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Hi i'm wonder what north american woods would be fine for fingerboards and bridges. I would like to use all north american woods for a build I have planed. I'm going to use white oak for the back and sides. Redwood for the top and walnut for binding and accents. A friend suggested walnut for the bridge and fingerboard but I don't believe they are hard enough. Any suggestions. Thanks ...Mike

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Guitars, guitars and more guitars.

Ovation used Walnut for bridges for years!
Like all other species these are variations in density .
Maple is a great choice for trim and a bridge-just stain it if you do not like the color!
Then there are many others -check with local saw mills!
It'unfortunate that we are pulled toward dark colored woods !
Tradition should actually teach us that we should use what's available and make the best of it !
Old School Violin & Lute makers did !

Mike

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Mike Collins

Al Carruth knows of some native species that can be used for this stuff, and I think one of them is Persimmon, which is a relative of ebony. There are others besides walnut that may make great bridges. We've discussed here that Black Locust has very similar sonic properties to Brazilian Rosewood, as does Osage Orange, and those may make for great bridges as well. They would probably both work for fretboards too.

I don't know Elmer, one minute you're cracking jokes about wood choices, and now you're giving a serious answer. You don't seem quite like yourself today. See you at the next NEL meeting.

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

Elmer - Persimmon is more than a close relative, it IS an ebony (same genus).

Do all ebonies grow persimmons? (Fruit that is). The Wikipedia article seems to imply it's so.

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Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

   There are a few woods that will work that are native to the states. Mesquite is hard and dense. Hornbeam will also so the job.
    You want a wood that is hard and stable. Hornbeam is also known as iron woods in my area. It was used for bolts on farm equipment. Apple may also work as should beech.
   
john hall

Like John said Mesquite!!! Very very stable. Easy to find stock

I would think that black locust might work.

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Ken Franklin
clumsy yet persistent
https://www.kenfranklinukulele.com

My favorite so far is soft shell almond wood that a student picked up in a fire wood pile in California. It's harder than the hard shell almond wood, looks like cherry, but brown, and works like ebony.

There's a good reason for using dark woods for the fingerboard; white woods show the dirt. I like to stain a light f'board with a tea made by boiling black walnut hulls in water. You can get maple to the same color as walnut.