Dailyfisherman - Posted - 03/10/2010:  21:41:17

Just wondering if anybody has ever worked with Zebrawood for a fingerboard or neck. Im really liking the look of zebrawood, macassar ebony, or cocobolo. I'm also planing to do some inlay on it so the easier to work with the better!

Thanks, Hayden

Julio B - Posted - 03/10/2010:  22:02:36

I recall watching a luthier friend of mine working some zebrawood into a custom-ordered ukulele he was constructing. Gad what a stench! Enjoy! Hahahahahahaha!
~Julio

dickinnorwich - Posted - 03/11/2010:  04:45:53

Hayden:
Yes, I did a neck and resonator once out of zebrawood. As I recall, it required a great deal of fill because it was seriously open-grained. For a number of years now, I've been experimenting with the "exotics." Truthfully, I prefer purple heart, padauk, rosewood and leopardwood for their density and consistency of grain.
A word of caution: Wear a good mask when working with zebrawood. A close friend of mine, a bowl turner, ended up in the hospital a few years ago turning a zebrawood bowl.

dlchap - Posted - 03/11/2010:  05:22:33

Zebrawood is a very opened grain wood much like walnut. I have used it for guitar back and sides but I would think it would be a little bit too opened for using on a fingerboard.

On the other hand after a few oil treatments and some playing time the pores would fill and I'll bet it would look great.

On the cocobolo, be sure that you use a good epoxy or another glue that will work with a oily wood. I have used Titebond III after cleaning the wood with acetone and had good results.

Dailyfisherman - Posted - 03/11/2010:  09:07:24

I think zebrawood would look really good on a fingerboard, i havent seen it done yet so who knows! And dlchap i read somewhere that cocobolo was real stingy with glue!

snakeherd - Posted - 03/11/2010:  11:00:36

Nechville does cocobolo fingerboards, so we know that it can be suitable for the purpose.

Dailyfisherman - Posted - 03/11/2010:  21:50:07

i really like the galaxy inlay with cocobolo