Interview in Making Music

[Mincer]

I just read the interview w/ Sterling in Making Music magazine, which mentioned some research into alternative materials- I assumed in making instruments. What kinda stuff? I am always all for alternative ways to make these crazy instruments we play.

 

[Larry]

I just read the interview w/ Sterling in Making Music magazine, which mentioned some research into alternative materials- I assumed in making instruments. What kinda stuff? I am always all for alternative ways to make these crazy instruments we play.

I think that might refer to the Bongo bass. I believe EBMM wanted to originally make the bass out of renewable/alternative materials.

 

[Big Poppa]

NO our quest for alternative materials is ongoing..I invested a ton of money in 2008 and came up empty again....wood is good!

 

[Mincer]

Oh thats cool- I thought we'd be getting some graphite Silos or bamboo Morses or something completely wild )). I understand it isn't just using the material, but retooling, training, and a huge upfront expense with no idea if it will fly in the marketplace. Being that the article was recent, I was thinking that there was something new coming out- I do appreciate you experimenting with this though- as much as I love wood, it isn't like there is an endless supply out there. If it isn't a company secret, could you gime an idea of what materials you were looking at?

 

[Big Poppa]

IT was all over the board...there was a lot of exploration of dense foams but they were petroleum based and sounded like wet balnkets...bamboo sucked....diamond wood was promising until you compared it against real wood Corian...you name it

 

[Jimmyb]

BP, were these trials just with the standard wood/compound, or did you try them in conjunction with the tone blocks as well?

I really think it's admirable that you continue to look at alternative/sustainable methods of manufacture and I hope that one day you crack it, so that your time, effort and money will have been worthwhile.

 

[Smellybum]

IT was all over the board...there was a lot of exploration of dense foams but they were petroleum based and sounded like wet balnkets...bamboo sucked....diamond wood was promising until you compared it against real wood Corian...you name it

I played a carbon fibre made guitar and it was like the suck-o-matic 9000 - give me a tree anyday, I know one day we'll run so low that almost all good woods will be on the don't chop down list,
but wood is gooood!

 

[Big Poppa]

we tried tons of combinations

 

[Mincer]

I played a carbon fibre made guitar and it was like the suck-o-matic 9000 - give me a tree anyday, I know one day we'll run so low that almost all good woods will be on the don't chop down list,
but wood is gooood!

Really? My acoustic is partly carbon fiber, and my other electric is partly carbon fiber- I have played electrics and acoustics made completely out of the stuff too, and it always sounded amazing. However, re-tooling, and selling that idea to a public dead set on wood is another story.

 

[Jimmyb]

I think acoustic's are a different animal with regard to the way that the different wood densities shape the overall sound.

That's certainly not to say that the choice of material isn't critical with an acoustic, it is and maybe even more than with an electric, as there isn't the pickup voicing to play with.

 

[zombi]

Did you try any of the phenolic resin based micarta plastics? They have supposedly made an Eco-friendly phenolic resin. Being that I'm not sure you are familiar with micarta, it is similar to carbon fiber but is made with paper, canvas or linen ( obviously all plant based as opposed to carbon fiber). Micarta has a higher tensile strength than steel and is very dense. I haven't seen anyone try to test the acoustic qualities of micarta but maybe it's an idea? Might at least be good for necks... It's used in knife handles and gun grips, and black canvas micarta actually looks like a grey wood when shaped and sanded smooth. It's a pretty cool material... I'm about to graduate with an industrial design degree and I designed a bike frame from it and at least as a semi researched concept it has some solid potential...

 

[Smellybum]

Yeah like Jimmy said, I'm a ham fisted electric player, I have one acoustic and it's used as a door wedge,

Electric guitars have always been about wood, if somebody makes something out of a renewable and it sounds as good I'll play it until then ain't nothing sexier than a nice maple top
I lick mine

 

[Slingy]

If it sounds good I'm all for it. But we could probably do better for the environment by finding alternative ways to wipe. Hemp guitars anyone?

 

[zombi]

Micarta can be made from hemp... Being that it is made from canvas. Canvas was originally made from hemp (cannibus) hence the name canvas.

 

[Big Poppa]

we tried it....no good

 

[Jimmyb]

If it sounds good I'm all for it. But we could probably do better for the environment by finding alternative ways to wipe. Hemp guitars anyone?

Well, I agree with you to a point, but it's not just about the environmental aspect.

One of the big problems now, is finding a sustainable supply of woods suitable for guitar making. We've already seen the reduction of Rosewood, with BP telling us that it's getting impossible to source it in sizes big enough for making guitar bodies. It's not an area that I know much about, but I seem to remember reading about diminishing supplies of mahogany suitable for guitar use as well.

 

[zombi]

we tried it....no good

Hmm. I'm gonna have to sit and think on this one...

 

[Mincer]

Just to bring back this discussion about alternative materials a bit...I seem to remember an old ad in Guitar Player, with Tony Levin and he had what looked like an aluminum Sting Ray..at least the neck, but that was all that was in the picture..was this just made for him? Also, weren't there some graphite necks made on some bass models some years ago?

 

[the24thfret]

http://www.ernieball.com/forums/music-man-guitars/24709-scarcity-high-grade-woods.html

 

[Big Poppa]

NOw that most industries are in the tank the wood is getting more available to us at more reasonable prices.