Osage Orange
 

I am fascinated by Osage Orange. I admit it. A number of factors have converged to bring about this level of curiosity.

Some well-established builders have raved about the tonal qualities of the wood. It could possibly be the non-tropical species that is closest to Brazilian Rosewood in density, hardness and liveness or “Q”. This is not to suggest that OO compares well to BR but it could still be an impressive assertion if it is, in fact, the closest.

OO is an extremely common tree in the U.S. and I live in the Mid-West where it grows quite large. Within a few miles of my home there are several especially impressive specimens along the routes that I bike and run. They are commonly smaller and more twisted than would be required for quarter-sawn boards large enough for a guitar set. Several, however, have very straight trunks of apparently sufficient size.

I am acquainted with the landowner where some of these large trees grow and if they are of any significant economic value I would like to let him know what he has.

I do not build guitars but I am interested in possibly commissioning one with OO back and sides. Maybe a OO in OO? Since I’m a lefty, it is extremely unlikely that I would find a completed guitar for sale.

All of this leads up to my questions for the experts. Would a good set of Osage Orange do justice to a really high quality guitar in terms of tone and durability? Is it likely to become more popular in the near future as the demand for native hardwoods in guitars increases in the U.S.? What advice can I give my neighbor regarding the possible economic viability of harvesting a few of the trees on his property?

I would reach out to both Alan Carruth or Tim McKnight, both of you have built a number of guitars with Osage Orange.

yes, Mr McKnight would give you definitive answers - I'll alert him to your post......

I can tell you that the Osage OM I had of his while I was waiting for my contest guitar to be finished was a very, very pleasing guitar tonally.

I wouldn't hesitate for a second to use it on a build from what I heard.;)

Osage Orange is FANTASTIC tonewood. It is extremely low damping and sustains to the moon when tapped. I have built several guitars with it and will continue to use it. I have two Osage guitars in Nashville that see a LOT of recording time in studios. The engineers rave about how easy it is to mic and record those guitars.

As far as economic value that will depend on the quality of wood the trees yield. Its not as valuable as BRW but I would think quality defect free sets would retail well North of $150 / set.

Don't expect those huge trees to be a single trunk. Osage tends to grow in clumps and then the bark grows around all of the individual trunks and it tends to look like a single trunk but after you cut into it you are only disappointed to find multiple smaller trunks so look it over VERY carefully before felling a tree. Osage is often riddled with internal defects inside. It is also quite common to have dark brown veins in the wood which tends to split easily along those brown veins and that wood should be avoided.

Osage orange is a really interesting wood. It's underutilized because although trees sometimes seem large, getting proper sets for guitar is harder than one might think. So it is not really a good choice for a mass market instrument, even high end except perhaps for limited edition releases. However, for a bespoke job, I personally would check it out. So find a builder who has access to quality sets and some experience working it and see what they say.

Here is one that I finished on August. I, too, thought they were scrubby little trees from what I see here on the Eastern Shore of MD. Turns out they were planted for hedgerows. This OO came from Wisconsin where the trees grow very large. The fresh cut color is amazing and it's too bad you can't keep it. The tone is very clear and bright, but since it is a 3/4 size guitar it hard to say what part of the sound is due to what. It is called "Poor man's Brazilian Rosewood".

Ed

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby16...7649694134065/

We had a line of hedge-apple trees (as we called them) in our backyard in the Kansas City suburbs when I was growing up. As kids we had epic hedge-apple fights with the softball-sized green fruit they produce:


The wood also makes magnificent firewood, though now that I know how good it sounds when used for making guitars I regret how much of it we burned in our fireplace. But we reveled in it, frankly, because it's so dense and resinous that one or two good-sized logs can last and burn brightly for an evening.


whm

Osage Orange
 

Another "difficulty" why Osage Orange is not likely to be in great demand is it's appearance. First, it is very light colored and that never goes over as well as dark. Secondly, in my experience, highly figured specimens are pretty rare. People will have to want it for it's sound, not its looks. And that''s good enough for many of us. However, the general public trusts their eyes more than their ears.

In Texas we called them "Bodark" (Bois de' arc = wood of the bow) or "horse Apples". Also, as has been mentioned, "hedge apple". I remember it being a very hard wood to whittle on. Very prevalent in fence rows. If someone throws one ("horse apple") at you - duck!

I really like this thread.

That is a really nice looking guitar.

Any chance we could hear clips?

I'm quite interested in this wood. I know it finds good use elsewhere, as in bows, as mentioned. I have a knife with an OO handle, and it's very handsome.

Anyone else have pics and clips of an osage orange guitar?

Watch this one and see if it sells Ebay link to OS set

I had the good fortune of trying a McKnight osage orange guitar in Woodstock this year. It did produce very fine tone.

DAVE

Was referred to as " green coal " in the midwest because of how hard it is and how long/well it burnt .

I lived in Iowa for several years on and off. I had friends who used wood to heat. They would drive many miles when told of a felled Osage orange tree to cut up. The hedge apples were ubiquitous in some areas. I think the apples were used like cedar to discourage moths or some pest on homes(?).