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| Mesquite for a Bridge? http://mowrystrings.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=53346 |
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| Author: | Hans Mattes [ Mon Jul 13, 2020 5:52 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Mesquite for a Bridge? |
I've recently been using Richlite (https://www.cuttingboardcompany.com) for bridges but it seems heavy for use where, as Colin Chapman would say, I'd like to add lightness. I measured the dimensions and weight of several candidate materials in my stash and found the following densities -- Macassar Ebony, 1.43; Richlite, 1.22; Indian Rosewood, 1.07; Arizona Mesquite, 0.83. I recognize that the densities for Ebony and Rosewood are above what I find in web searches (though the Richlite density is right on), but all four of my numbers came from the same process, so should be relatively correct (even if absolutely wrong). I bought the mesquite on a visit to Tucson a few years ago after noting, in a curio shop, that a mesquite curio, when dropped on a hard surface, made a crisp, ringing sound, not a thud. The wood is hard and rings with low damping, as a good bridge material should. When buying the mesquite, I asked the sawyer if he had a quarter-sawn board. He laughed, saying that mesquite grows so twisted that if it's quarter-sawn at one location it could be flat-sawn a foot away. This probably makes mesquite useless as a tonewood (bending? hah.), but for a bridge it seems attractive. Any thoughts? Thanks. |
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| Author: | Clay S. [ Mon Jul 13, 2020 6:45 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Mesquite for a Bridge? |
It seems like it would be worth a try. Hard, but not too heavy. Glues and finishes well according to the wood database. Bridges are one of the more easily replaced components of the guitar if it doesn't work out. |
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| Author: | Colin North [ Tue Jul 14, 2020 3:02 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Mesquite for a Bridge? |
Hans Mattes wrote: I've recently been ................ Indian Rosewood, 1.07;........................ Any thoughts? Thanks. Never seen EIR that sank in water, most of the pieces I have are 0.70-0.85 SG. |
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| Author: | CarlD [ Tue Jul 14, 2020 11:02 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Mesquite for a Bridge? |
What's the formula for figuring out the density? I've got some Manzanita I've been using for bridges and would like to compare it to the other woods used. |
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| Author: | Hans Mattes [ Tue Jul 14, 2020 11:50 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Mesquite for a Bridge? |
To find the density of various pieces of wood, I measured the length, width, and thickness in inches, multiplied the numbers, and multiplied that by 16.39 to get from cubic inches to cubic centimeters. Then I weighed each piece on my kitchen scale which displays in grams. The density is the weight (in grams) divided by the volume (in cubic centimeters). I agree, some of the numbers seem to be off. That really wasn't the point of my original post. Mesquite seems significantly lighter than other candidates for making guitar bridges. It's Janka hardness is a bit less than rosewood ( 2340 vs. 2440), but it still seems like a valid bridge material. I was wondering if anyone had experience using it. I'm still wondering. This bit is a later add, but relevant to this post. After originally posting this, I put each of the four samples in a pail of water. The Richlite sank. The ebony sank. The rosewood sank. The mesquite floated, but with only a corner out of the water. The earlier density measurements were, likely, fairly accurate -- at least for these samples. |
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| Author: | Colin North [ Tue Jul 14, 2020 12:13 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Mesquite for a Bridge? |
As long as it's not a cranky piece, if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck............... I chose my bridges, or assess them, by just dropping them on the bench, and density, high or low according to the impedence I want from the bridge. |
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| Author: | J De Rocher [ Tue Jul 14, 2020 1:04 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Mesquite for a Bridge? |
Hans Mattes wrote: I was wondering if anyone had experience using it. I'm still wondering. A search of this forum using "mesquite bridge" turned up a few members who have used mesquite for a bridge in the past. Maybe you could PM them and ask how it worked out. Jaybird840 built a really nice parlor guitar with extensive use of mesquite, including the bridge. I think he referred to it as the mesquite-O. https://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=44926&p=595076&hilit=mesquite#p595076 |
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| Author: | Paul Micheletti [ Tue Jul 14, 2020 9:13 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Mesquite for a Bridge? |
I got some mesquite for a fingerboard and bridge. The density and Janka hardness is super close to east Indian rosewood, so I thought I would try it. I made a bridge blank and compared it to an Indian rosewood blank of the same shape and size. The Indian rosewood has a better tap tone and rings much longer than mesquite which seems to have some damping. I never did use that mesquite bridge, so I don't have the answer regarding final sound. |
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