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Hello everyone- I am starting my 1st guitar after many repairs & restorations. I have some nice Chechen wood and would like to use it for my bridge and fingerboard. Anybody have an opinion on whether this is a good or bad idea? Thanks- Doug

Welcome, Banjoboatguitar, to the OLF.  Lots of information to be had here, and people will chime in when they have thoughts or ideas, but you'll get better response if you attach a name to your posts or in your profile.  It is nice to be able to connect to an individual.  We are a family here, and treat each other as such, sometimes wishing to wring a "brother's" neck, but it is easier to have respect for one another when some form of a real name is connected to the process.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Hello Doug,

The Chechen I have is pretty resinous. Might be a bit "dead" (damping) for a bridge. Knowing that each board is different, I think Todd has a good idea to compare the sound of your[/] Chechen in a bridge-sized piece to some other known woods (maybe ebony and E I Rosewood.)

Seems to me that it would make a good fingerboard. Maybe cut a fingerboard out first, and *tap* that. If is sounds resonating and sustaining, then cut out the bridge blank. If it does sound rather dead as a fingerboard, then (depending on your building philosophy and how much you believe that a fingerboard adds to the overall sound of the instrument), you could use it just as the fingerboard and find something else for the bridge.

Dennis

Just the word "your" was supposed to be italicised, indicating that your wood is unique.

Dennis

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Dennis Leahy
Duluth, MN, USA
7th Sense Multimedia

Thanks to all for the input, very helpful advice! I will try cutting out a bridge-sized piece(or 2) and comparing the sound to a couple of bridges I have around the house.

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Doug