Using ebony for steel?

George Redmon · Post by **George Redmon** » 31 Aug 2007 7:20 pm

I have one of those Tupperware guitars

And Mike....what a fantastic, beautiful "Tupperware" steel guitar you have my friend. Both in apperance, and sound.

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 31 Aug 2007 7:28 pm

You see that awful black sawdust.....

...that's what you get when you saw ebony. It gets in everywhere, and if you're not careful you breath it in.

But this is just a small cut of fingerboard material. Imagine making an entire instrument from it.

You have to wear a mask and continually vacuum. The wood is so brittle that in order to avoid shattering it you have to cover it in masking tape (as in the photo) and clamp it to a piece of softer wood (as in the photo).

Awful stuff to work with!

Paul Redmond · Post by **Paul Redmond** » 1 Sep 2007 7:41 pm

MSA did make a steel out of steel at one time. It was a trainer model with 3 and 1. The volume pot was mounted in the body of the guitar and there was a volume pedal and rod that you connected to it. I played one at a music store in Roselle IL in 1978 and the tone quality of the guitar was akin to an empty 1-gallon can with strings. . .it was horrible. The body looked like an upside-down bread pan covered with black vinyl. No matter how you changed amp settings, it still sounded like a tin can.
PRR

Paul Redmond · Post by **Paul Redmond** » 1 Sep 2007 7:46 pm

Re: ebony for a steel, for all its inherent density and linear strength, it is extremely brittle and prone to splitting around screw holes, etc. Rock hard maple (notice I didn't say birdseye) is still the best material for a wood-bodied steel IMO.
PRR

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 1 Sep 2007 8:38 pm

Paul Redmond wrote:Rock hard maple (notice I didn't say birdseye) is still the best material for a wood-bodied steel IMO.
PRR

I agree. It's also the best material for hammer dulcimer and harp tuning areas. It grips tuning pins well and you can drill holes close together without it splitting.
With hand tools it takes a lot of effort to saw, drill and file.

Emmett Clough · Post by **Emmett Clough** » 2 Sep 2007 2:20 am

This guitar was built by a man from Oklahoma whose last name was Rose. It was probably built in the 1970's, It is quality construction, all ebony bodied, is heavy, and has really good tone. it was a real feat to build something of this precision. Mr Rose is a real craftsman.

Mike Perlowin · Post by **Mike Perlowin** » 2 Sep 2007 5:46 am

To repeat my earlier question, what about Rosewood or Mahogany?

The best sounding (IMO) 6 string guitar in my collection is this Japanese LP copy that is carved from a single piece of mahogany.

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Using ebony for steel?

Ebony

Re: Ebony

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