Red Oak? Like for realz?

[Tommyc]

Had 2 in the backyard. Got rid of one. I hope it's well dried out. What an odor! Heavy as hell and not exactly close grained.

 

[tpaul]

Red oak looks nice on my floors.

For instruments... Why not?

 

[Miker27607]

I don't hate using red oak. I build furniture, cabinets and the like from it. It has its uses although most of the cabinetmakers I know still think of it as a noxious weed.

This is why I was surprised to see [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

View attachment 3436516

What say ye TalkBass?

I'm all for working unexpected species into the mix, but quercus rubra? (Or maybe this is quercus falcata?)

I'm also in North Carolina, and if this thing ever takes off, we're sitting on a goldmine. There are red oaks everywhere!

 

[Polka1]

I don't know how it is in the rest of the country, but here in PA the ash trees are getting decimated from the Emerald Ash Borer.

I'm still not sure it's the right financial decision, but we are treating the Ash trees in our yard for EAB, while all the surrounding ones are dying top down. We have a bunch of trees. You need to treat every other year and the product for it is EXPENSIVE. Hoping for the best as ours were already infected when we bought the place and started treating them.

However, perhaps when all the other trees are gone these puppies will be mega valuable for making those sweet 70's Jazz Basses?

 

[Mvilmany]

No.

 

[jimmy rocket]

I've got an attic full of oak veneer, I mean a LOT. Hopefully this trend takes off and the price of oak sky rockets. I'll be rich. I haven't ever built with it, maybe it's time to do an all oak bass.

I keep waiting for the ad copy that extols the virtues of red oak as a tonewood.

 

[Kevin Teed]

Yeah, I've had a few infested pieces of ash. It sucks.

That's too bad, cause there's nothing like a hot piece of ash on a cold winter's night to keep a guy warm.

 

[jimmy rocket]

Meh. It’s cheap and....cheap. I love q-sawn white oak for flooring and furniture, but red oak? It moves a lot in response to humidity change, can’t see much to recommend it for bass construction with so many better alternatives readily available. It’s the only real hardwood my local HD carries, keep reading about people buying maple at HD, not around here, anyway. I have seen some absolutely gorgeous old growth river salvaged red oak, but there goes your Cheapness factor.

The humidity factor is what gets me as well. The reason boat builders don't use RO is that it's basically a bundled up collection of straws (yes, I know every ring porous wood is to some degree) that just sucks in water.

 

[Kevin Teed]

I'm still not sure it's the right financial decision, but we are treating the Ash trees in our yard for EAB, while all the surrounding ones are dying top down. We have a bunch of trees. You need to treat every other year and the product for it is EXPENSIVE. Hoping for the best as ours were already infected when we bought the place and started treating them.

However, perhaps when all the other trees are gone these puppies will be mega valuable for making those sweet 70's Jazz Basses?

That's not feasible for us. My brother has lost many thousands of $'s worth of timber on his place (130 acres).

Luckily, my land only has a few Ash trees, all of which are dying. I'm replacing with several hundred naturally occurring native hybrid oaks to, hopefully, increase diversity. We'll see.

 

[AudioTaper]

I'm building 12 basses right now using Red Oak from HD. My wife keeps saying stuff like, "you arent building a bass, you are building a staircase" but you can tell by the picture here what's really going on

 

[daveman50]

The only thing on that Fodera made of oak is the neck. The body is alder.

We sold off all the ash on about 20 acres a couple of years back before EAB hit it... maybe 200 trees... it helped to pay for some house projects. We have so many trees on that lot you can hardly tell anything was taken.

 

[Arie X]

I keep waiting for the ad copy that extols the virtues of red oak as a tonewood.

back in the day cheap parlor acoustics were often made from oak laminates. birch and poplar as well.

 

[dwizum]

you can tell by the picture here what's really going on

Yup, looks like a staircase!

 

[FBB Custom]

Normally I am not into it but if you find the right piece it can be cool.

 

[AudioTaper]

Yup, looks like a staircase!

No way! Totally a bass, look at that figuring!

 

[jimmy rocket]

Normally I am not into it but if you find the right piece it can be cool.

View attachment 3438403

Now that, I like.

 

[Haroldo]

I'm building 12 basses right now using Red Oak from HD. My wife keeps saying stuff like, "you arent building a bass, you are building a staircase" but you can tell by the picture here what's really going on
View attachment 3437726

There's a lady who's sure
All that glitters is gold.......

 

[AudioTaper]

My HD does have maple! Its next to the poplar.

 

[HaMMerHeD]

Im jelly. I have to drive 90 min to get maple.

 

[Jisch]

They had cherry at my HD for a very short time.