I'm so excited to start using this stuff. I got a blank from LMII the other day, and sanded it up to 800 grit, and put some oil on it and compared it to an African Ebony blank I have on hand, it looks fabulous! I haven't actually gotten to do any actual wood working with it yet, but if it tools nicely, it's going to be a permanent substitute for Ebony for me from now on.
GLad to hear it- I was spraying some nitro over some today and it looks good- not quite as dark as most ebony or african blackwood but nothing some dye cant fix if you want it darker.
I’m befuddled on how hard it was to find your channel. Your content certainly is a wonderful cache of quality information. Tons of uniquely designed pieces. Oi , what incredible talent you share.
Hi Logan- Thank you so much- I try to make videos that I'd like to find on youtube if i was starting out, or even had been doing it for decades like i have been! Spread my channel name far and wide :)
Taking pressure off of ebony supply is excellent. I personally have used blackwood but since it is a rosewood, my supplier will stop providing sometime soon. The royal blackwood is very welcome. Thanks Beau!!
It is indeed invaluable to relieve the pressure on ebony forests- Bob Taylor has done a good job of using the not black ebony trees it and this product should help alot more.
Beau, it’s good to see you again it’s been a while since you posted a vid I was concearned that you might have been sick or something. I just ordered some of that wood from LMI They sent me an email a week or two ago, I’m happy I ordered it after watching you show it. BTW I still would love too see how you do that Very thin intricate inlays I have learned so much from you it’s amazing. Thank you..🙏🙏🙏🎸👨🏻🦯
Pretty cool, I might get use that on my next uku, the price is great. I have 2 African ebony boards I just don't like the color of, and I'm not at the point where I'll dye them. I just 'sampled' a thin piece of purple heart I've had kicking around unfinished for like 15 years, and it's dark brown all the way through. I guess it just needs a push to go all black. I'll keep buying actual blackwood I have no need for yet, though. I just love that stuff... Thanks for the video.
If you buy the ready-made bindings produced by Rocklite rather than slicing them yourself you shouldn't get any issues with delaminating. I've bound dozens of instruments with it now, without any issues at all. Superb binding.
Yes- the rocklite bindings are less prone to delaminating then a cut up fingerboard- However, I still often get delamination on uke waists (which are pretty tight) with the pre bought rocklite bindings. Might be my technique though.
Thanks for doing this. I was wondering if you put the threaded block of the truss rod under the nut or keep that back under the fingerboard and just run the threaded part under the nut? Do you think this makes a difference?
The end of truss rods are best placed between the nut and first fret (to be adjusted through the sound hole). If you MUST adjust it at the headstock, make the cavity as small as possible like fender do and Gibson don’t.
That royal blackwood is very promising but african blackwood looks and behaves great as well comparing to ebony! Would love to know what you think about Richlite - ebony substitute. Aristides and Abasi Concepts guitars uses this substitue and they cliam this sounds same as ebony. However, the grain (its lack imo) looks so unnatural tbh :)
African blackwood is my favorite FB material but its also endangered and $50, so not an option for factories. Richlite was developed to be used in tooling, jig making etc- I've seen it used for fingerboards but when you radius it it reveals layers. It isn't a viable ebony substitute
@@BeauHannamGuitars I haven't thought about RIchlite from this point of view with the radius thing, good example! Big brands like Gibson and Martin made some guitars with Richlite though but maybe they will opt for Royal Blackwood too, who knows.
At first your statement sounded like pitch but watching the video and seeing the price I believe you are correct. Wondering if it will be available as binding ? I've not worked with purpleheart so want to see how it works.
It's a big statement by I think i'm correct, be it this product or some other ebony substitute. A viable ebony substitute is about as holy grain for luthiery as you can get as it applies for ALL stringed instruments and ALL ebony forests. Perhaps I should have put the prices at the start!
@@BeauHannamGuitars The look and way you show working it is what grabbed me and then I saw the price. Sustainability is a major plus. I wonder how it would bend for binding ?
@@cattaraugustonawanda4426 I mention in passing about bending it- I don't think it will be GREAT for that just from what i've heard about bending torrified maple (its harder and more brittle). SO Rocklite or indian ebony are probably best for binding- but ill find out soon enough.
