Australian/New Zealand Luthiers Forum

I made this for a good friend, who already had one of my full size Jumbo Guitars, also out of Wenge.
I'll include some pictures of it as well

Back and Sides Wenge ( I've been told it should be pronounced [Ven-ga] as its an African wood and its name has Dutch origins)
Headstock overlay, Bindings, Fretboard and Bridge - Central Queensland Purple Bauhina
Neck - Curly Maple
Soundboard - Adirondack Spruce.
CF reinforced Bracing, 12th fret to Body.
Gold Mother of Pearl Triquetra inlays on Fretboard and Headstock

That looks great! Very nice!

I bet you had a great time pore filling the Wenge!

Yep, sure did, it's like trying to pore fill a cheese grater.
I think it's worth the effort though. Sounds Great.

Graham Long wrote:Yep, sure did, it's like trying to pore fill a cheese grater.
I think it's worth the effort though. Sounds Great.

Yeah, it's pretty stuff if you're willing to put the effort in, but it's a lot of effort!

Also, I've been told (or told off by my old wood supplier) that it is pronounced "when-gay". I've never heard a "V" sound

Your pronunciation is correct, according to Wikipedia anyway.
Wenge (/ˈwɛŋɡeɪ/ weng-gay)
Either way it makes great sounding guitars.
Cheers

Looks outstanding Graham.
Is it falcate braced (I note some G&G influence in the bridge and headstock shapes), or CF reinforced traditional bracing?
Also, what is the black material in your nut and saddle? Looks nice, and quite different to bone.
Mark

Hi Mark,
Yes, its CF Falcate Braced. The Headstock is a give away isn't it.
The nut and saddle are Northern Teritory Buffalo Horn. I was given a couple of Buffalo Horns, its easy to work and polishes up really well.
Cheers
Graham

Extremely nice looking. The Wenge I've seen in the UK has ben rather blacker looking than that.
Do you think the horn works well as saddle and nut material?

Looks great, Graham. My next build will be Wenge so I'm glad to see how nice this guitar turned out!

What did you use to pore fill?

Cheers
Peter

I used Bote Cote epoxy resin on this one, also used West Systems and Z-Proxy. I think Bote Cote is the best of them, and its made in Australia

Boat Craft - Brisbane
(07) 3806 1944
They sell it in sample packs.

Thanks Graham.

Forgot to mention that purple bauhinia is pretty striking stuff! Like the colours...

I never thought of popping it into an acoustic there are some very tight grained pieces about I used it for a fret-board came out nice (Warwick used it a fair bit on Basses from memory)I got lots of splinters also .

Dave M wrote:Extremely nice looking. The Wenge I've seen in the UK has ben rather blacker looking than that.
Do you think the horn works well as saddle and nut material?

I have some large billets of Wenge and they look darker than the back and side sets that have been sanded.
Buffalo horn works well for nuts and saddles, its easy to work and It was given to me , I use it or mammoth tusk (legal Ivory) and occasional bone.

Fisherman wrote:Thanks Graham.

Forgot to mention that purple bauhinia is pretty striking stuff! Like the colours...

It looks darker in the photos than it is in the flesh. It's feels quite oily but machines and sands well. I'm keen to get some bigger pieces for back and sides, they are hard to get as most trees hollow.