enough to keep the frets properly seated. I don't think established guitar manufacurers would have used olive if it was a problematic fretboard wood. But would I personally take a chance on it? I'm not sure to be honest.
 
  • Like
Reactions: demian04
#38
jschulman said:
I'm looking for a lightweight 5-string, and I've almost settled on a custom Frog from Maruszczyk. One of the options for the fretboard is olive. The grain is absolutely beautiful, but I can't find too much information about this wood as far as stability, sound, feel, care, etc.

Anyone have experience with an olive fingerboard?
Click to expand...
Here's another Olive wood data bass similar to what @iiipopes posted.

You searched for olive - The Wood Database

www.wood-database.com www.wood-database.com
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back