Black Walnut Tonewoods

[Pablo Bosticio]

Does anyone have an opinion about using Black Walnut for tonewoods? I have some beautiful wood that has been in my shop for the last twenty five years. I am thinking of using the Black Walnut for a carved back and the sides. A Spruce carved top is also in the plan but I am not sure which type of spruce would be the best to use with walnut.

[Bill McCall]

I think it's fairly indistinguishable from mahogany, and finishes quite beautifully. Very stable, so makes a good neck as well, assuming straight grain.

[fatt-dad]

Dr. Cohen used walnut on my A5.



With a redwood top. I love it!

f-d

[Pablo Bosticio]

I have quite a lot of it, so picking out some choice pieces will not be a problem. Thank you!

[Pablo Bosticio]

Beautiful Fatt-Dad! Why did you choose the redwood top?

[Dave Sheets]

I've built a couple of fiddles out of walnut, smoother and quieter than maple from what I can tell. A nice alternative, and walnut looks great.

[fatt-dad]

Beautiful Fatt-Dad! Why did you choose the redwood top?

I'd played similar from his shop. I also wanted my custom mandolin to be something different from what's available from typical commercial shops.



f-d

[bbcee]

And walnut SMELLS good!

[Spruce]

Thousands of Epiphone walnut-back-and-sides archtop guitars pretty much led the way on this one....

[G7MOF]

Dr. Cohen used walnut on my A5.



With a redwood top. I love it!

f-d

They're both nice finishes!

[Rick Isham]

Go for it! I just finished this, my first Mandolin, posted under 'can I get some feedback on this? ' . A couple of links: one to see and hear, one to read about the build.

http://hamjonesguitars.com/wally.html
http://www.hamsguitaringblog.com/

Rick Weaver
Ham Jones Guitars

[Pablo Bosticio]

Yo, very cool instrument Rick! The wood selection is awesome. Your blow by blow on the building sounds like something I need to be prepared for. I am planning on a basic A5 design to keep the bending to a minimum.

[violinvic]

I have done 2 OM guitars and 3 fiddles with black walnut back, sides and neck. I love black walnut. It bends quite easily. Sounds great.

[Pablo Bosticio]

I have walnut stock that will make a one piece back. Since I have had it so long and it has been in a stable environment is it reasonable to use for a one piece back or am I asking for trouble?

[Karl Hoyt]

I have walnut stock that will make a one piece back. Since I have had it so long and it has been in a stable environment is it reasonable to use for a one piece back or am I asking for trouble?

I've used a lot of walnut over the years: very stable, very beautiful. In electric basses and acoustic guitars, it has a stronger fundamental note than mahogany without the midrange overtones, and not as bright as maple....... and it carves nicely. I would not see any reason not to do a one piece back. (Oh.... and it bends like butter!)

Karl

[Scott L]

Here's a mandolin built by Michael Lewis that has a beautiful one-piece walnut back. Michael has built some amazing instruments, both mandolins and archtop guitars, with walnut.

https://www.elderly.com/lewis-custom-f-model-2010.htm

[Spruce]

A Taylor guitar made from a grafted walnut tree, graft intact...
This pic also shows that fiddleback is genetic...if it was caused by the environment, both the rootstock and graft would display figuring...

[red7flag]

Here is the back of Andrew Mowry's GOM made from Oregon Claro Walnut. Great instrument. Has a warm full tone.

[billhay4]

My Marty Jacobson 10 string.

Bill

[fatt-dad]

that's a crazy back, Spruce!

f-d

[whistler]

I think it's fairly indistinguishable from mahogany...

Not sure about that - maybe in its acoustic properties, having similar density and hardness. But visually, walnut (any species of Juglans) can be a much more interesting wood, in my opinion. Besides, anything that doesn't involve cutting down rainforests has to be a good thing.

[HoGo]

Not sure about that - maybe in its acoustic properties, having similar density and hardness. But visually, walnut (any species of Juglans) can be a much more interesting wood, in my opinion. Besides, anything that doesn't involve cutting down rainforests has to be a good thing.

I've used Euro walnut for body blocks instead of mahogany (not available here) for all my builds except one. It's a bit denser and harder than Honduran mahogany, but perhaps slightly lower than sapele that I have here (that's african, not true mahogany)

[oldwave maker]

I've used air dried NM desert canyon black walnut, kiln dried Illinois river black walnut, and Chesapeake Bay cured Virginia black walnut for sides/backs/necks. The Illini was half the density of the desert stuff, the Va. half the density of of the Illini. I prefer it for octaves and ovalhole mandos, maybe too little edge for an F5 when surrounded by drunk banjo players. Nice contrast with Arizona Sycamore binding.
If I had some grafted Ca. walnut, I'd want to use grafted pistachio from that guy in Gold Beach for the fretboard......

[Pablo Bosticio]

All beautiful examples of gorgeous grained wood. I can't decide after seeing all those wonderful instruments if I like the one piece or the book matched best. I suppose I will make up my mind when the wood is in front of me. Thank you all for sharing your photos!

[Jim M.]

I love my Arches F-4: