Materials

Ted Smith · Post by **Ted Smith** » 7 Sep 2000 7:50 am

I'm keeping an up to date post for the Melobro people on our hotsheet, but I saw something last night that excited me to the point I thought a few others foumites, who are into building materials, might like to know.

This fiberglass has created a lot of stir in that for a totally unconventional material it's sound is really getting the thumbs up. I have always been on the final end of the instrument, Bert Quenzar is the guy who's been building the boxes. He's getting so far behind in production that last night he let us in and showed us what he is doing so we can help him on that end.

What I saw happening just amazed me. He has a way of driving the resin into the matt at 45 degree angles until the fibers of the matt release and then he begins re-aligning the fibers. Watching him do it is like watching an artist. I sail so I've seen a lot of fiberglass matt and this doesn't even look like it when it's done. It looks like a type of WOOD grain. I think the reason there is so much resonance and tone in these instruments is that he is simulating wood fibers for the vibration wave length - then the resin is creating a simular effect of Bakelite in hardness for the sustain. I don't know how to describe the good feel of the texture other that to say it had that good feel you get from a good piece of hard wood when the grain is in the rough. The same thing we look for when picking wood out of the bins.

Anyway, it excited me because it may be the combination of both worlds (wood/phenolics) that we have tried for in years past by doing things like forced resin into wood grain etc., I think Quenzar has done it.
I just needed to share it with somebody.

Ted

P Gleespen · Post by **P Gleespen** » 8 Sep 2000 2:06 am

Neat!

Gerald Ross · Post by **Gerald Ross** » 8 Sep 2000 4:54 am

So Ted, if this might be the new Bakelite, how about building some lap steels out of it and see how they sound? You may be on to something.

Jim Smith · Post by **Jim Smith** » 8 Sep 2000 5:13 am

The Pakkawood we used in Dekley necks is also phenolic resin impgregnated wood.

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Jim Smith
-=Dekley D-12 10&12=-

Ted Smith · Post by **Ted Smith** » 8 Sep 2000 5:40 am

Weight has to stay in as a consideration, we will have a Weissenborn type by next year and have been studying a lap steel model but slightly semi-acoustic.