NuAge Tonewoods

[dmlinger]

Anyone ever see this stuff? There isn't much information, but it seems like an alternative to Richlite. I'm so confused and intrigued.

They seem to only be able to manufacture smaller pieces, so the body blanks are several pieces laminated (side-by-side, and on top of each other).

https://www.mahoganygreen.com/product-category/nuage-tonewoods/

NuAge Tonewoods are an eco-friendly hardwood brand that supplies high performance materials to the musical instrument market. We want to change the way you think about building an instrument and provide a sustainable alternative to endangered hardwoods in the process.

NuAge Tonewoods is a new way to build musical instruments. A more eco-friendly, organic material with which musical instruments are born rather than made. We are passionate about sustainability and our mission is to help build outstanding musical instruments, while having as little impact as possible on the environment.

We have the experience and knowledge to know a superior material when we see one. As an eco-friendly company, we take time to consider our environmental footprint and this commitment ensures our customers can also make informed decisions that will produce a better end product and have minimal impact on the environment. We aim to be an industry leader and the most sustainable solution for materials in the musical instrument market.

 

[KnightBrolaire]

hmm sounds like rocklite's sundari line where they make their product mimic wood as closely as possible. The ebony body blank intrigues me.

 

[dmlinger]

The ebony body blank intrigues me.

Same! Someone needs to order one and let us know!

 

[dmlinger]

Found this comment from Reddit.

It's a softwood converted into hardwood. It is made from Pinus radiata, so it is pressure treated with with organic resin and dyes that penetrate all the way through the wood, its is then compressed and left to cure and harden.

 

[LiveOVErdrive]

I would be really interested to do a fake ebony on ebony neck. Probably would be super stable.

 

[Bobo]

Found this comment from Reddit.

"It's a softwood converted into hardwood. It is made from Pinus radiata, so it is pressure treated with with organic resin and dyes that penetrate all the way through the wood, its is then compressed and left to cure and harden."

https://www.wood-database.com/radiata-pine/

Looks like the above wood is what they are using? If so, it looks to have some similar properties to some common guitarified hardwoods like Alder, Basswood, and Mahogany.

I think I saw them pop up on my Instagram the other day. When I saw the name, I thought they just specialized in responsibly harvested mahogany lol. Now I'm curious to know more and see how the treatments affect it.

 

[c7spheres]

- So it's a soft pine wood, pressure treated and dyed with organic resin and compressed, dryed etc.
- Probably more consistant tonally, and better wearing and less prone to cracking than"normal" wood.
- Compared to maple and ebony it's twice as soft before resin process
- I wonder what it's Janka ratings would be after the process and the weight also.
- Seems promising. It might be better than using untreated wood.
- Lot's of old Fender cab's were made of pine wood and it worked fine for those.
- They also have guitar "skins" of photo flamed maple and such.
- It looks more appealing than somethig like Richlite because it actually wood and not a paper resin thing.
- I wonder how it deal with humidity and stuff. Probably pretty good.
- The eco marketing is true. It is a more sustainable product but they're still cutting down trees. If they can change the market to start using this type of thing it would really be a big deal for sure.

- What is the resin made from? That's what I wanna know. Seems like it's what's gonna be the biggest variable here.

 

[LiveOVErdrive]

I think the sustainability aspect is mostly about not cutting down threatened/endangered trees like ebony and rosewood. Softwoods and common hardwoods like oak, maple, basswood, etc, are pretty sustainable at this point, AFAIK.

 

[KR250]

Looks cool and has some really neat grain patterns. I'm a fan of richlite after using it on a build and will continue using more eco "woods" on future builds.

 

[Adieu]

Pine?

No, fuck pine

 

[Lorcan Ward]

Sustainability is using trees that are easily grown, harvested and re-planted when compared to endangered trees where they are not re-planted. That’s mostly down to the logging companies and governments. In many countries they just want to clear land for agriculture and housing so the wood is never re-planted.

Eco-friendly treated timber? That’s a bit of a stretch so it depends on the method how it’s done and the amount of pollution given off during treating. You could quickly end up with something that’s way worse for the environment this way.

