Africian Blackwood v/s Ebony

CocoboloCowboy

Cowboys are my hero's
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Both woods look the same to me, what the difference, or is it just a wording thing?

Or does Blackwood show more visable grain.
 
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I haven't used it, in fact, I don't even own any. However, I know that MasonH loves it, so you might ask him. IIRC, it's similar in density and in price.
Mr H
 
Dark purple-brown with black streaks. s.g. of 1.2, more than ebonies 1.03s.g.. More oily.

Try "World Woods in Color" by William A. Lincoln.
 
I am not a cuemaker but African Blackwood has much more character. I have seen a handful of African Blackwood and every single cue looked fantastic. Two Sugartrees (mine) and a few Black Boars (Tikkler's).


Chris
 
I think it would be more appropiately called African Brown wood as it is more brown than black. Some of it has nice grain contrast and other pieces are just the dark brown color. I have not heard any negatives about it that I have not heard about Cocobolo or Ebony as is seems to fall right in between those two in most aspects.
 
Here is some pics of African blackwood to compare..

Just chipping in here:

The wood I pictured in this post is A.B.Wood - http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=157122&page=2

It might be that the white balance on the camera is not 100% due to the
fact that the background light is those long "light tubes" (don't know the correct word for it...)

As you might see, the color is as Chris mentions more brown than black and
in my eyes it has a dash of purple in there a well. Might not look like it on the
pic though.

I find the wood very nice to cut in the lathe, has a very dense and nice feel to
it and has for sure a more enjoyable mix of grains which makes more life to
the wood.

Was working on a customers cue and this was not black enough so I have to get
some Ebony for him - which for me could look very dull. It's just black and
you really have to come up close to see any grains.

Anyway, hope it helped.
Could add some other pics if you like. Have one comparing this wood against
normal "white" wood.

Kent
 
like Tommy said it's a true Rosewood and it machines like aluminum,incredible facing and threads.it's heavier than Ebony and pretty rare to find it where it's really black,but i have seen a few pieces that are black,black.i think the tone is way better than Ebony and i think it is overall a far superior wood.it is heavy though.needs aluminum a-bolt and G-10 or aluminum joint pin most times to get it under 20oz.

like MrH said i love it.
 
like Tommy said it's a true Rosewood and it machines like aluminum,incredible facing and threads.it's heavier than Ebony and pretty rare to find it where it's really black,but i have seen a few pieces that are black,black.i think the tone is way better than Ebony and i think it is overall a far superior wood.it is heavy though.needs aluminum a-bolt and G-10 or aluminum joint pin most times to get it under 20oz.

like MrH said i love it.

Good points.

As you say, nothing is blacker than Af Blackwood, if you get the
really black stuff.

I have a piece that looks like coal - my own semi-educated guess,
and we all know how reliable those are, is the brown pieses must be
ones that did'nt quite make the cut, so to speak. FWIW Af Blackwood
is the wood used for those super black Woodwind musical instruments.

Perhaps the music guys are hoarding all the good stuf.

And yes again, it turns great - just like Indian, IMHO. I've gotten
ribbons easily with a single-point tool, that is much more rare with ebony.

Dale
 
Agree with This.

like Tommy said it's a true Rosewood and it machines like aluminum,incredible facing and threads.it's heavier than Ebony and pretty rare to find it where it's really black,but i have seen a few pieces that are black,black.i think the tone is way better than Ebony and i think it is overall a far superior wood.it is heavy though.needs aluminum a-bolt and G-10 or aluminum joint pin most times to get it under 20oz.

like MrH said i love it.

I have a cue Mason made from a great piece of musical grade African Blackwood. It is uncored. I also have a couple of uncored ebony cues. Ebony has a more "muted" feel to me. The AB cue has a more responsive feel and sound to it. The cue is exactly 20oz, but with the 57.5 inch length, foward balance, and g-10 pin, the extra ounce is not noticeable at all. I look forward to getting another AB cue from Mason next year.
 
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More pic showing colors

I agree that the feeling this wood gives is very nice.
Pics is of course without clear coat.

Kent
 

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Learning from Tommy that it's a rosewood, and from the links provided that it's highly regarded in making musical instruments, makes me a firm believer.
All the rosewoods hit beautifully, and tone woods almost always make nice cues.
I tried a cedar top Taylor acoustic once that had incredible mellow character - though it was naturally short on volume compared to a spruce or maple top. I suppose the lower density of cedar would make for less effective transfer of vibration over the cue's length (and of course it's likely too soft to take the strain), but I always wondered what it would "feel" like...
 
Learning from Tommy that it's a rosewood, and from the links provided that it's highly regarded in making musical instruments, makes me a firm believer.
All the rosewoods hit beautifully, and tone woods almost always make nice cues.
I tried a cedar top Taylor acoustic once that had incredible mellow character - though it was naturally short on volume compared to a spruce or maple top. I suppose the lower density of cedar would make for less effective transfer of vibration over the cue's length (and of course it's likely too soft to take the strain), but I always wondered what it would "feel" like...

i love taylors. best acoustic made imo. i esp like the smaller body guitars. maybe that was the shortness in sound you were talkind about bc ive noticed that also. sweet sound when it was there tho.
 
Yeah, Dave. Taylors are really great. The smaller body does make a difference compared to the jumbos, but it was a noticeable difference "concert" to "concert" when comparing the cedar/mahogany 514 to a 614, 714, 814, etc. The 514 would be overwhelmed in a group setting among the others - discounting electronics that is...
My personal fav ever was a Collings cut away that had the cleanest, clearest, Engelman top I ever saw. Awesome Indian Rosewood back & sides. It was incredible, w/ great projection, & tonal range/character. It was beyond what I had to spend at the time, but it really represented itself.
 
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