Books on the subject of wood usage and identification have all come from one of two very opposite poles. It has an ovalshaped cone up to 15 cm long and 12 cm diameter that disintegrate at maturity to release the winged seeds. The resins obtained from agathis borneensis, agathis dammara, agathis lanceolata, agathis macrophylla and agathis philippinensis are the most important commercially, but all members of the genus yield usuable quantities. The specific epithet is the latin word for strong or robust in reference to the vigorous growth of the tree. The woodworkers resource for practical information and research for all things wood. Agathis, the genus of the dammar pines, species of pinelike plants of the family araucariaceae. It may dent easily when it is unfinished but since most inexpensive guitars have bullet proof poly finishes it is a non issue. The title of this book could not be more explicit or apt. His guitar tech went to a music store and purchased a current gibson bucker and the tone didnt change. Jul 19, 2015 agathis properly selected and treated can definitely be used as a tone wood. Wood database and searchable library working properties for. Either there have been craftoriented books filled with pretty pictures, but with very weak or vague and impractical statements, such as this wood is strong, hard, and moderately stable, or else there have been. The largest kauri trees did not attain as much height or girth at ground level but contain more timber in their cylindrical trunks than comparable sequoias with their tapering stems.
Agathis moorei is a mediumsized evergreen tree with a rounded crown that grows up to 30 m in height and 60120 cm in diameter. My squier p bass has a body made from it, and with an sd quarter pound basslines pup can sound anything from very dark, to quite spanky, depending on how i set my amps eq. Agathis and bass wood are easy to machine, hard woods like alder and mahagony are harder to machine, in a strat there is a lot of machining involved so a softer wood make life easier for the manufacturer, however the guitars wont hold up as long for the user imo, which is why you see so many starter guitars made of agathis and basswood. Many low priced poorly constructed guitars use agathis wood as it is inexpensive, easy to attain, and easy to work with. Identifying and using hundreds of woods worldwide all that makes the wood database unique, distilled into one potent book. Agathis properly selected and treated can definitely be used as a tone wood. Jan 14, 2010 i have a guitar with an agathis body and a maple cap that sounds fine. The book is every bit as good a reference as i expected. Welcome to miller wood trade publications for proper viewing, please rotate your device. A wide variety of agathis plywood options are available to you, such as outdoor. Bindang, borneo kauri, dakua makadre, damar, damar minyak, indian agathis, kauri, kauri pine, menghilan, tolong. Identifying and using hundreds of woods worldwide by. I would say it can even be used in lower end intermediate level instruments.
The wood is used because it is inexpensive not cheap cheap as in crappy. Not that anyone can tell the difference on an electric guitar. When you get past the novelty, its basically just an oldgrowth softwood. The wood database may be accessed from the wood tab of the section sets spreadsheet by clicking in the shape field and then clicking, or by clicking the shape database button on the advanced tab of the ribbon and then clicking the wood tab of the shape database dialog wood materialshape selection. What is actually wrong with agathis wood being used on. I had recently checked out some wood identification books at the library, and i wanted a way to organize all of the most helpful data into a single reference file on. New zealand kauri the wood database lumber identification.
Nepalese alder alnus nepalensis alder, nepalese alnus nepalensis. Agathis australis can attain heights of 40 to 50 metres and trunk diameters big enough to rival californian sequoias at over 5 metres. Agathis robusta queensland kauri pfaf plant database. Ancient kauri agathis australis why people love it. Ancient kauri is simply a name for kauri trees agathis australis that have been. Softwoods araucariaceae agathis australis common names. The genus agathis, commonly known as kauri or dammar, forms a relatively small genera of 21 species of evergreen trees in the very ancient araucariaceae family of conifers.
The first 47 pages are a wellwritten education about wood, covering basics of wood structure, comprehensive details about wood anatomy, ways to identify a type of wood even a list of woods that fluoresce. I think the tone on this particulal guitar is due to the density of yhe wood. Agathis species range from the philippines to australia and new zealand. The pacific kauri is one of the largest and fastest growing species in its genus, and is important in forestry. Get a constantly updating feed of breaking news, fun stories, pics, memes, and videos just for you. The common name most commonly used is an adaption of the maori name of kauri for the new zealand species, agathis australis in australia this plant is called a dammar pine. Best not to worry about the wood, but focus on the quality of sound of the guitar. Guitar tone woods a tone guide for guitar tone woods. Shipping currently not available to canada or australia. Wood is so variable, that two pieces from the same tree can sound quite different. Agathis definition is a small genus of evergreen trees family araucariaceae chiefly of australasia and the philippines that are distinguished from members of the genus araucaria by having larger leaves with flat stalks and the seed free from the cone scale and are valued for their wood and fragrant resins.
I have a guitar with an agathis body and a maple cap that sounds fine. And pjh, i have heard some great guitars made from pine. It can grow in semishade light woodland or no shade. True, there are some nice figured pieces, but on the whole, not worth the exorbitant costs over, say, douglas fir. Dakua ek rakam ke coniferous perr hai jiske south west pacific ocean ke island me, jaise ki fiji, vanuatu, santa cruz islands, aur solomon islands, me pawa jaae hai. Compare various species against one another by key characteristics. The numerical data covers all key qualities in both english and metric units. Poor quality agathis is really nothing but firewood. Agathis macrophylla also agathis silbae known as pacific kauri, is a coniferous tree native to the islands of the southwestern pacific ocean in tropical humid lowlands and lower montane regions, notably in fiji, vanuatu, the santa cruz islands, and the solomon islands. All that makes the wood database unique, distilled into one potent book. Agathis has a worldwide reputation as a quality wood but like so many of the fine species throughout the world, it too has been used to near exhaustion.