Honestly the best way forward for big companies is to use sustainable wood from their own county. Less air miles and carbon footprint on sourcing the raw materials with a guarantee that new trees are planted.

 

[MaxOfMetal]

That ad copy is cringey as shit.

 

[Adieu]

I think the sustainability aspect is mostly about not cutting down threatened/endangered trees like ebony and rosewood. Softwoods and common hardwoods like oak, maple, basswood, etc, are pretty sustainable at this point, AFAIK.

Imho just stain/bake/paint more maple alder and basswood (or use em as-is)

Mahogany and ebony and rosewood are kinda overrated anyway

 

[Omzig]

Sounds like "Nu Metal" Manufactured,over marketed and a pale imitation of the real thing Pass sorry

 

[seven_stringer]

A few years ago or so the Rockler near me sold Thermowood or something that was Radiata Pine that was to be used in place of other hardwoods. I looked at it and was considering trying it for a neck or fretboard but before I finally got round to picking some up they pulled it. Store told me it wasn't quite working as planned. I didn't ask any specifics of what the problem was so I let it go. Maybe it just didn't sell but they didn't say.

 

[c7spheres]

A few years ago or so the Rockler near me sold Thermowood or something that was Radiata Pine that was to be used in place of other hardwoods. I looked at it and was considering trying it for a neck or fretboard but before I finally got round to picking some up they pulled it. Store told me it wasn't quite working as planned. I didn't ask any specifics of what the problem was so I let it go. Maybe it just didn't sell but they didn't say.

That's what this stuff is, Radiata Pine, but infused with organic resin.

 

[Bobo]

A few years ago or so the Rockler near me sold Thermowood or something that was Radiata Pine that was to be used in place of other hardwoods. I looked at it and was considering trying it for a neck or fretboard but before I finally got round to picking some up they pulled it. Store told me it wasn't quite working as planned. I didn't ask any specifics of what the problem was so I let it go. Maybe it just didn't sell but they didn't say.

Bummer you didn't get more in depth info. I'd really wonder if there's some stigma behind failure for stuff like this in the market (I know "stuff like this" is very generalized).

I wonder how well stuff like Rocklite and Richlite are doing in the guitar/bass market. I don't see it much, but maybe it's just flying under my radar. Do most guitarists want their wood to be more of the "real" thing? Are these alternative woods not being promoted or pushed well enough to give them a fair chance?

I like the outside the box type thinking, even if it leads to failure. But with the way markets can go, some of the experimentation may never get a fair shake even if it brings something solid to the table.

 

[KnightBrolaire]

Bummer you didn't get more in depth info. I'd really wonder if there's some stigma behind failure for stuff like this in the market (I know "stuff like this" is very generalized).

I wonder how well stuff like Rocklite and Richlite are doing in the guitar/bass market. I don't see it much, but maybe it's just flying under my radar. Do most guitarists want their wood to be more of the "real" thing? Are these alternative woods not being promoted or pushed well enough to give them a fair chance?

I like the outside the box type thinking, even if it leads to failure. But with the way markets can go, some of the experimentation may never get a fair shake even if it brings something solid to the table.

richlite is really taking off over the last few years due to restrictions on ebony/it's much harder to source all black ebony reliably. It says something when even ibanez is using it on production models.

 

[Bobo]

richlite is really taking off over the last few years due to restrictions on ebony/it's much harder to source all black ebony reliably. It says something when even ibanez is using it on production models.

I forgot Ibanez used in on a top for a Prestige. Cool to see them using it as a top as opposed to a fretboard. It seemed like Gibson wasn't doing it as much, but I could be way off.

 

[MaxOfMetal]

I forgot Ibanez used in on a top for a Prestige. Cool to see them using it as a top as opposed to a fretboard. It seemed like Gibson wasn't doing it as much, but I could be way off.

Gibson significantly rolled back Richlite use because their customer base freaked the fuck out about it.

They still have it on a few models, mostly acoustics.

The original plan was to use Richlite on everything that wasn't a VOS or certain tier of signature model, pending artist approval.