@@BeauHannamGuitars Thanks to you Beau for your video. I was going to order some of this material....and your info just made my order a little bigger ; - ) All the best to you, T.
Hello sir , i have two question for you , first question - The Gaboon is this African Ebony? and question #2 - what is the acoustic of macassar ebony for the fretboard?
This is not ebony, but purple heart that has been baked in an oven and it turned black. Sorry but I don't understand the Macassar ebony question- but Macassar ebony is an excellent fingerboard wood.
@@BeauHannamGuitars Yes i know is purple heart but it's not my question.Gaboon ebony are is African ebony? and next question what is the tone of the Macassar ebony?
@@BeauHannamGuitars Ok.I check a video right now is call Demystifying Tonewoods.For my next guitar Gibson Flying V custom shop it's gonna be probably Rosewood body + Santos Mahogany for the neck and Macassar Ebony for the touch.
does anyone know where ya can buy royal black wood bass fingerboards that are 34'' long to make binding out of .been looking but no luck please any info would be much appreciated.getting hard to source suppliers
If you enjoy such lutherie videos, please like and SUBSCRIBE so I can grow my channel. Thanks.
I'm so excited to start using this stuff. I got a blank from LMII the other day, and sanded it up to 800 grit, and put some oil on it and compared it to an African Ebony blank I have on hand, it looks fabulous! I haven't actually gotten to do any actual wood working with it yet, but if it tools nicely, it's going to be a permanent substitute for Ebony for me from now on.
GLad to hear it- I was spraying some nitro over some today and it looks good- not quite as dark as most ebony or african blackwood but nothing some dye cant fix if you want it darker.
I’m befuddled on how hard it was to find your channel. Your content certainly is a wonderful cache of quality information.
Tons of uniquely designed pieces. Oi , what incredible talent you share.
Hi Logan- Thank you so much- I try to make videos that I'd like to find on youtube if i was starting out, or even had been doing it for decades like i have been!
Spread my channel name far and wide :)
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge!
My pleasure :)
Taking pressure off of ebony supply is excellent. I personally have used blackwood but since it is a rosewood, my supplier will stop providing sometime soon. The royal blackwood is very welcome. Thanks Beau!!
It is indeed invaluable to relieve the pressure on ebony forests- Bob Taylor has done a good job of using the not black ebony trees it and this product should help alot more.
Beau, it’s good to see you again it’s been a while since you posted a vid I was concearned that you might have been sick or something. I just ordered some of that wood from LMI They sent me an email a week or two ago, I’m happy I ordered it after watching you show it. BTW I still would love too see how you do that Very thin intricate inlays I have learned so much from you it’s amazing. Thank you..🙏🙏🙏🎸👨🏻🦯
Thanks Scott- I was away in West Virginia for about 2 weeks then i got a cold which laid me low for another week. SO im back to editing videos :)
Pretty cool, I might get use that on my next uku, the price is great. I have 2 African ebony boards I just don't like the color of, and I'm not at the point where I'll dye them. I just 'sampled' a thin piece of purple heart I've had kicking around unfinished for like 15 years, and it's dark brown all the way through. I guess it just needs a push to go all black. I'll keep buying actual blackwood I have no need for yet, though. I just love that stuff...
Thanks for the video.
Thanks Troy- I would certainly recommend giving royal blackwood a try
I was writing a comment about it being brittle and then the end of the video came along haha. Definitely interested in a follow up on this product.
hahah- I'll be doing a 2nd video on royal blackwood after I do a few more tests like fretting it, gluing it and try to bend it for bindings.
If you buy the ready-made bindings produced by Rocklite rather than slicing them yourself you shouldn't get any issues with delaminating. I've bound dozens of instruments with it now, without any issues at all. Superb binding.
Yes- the rocklite bindings are less prone to delaminating then a cut up fingerboard- However, I still often get delamination on uke waists (which are pretty tight) with the pre bought rocklite bindings. Might be my technique though.
Thanks, Beau! This is important info.
My pleasure
I saw Lmi advertise this the other day, interesting
Yep- this is a closeup video of it- i hope it is informative.
Very interesting.
Indeed- it also bends easy too- im making a second following up video on it
thank you
My pleasure
Thanks for doing this. I was wondering if you put the threaded block of the truss rod under the nut or keep that back under the fingerboard and just run the threaded part under the nut? Do you think this makes a difference?
