Blackwoodtek Fretboards

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Details:

Blackwoodtek is an engineered wood product which can be used as an environmentally friendly, sustainable, substitute for ebony.  

Ebony (Diospyros sp.) has long been one of the most desirable tone woods among stringed instrument makers. Its density, durability, and dark color are uniquely suited for fingerboards.  Unfortunately, most of the world's ebony species are currently threatened or endangered, due to over harvesting.  

I have been using Blackwoodtek on my banjos for several years now.  It cuts, planes and sands nicely, and takes fret wire and inlays very well.  I initially purchased it from a source in Canada, but when they stopped carrying it I was forced to look elsewhere.  I couldn't find any other distributors in the US or Canada, so purchased it from a wood supplier in Spain for a brief time, but this proved to be cost prohibitive, so again was forced to look elsewhere.  At this point I decided to go right to the source and began to purchase fretboards directly from Blackwoodtek.  After initially purchasing small quantities just for my use with Buckeye Banjos, I decided to start importing enough to share with other instrument makers. 

Blackwoodtek was developed by Dr. Branko Hermescec, a Melbourne University scientist in Australia, following 22 years of wood science research.  Sustainably grown New Zealand Pine (Pinus radiata) is compressed, dyed and dried to under 5% moisture content leading to a dense, dimensionally stable, jet black product that mimics the look and feel of ebony.  The process itself is fully FSC sustainable, using all organic materials, using no plastics or petroleum derivatives.  

I have used several ebony substitutes on my banjos over the years, and Blackwood is by far my favorite - since it is an actual wood board it has a grain and figure to it which make it almost identical to ebony.  Some of the other products I've used include, Richlite, a recycled paper product which is incredibly dense and durable, but lacks the look and feel of real wood.  Rocklite, which uses actual wood fibers compressed into boards, and has more of a wood feel to it, but lacks the grain and figure of real wood, and is also a bit softer than ebony.  Another option, but one I've never used, is Royal Blackwood, which is similar to Blackwoodtek in that it is real wood which has been modified to mimic ebony, but unfortunately it is made from Purpleheart, which is another tropical hardwood with similar environmental issues as ebony.

Fingerboards measurements: 530mm x 70mm x 8mm (~ 21" x 2-13/16" x 5/16")

Pricing:

1 Fretboad:  $30

3 Fretboards:  $70

FYI: Typically 3 fretboards are needed for a full banjo (fretboard, peghead overlay, rim cap and heel cap)

-Prices include free domestic shipping  

-International orders add approximately $20-$25