TEAK WOOD for body?is it good?

[vinz]

i have a few slabs of Teak Wood here at my home, just wonderin if its good for a bass body? will it sound good? or do i need to combine it with other woods? Teak Wood are such durable and strong woods perhaps the strongest in the world from what ive read in some article over the net,i need some suggestions please thanks, im planning to build a jazz bass shape out of it.

 

[vbasscustom]

heavy, but yes. bass worthy. so go for it.

 

[powerbass]

Teak is heavy and oily - it is superior for rot resistance. Unless you have carbide tools it will dull your joiner and planer blades instantly. It is difficult to glue together unless you are using epoxy or Gorilla glue. IMHO there are better wood choices for a bass

 

[Rattman]

I dunno.... teak for instruments? Seems like a poor choice of bass-building material to me, as teak is the wood of choice for well-heeled boatmakers for it's absolute weather-ability (resistance to UV and water deterioration). I think you're gonna have a real hard time with any kind of finish other than a natural one. Let us know how it turns out.

 

[vinz]

thanks for your inputs, we got the teak slabs in a forest here in the Philippines, old folks said that those Teak Trees were planted by Japanese Workers when Philkippines is still occupied by Japan during the WW2. anyway ill let you know if i started building it, i needed opinions first thats why i asked here first, i already have the tools, its my first build

here are some few pics of the Teak that i have but its installed as a wood parquet tell me if its a beauty or not :

 

[Rattman]

Hey there Vinz.... yes, that wood parquet is definitely a "beauty" to be sure. Where is that place located exactly... Bataan, Zambales, Laguna, Manila or someplace else?

 

[Sardine]

It is very heavy, the dust is nasty, and it can be a brutal pain to work with, but I am going to cast my vote as yes. I made my first bass with teak and while it lacks in some areas (due to my inexperience), the tone is good and the sustain...Talk about sustain. So I would say if you have teak, use it.

Also, as a side note, I had no trouble gluing with titebond, although the piece of teak I used was quite dry.

 

[ctmullins]

One additional benefit - no need for a case!

 

[Triad]

I've owned a bass with Teak body and Ovangkol neck. It sounded extremely warm and deep and was very light too.
The lack of top end was probably due to a wrong neck woods choice... but I'd vote YES 'cause I have a nice Teak body blank too!

 

[vinz]

Hey there Vinz.... yes, that wood parquet is definitely a "beauty" to be sure. Where is that place located exactly... Bataan, Zambales, Laguna, Manila or someplace else?

hey man we got it from a forest in Davao, with all the DENR permits, taxes etc. its such a pain to get that wood but its worth it and PHILIPPINE TEAK is very rare and endangered, but ours is permitted by the DENR so there's no problem acquiring it.

It is very heavy, the dust is nasty, and it can be a brutal pain to work with, but I am going to cast my vote as yes. I made my first bass with teak and while it lacks in some areas (due to my inexperience), the tone is good and the sustain...Talk about sustain. So I would say if you have teak, use it.

Also, as a side note, I had no trouble gluing with titebond, although the piece of teak I used was quite dry.

I've owned a bass with Teak body and Ovangkol neck. It sounded extremely warm and deep and was very light too.
The lack of top end was probably due to a wrong neck woods choice... but I'd vote YES 'cause I have a nice Teak body blank too!

hehe im already expecting that brutal work,but im hoping that all that effort will be worth it.

well the specs would be:

-Maple Neck and Ebony Fretboard, headstock still on designing stage.
-TEAK BODY with NARRA TOP but cut to thin like an SR PRESTIGE.
-Body shape will be like a MACH III WAL BASS,
like this:

-im still deciding whether it will be a 5 stringer or a 4 stringer.
-Wide string Spacing
-EMG Pups with EQ
-Hardware color will depend on availability.

what do you think guys?