Blackwood Tek....anyone played some?

horsehead

Apparently it's a new fingerboard wood, but I've only just heard about it. 

earwighoney

It's been around for a few years.  

MadInter, the company who with Taylor guitars run the Ebony processing operations in Cameroon have been one of those behind bringing Blackwood Tek, which AFAIK is some kind of softwood which has thermodynamically treated (aka roasted/baked).

It seems to be gaining popularity after the CITES updates with a lot of Far East producers using for their builds. 

Not used it myself but it seems to be a good product.  I've come across a few Reverend guitars on YT with BT fretboards and I can't seem to notice any particular differences to the RW fretboards they replaced.  

Corvus

I think it's a variety of pine or fir or similar, compressed at very high pressures. I had a sample sent with something else, it felt good. It's cheap per blank but the shipping isn't. I did read one post somewhere where someone had sliced a blank to shape and it sprung & warped, internal stresses, but that must be just luck of the draw.

earwighoney

Corvus said:

I think it's a variety of pine or fir or similar, compressed at very high pressures. I had a sample sent with something else, it felt good. It's cheap per blank but the shipping isn't. I did read one post somewhere where someone had sliced a blank to shape and it sprung & warped, internal stresses, but that must be just luck of the draw.

Have you tried here for more?  Shipping isn't that much more for 8 fretboards then it is for 4, but they sell a lot of great looking things. 

horsehead

Is there any tonal difference to rosewood? Soft, sponger etc?

earwighoney

horsehead said:

Is there any tonal difference to rosewood? Soft, sponger etc?

Blackwood Tek & EIR are about the same in density, so it should act in a similar way.

Corvus

earwighoney said:

Corvus said:

I think it's a variety of pine or fir or similar, compressed at very high pressures. I had a sample sent with something else, it felt good. It's cheap per blank but the shipping isn't. I did read one post somewhere where someone had sliced a blank to shape and it sprung & warped, internal stresses, but that must be just luck of the draw.

Have you tried here for more?  Shipping isn't that much more for 8 fretboards then it is for 4, but they sell a lot of great looking things. 

It does seem a bit cheaper than last I looked. It was over 17 Euros for one blank before. Some of their other stuff is tempting... and good prices on a lot too. I will try Blackwood Tek at some point and Rocklite, used it for small bits but not a full board yet.

Nunogilberto

Sounds like what a college would have been called in the 80s just down the road from me!

Creed_Clicks

Kicking around the idea of a strat blackwood tek fretboard for a partscaster. Some of the necks seem pretty cheap (possibly *too* cheap?) or is it just the case that they are good value at the moment....

Creed_Clicks

Well, I took a punt and ordered a strat neck with a blackwood tek fretboard off ebay. Let's see....