The end of truss rods are best placed between the nut and first fret (to be adjusted through the sound hole).
If you MUST adjust it at the headstock, make the cavity as small as possible like fender do and Gibson don’t.
That royal blackwood is very promising but african blackwood looks and behaves great as well comparing to ebony! Would love to know what you think about Richlite - ebony substitute. Aristides and Abasi Concepts guitars uses this substitue and they cliam this sounds same as ebony. However, the grain (its lack imo) looks so unnatural tbh :)
African blackwood is my favorite FB material but its also endangered and $50, so not an option for factories.
Richlite was developed to be used in tooling, jig making etc- I've seen it used for fingerboards but when you radius it it reveals layers. It isn't a viable ebony substitute
@@BeauHannamGuitars I haven't thought about RIchlite from this point of view with the radius thing, good example! Big brands like Gibson and Martin made some guitars with Richlite though but maybe they will opt for Royal Blackwood too, who knows.
At first your statement sounded like pitch but watching the video and seeing the price I believe you are correct. Wondering if it will be available as binding ? I've not worked with purpleheart so want to see how it works.
It's a big statement by I think i'm correct, be it this product or some other ebony substitute. A viable ebony substitute is about as holy grain for luthiery as you can get as it applies for ALL stringed instruments and ALL ebony forests.
Perhaps I should have put the prices at the start!
@@BeauHannamGuitars The look and way you show working it is what grabbed me and then I saw the price. Sustainability is a major plus. I wonder how it would bend for binding ?
@@cattaraugustonawanda4426 I mention in passing about bending it- I don't think it will be GREAT for that just from what i've heard about bending torrified maple (its harder and more brittle). SO Rocklite or indian ebony are probably best for binding- but ill find out soon enough.
Like!
Thanks Thierry
@@BeauHannamGuitars Thanks to you Beau for your video. I was going to order some of this material....and your info just made my order a little bigger ; - ) All the best to you, T.
Hello sir , i have two question for you , first question - The Gaboon is this African Ebony? and question #2 - what is the acoustic of macassar ebony for the fretboard?
This is not ebony, but purple heart that has been baked in an oven and it turned black.
Sorry but I don't understand the Macassar ebony question- but Macassar ebony is an excellent fingerboard wood.
@@BeauHannamGuitars Yes i know is purple heart but it's not my question.Gaboon ebony are is African ebony? and next question what is the tone of the Macassar ebony?
@@stephaneaudet yes- gaboon is African ebony. Macassar taps like gaboon ebony.
@@BeauHannamGuitars Ok.I check a video right now is call Demystifying Tonewoods.For my next guitar Gibson Flying V custom shop it's gonna be probably Rosewood body + Santos Mahogany for the neck and Macassar Ebony for the touch.
does anyone know where ya can buy royal black wood bass fingerboards that are 34'' long to make binding out of .been looking but no luck please any info would be much appreciated.getting hard to source suppliers
I would email LMI and ask. They do plan on getting more types of stock in but not sure of the timeline
Can I condition it? I have a guitar with a royal Blackwood fretboard. Thanks!
Yes
@@BeauHannamGuitars awesome! Thanks
i wonder who will sell this product now that LMI is soon to be gone.
No one knows at the moment-
@@BeauHannamGuitars Sad isn't it. By the way I enjoy yourchannel.
@@lynpugs thanks heaps :)
Is it heavier or lighter than Indian rosewood?
Probably a bit lighter
Any clue on where to get it after LMI goes belly up?
Allied Lutherie are selling fingerboards ! Another seller will stock it but they haven’t announced it yet so neither will I.
A while back I purchased 25 of them and ended up really liking it. I might hit them up again today and get another batch.
I forget thirt question - African Blackwwood is ebony or rosewood?
African blackwood is a true rosewood
@@BeauHannamGuitars Ha ok sir.And what is the false Rosewood?
@@stephaneaudet The company that makes rocklite also make a fake Indian rosewood but I forget what it’s called.
Ok
Wow! I’ve got 2,5 tons of this stuff. PurpleHeart. Must buy a oven with vacuum now.
HAhahha- i had never used purple heart because i wasn't keen on the color. but its excellent tonewood.