Wood database and searchable library woodworkers source. Now, what are the disadvantages of an agathis body. Agathis is a genus of evergreen, coniferous trees, the kauri. Worldwide woods, ranked by hardness over 500 woods arranged into eight geographic regions and ranked by janka hardnessall on one 24. Identifying and using hundreds of woods worldwide by eric meier 20151010 by the wood database. Aug 24, 2011 agathis is a general name for any number of different far eastern hard woods. David wood has 77 books on goodreads with 31729 ratings. Agathis is often referred to as commercial grade mahogany as its tonal properties closely represent those of mahogany but fall short of true mahogany. Agathis species in general yield a high quality resin, often known as manila copal. Since agathis trees grows in the far east, it is primarily used in lower end guitars and other stringed instruments. They grow mainly in the southern hemisphere, including southeast asia, areas of the western pacific, and australasia.
Some squire basses are made with agathis, but since squires may be given a sunburst finish a very thin veneer of a grained wood will be glued to the front and back so that that option is available. Alternatively, find out whats trending across all of reddit on rpopular. Either there have been craftoriented books filled with. Amazons choice recommends highly rated, wellpriced products available to ship immediately. Agathis is a general name for any number of different far eastern hard woods.
The worlds most extensive database on commercial wood species. The top countries of suppliers are ukraine, china, and vietnam, from which the percentage of agathis plywood supply is 1%, 96%, and 2% respectively. The genus is part of the ancient conifer family araucariaceae, a group once widespread during the jurassic and cretaceous periods, but now largely restricted to the southern hemisphere except for a number of extant malesian agathis. With 40 actual wood specimens in popular use, descriptions of grain, color and texture, how to identify trees by their leaves, fruit, and bark, and much more, this is a small encyclopedia for woodworkers, carpenters, hobbyists, dealers, architects, craftsmen, nature lovers, teachers, or anyone with the urge to learn about wood. The leaves are usually 56 cm long and 812 mm broad and in decussate opposite pairs.
These larger rings and sections add to its strength, and the complexity of the tones. Agathis australis, commonly known by its maori name kauri, is a coniferous tree of araucariaceae in the genus agathis, found north of 38s in the northern districts of new zealands north island. Several species yield hard resins or gums including kauri copal, manila copal, and dammar resin used primarily in making varnishes and other. Agathis is a relatively small genus, with only 21 known species. Usually it is the builder, not the wood that makes a poor guitar. Many of the agathis species can make fine guitars, acoustic and electric.
They grow mainly in the southern hemisphere, including southeast asia, areas of the western pacific, and australasia agathis is a relatively small genus, with only 21 known species. Wood database and searchable library lumber for woodworking thats packed professionally, shipped right to your door, and guaranteed 100%. Elsewhere some are grown as ornamental plants in warm areas or in greenhouses. Agathis moorei pacific kauri, moore kauri pfaf plant database. I saw an interview with dickie betts once where he stated, that in a 59 lp he had a paf go bad on the road. The species is hermaphrodite has both male and female organs. They are now found only in small areas of the southern hemisphere. There are 178 suppliers who sells agathis plywood on, mainly located in asia. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. Body woods alder similar to basswood, alder is lightweight with soft tight pores. What wood is that a manual of wood identification studio.
Agathis is a softwood, coming from a coniferous tree spruce, pine, etc, unlike mahogany which comes from a deciduous tree hardwood. There were some cheap guitars made from agathis body such as esp ltd, and squier whats wrong with that as for me, i cant afford for expensive and better guitarss as i own an ltd m50 with agathis. Agathis robusta is an evergreen tree growing to 45 m 147ft 8in. Agathis simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Reddit gives you the best of the internet in one place. Pulled up from bogs in new zealand, kauri is thousands of years old, making it the oldest wood on the market why its overrated. Guitar body wood test alder vs agathis hi all, i did a tap test on two guitar bodies. Carlton mclendon inc, or the man who quite literally wrote the book on wood collecting, alan curtis.
Use our exclusive database to search for species by appearance. Pulled up from bogs in new zealand, kauri is thousands of years old, making it the oldest wood on the market. Agathis, commonly known as kauri or dammara, is a genus of 22 species of evergreen tree. The top countries of suppliers are ukraine, china, and vietnam, from which the percentage of. The pacific kauri is one of the largest and fastest growing species in its. Agathis, commonly known as kauri or dammara, is a genus of 22 species of evergreen. Mature agathis can become quite large, reaching feet about 40 m in height and 10 feet about 3. Unlike any other material, the design properties for wood members depends. It does not have a prominant grain pattern which is why most agathis basses are painted with a solid color. Unlike basswood, which tends to soften any highs, alder retains many more, but also gives room. I am not a botanist, so i really cant say much more. Almaciga, almaciga daminara, bindang, borneo kauri, dakua makadre, damar, damar minyak, indian agathis, kauri, kauri pine, menghilan, tolong. I bought this book because of eric meiers great wood database website.
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