I keep getting Facebook ads for this stuff. Sounds intriguing so I have decided to order a body, neck and fretboard of the NuAge "Rosewood"
https://www.mahoganygreen.com/product-category/nuage-tonewoods/From what I can see its a sustainable softwood that has been pressure treated and dyed through out to mimic rosewood or ebony
I have had wood treated in a similar way before. usually stabilized hardwoods though, so i'm interested to see how it works here
The "rosewood" fretboard has a density of 700 – 1100 kg/m3 (RW averages out at 830 kg/m3). The body and necks are less dense at
550 – 700 kg/m3, the lower end of which is in line with mahogany
lets see what turns up!
Anyone have any experience of it?
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But at those prices, got to be worth a try.
Also see that they stock Deacci pickups. Those are good quality (and pricey) units, so implies that it's a "proper" supplier.
Didn't @Andyjr1515 make an acoustic with something similar, was it rocklite rosewood-a-like or.. am I remembering right Andy?
Its not an issue at this price if it is a suitable material for body blanks. However, if it is paint grade i'm not sure I see the point of it being dyed to look like rosewood
I don't expect it will have the usual issues with multiple pieces, where the joints eventually reveal themselves through the finish. there shouldn't be any of the normal wood movement at all
....
If the weight is accurate (2.5kg), final body weight for an average sized guitar should be between 3-3.5lbs
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Sounds like a similar material, @WezV
I visited the workshop a number of times and the Rocklite machines and cuts/sands pretty much like solid wood. The only stuff I've used myself is the Rocklite binding which is pretty good other than the fibres tend to break out during tight bends round the bending iron.
I'll be interested how you get on with the NuAge, Wez
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It was ok, mimicked ebony well but I did find it to be a little brittle. It did work, though.
I have used richlite before, which is paper based. I wasn't totally happy with it as I managed to delaminate some of the offcuts and I did wonder if the same might happen during a refret.
Not tried rocklite or Blackwood Tek yet, but I am more interested in the idea of actual sustainable wood thats converted in this way.
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I’d imagine this could be Blackwood but another name? Think it’s made in NZ?
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The fretboard and neck blank are exactly as you would expect. They are exactly the dimensions stated on the website, but note that this is a little short for something like a strat neck... would be much more versatile if they were a couple of inches longer.
The tap tone is pretty good, so I have no doubt they will make some nice instruments
The body is heavier than expected, but I guess it is in line with rosewood. Its 5kg in its raw state. I assume the weight quoted on the website is closer to a finished solid body weight using this material. That does mean I would want to chamber it to get near a weight I like.
Mine is multiple strips rather than layers I'm glad about that. Will have to see how those edges look once shaped to see if it's paint grade, burst edges, or left completely natural
As a sustainable alternative, I'm okay with it so far.
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I just had a free lunch, so decided to start something with the body blank. I have to say this stuff works really nicely.
With that in mind I would certainly recommend this to newby builders who are not yet used to reading grain direction when routing as its very forgiving. Tear out was a non-issue, even in the trickiest areas. it cut easily on the bandsaw, even in the tightest curves, and it sands really nicely
20 minutes after starting i have an LP shape, routed for a strat neck pocket.... I'm going for a hybrid
Its a little on the tubby side, but not crazy heavy.
I expect it would be about 9lb finished if i do no weight relief. I think I'm going for a large guard down the treble side, and a large gut cut on the back. both of those should bring it in somewhere acceptable
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that would allow a substantial control cavity and additional smuggle routes under the guard if needed
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I didn't take any pictures of the guard being made, but once it was done it allowed me to route a control cavity. This was drawn on, drilled out and routed free hand
Weights getting better
Here is a mockup with the blue guard. It's got a really fine sparkle to it
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It will get a solid finish
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