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eric@phantasypsalteries.com
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Here you will find one-of-a-kind items for creating a truly
unique instrument. Rare and figured tops or backs, gemstone note markers, inlays—you never know what will show up here! The woods and
materials shown here are sold on a what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG)
basis. Unlike more common lumber and materials, what you will find here are
things that cannot be simply reordered. When they're gone, they're gone!
This page is used in conjunction with the custom
work page to give you even more options in creating a psaltery that is truly
a phantasy. The prices listed here are meant to be in
addition to the base price of a custom bowed psaltery. To
order, go to the custom work page, and under the corresponding category check
the button for "Other" and simply copy the item # into the box:
 (Note: All wood products on this page have been
dampened with mineral spirits or denatured alcohol in order to give a more accurate representation of
what the color and figure will look like on a finished psaltery.)
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Western Red Cedar (extra dark)—Acoustically, this
top is exactly the same as the regular cedar tops that I use: it's light,
responsive, and has a mellow tone.
Visually, this top is different from just about all the other tops I
offer in that it is very dark: a perfect match for darker back and side
woods. It is a consistent dark reddish brown that's even darker than most
Redwood tops I've encountered.
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Price: $50
Item #: TP-14 |
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Spalted Curly Hawaiian Mango—Acoustically, Mango
falls somewhere between Spruce and Mahogany. This tonewood is commonly
used on ukuleles, and is denser and more durable than Spruce, yet not
quite to the same extent as Honduran Mahogany.
Visually, Mango speaks for itself. This top has excellent curl, and a
wide range of colors from dark brown to yellow and even pink. This wood is
sound, strong, and quartersawn.
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Price: $80
Item #: TP-13 |
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Bearclaw Sitka Spruce—This top shares all of
the same acoustic properties as regular Sitka Spruce, but with the
tell-tale "bearclaw" figure.
This top has a lot of uniquely formed streaks and blotches of bearclaw
figure with excellent symmetry. The appearance of this figure, along with
the Spruce itself, will change and shift depending upon the angle at which
it's viewed.
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Price: $25
Item #: TP-10 |
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Macassar Ebony—A true rarity. Usually only
available as small blocks and spindles for turning, I was fortunate enough
to obtain a piece large enough for two psalteries. One set went to making
the phantasy psaltery for 2009, and the other set is for sale here.
Macassar Ebony is incredibly dense, and has a complex, glassy tone. Its
level of resonance is among the very highest class.
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Price: $225
Item #: BK-20 |
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Curly White Oak—This set of curly White Oak is
among the finest figuring I've ever seen in any wood species: it's
quite three-dimensional. The grain and coloring add visual interest as
well.
Acoustically, White Oak performs closest to Mahogany. Its density is intermediate: heavier than lightweight woods such as Maple or
Mahogany, yet not as dense as any of the Rosewoods.
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Price: $75
Item #: BK-18 |
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Curly Honduran Mahogany—This set of mahogany
has a medium/high curl on the back, and a strong curl on the sides. Finding
mahogany with a curl this good can be difficult, and this is really the
only set that I have with this level of curl.
The bookmatched sapwood in the center also adds a little bit of
character to the back as well.
Acoustically, Mahogany performs close to Maple, but with a hint of
extra resonance.
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Price: $65
Item #: BK-06 |
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Curly Ovangkol—This set is the highest quality
Ovangkol I have available, with a strong curl on both
the back and the sides. I
almost did a double-take when I saw this board! I knew it was destined to
make music...
Ovangkol is very close to Walnut acoustically. It is perhaps slightly
more dense, with a bit more ring. It is a good intermediate wood that
falls in between light/responsive and heavy/resonant.
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Price: $105
Item #: BK-07 |
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Flamed Bubinga—Not only does this set's figure have
a characteristic rippling that is commonly called "flame," but
the color of this wood also has a lot of red in it.
Bubinga is dense and resonates well. It has been used more and more on
musical instruments in place of scare/endangered rosewoods.
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Price: $65
Item #: BK-16 |
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Spalted Curly Ash—Ash has an excellent
strength to weight ratio, and is of moderate density. It should compare
closely to Maple in terms of tone—expect good depth and a clean, sweet
tone.
This set has tons of character, with both a strong curl, and also good
color variation with the spalting.
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Price: $45
Item #: BK-15 |
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Figured Padauk—This set has a lot of variety and
color. It was hard to capture the details in a single photo, so here
is a closeup of a section of the back. This wood has a nice striped
appearance.
Padauk in general makes an excellent tonewood for bowed psalteries. It
has a somewhat modest weight, yet it still has a lot of ringing resonance.
What I would call a good "ring-to-weight" ratio! |
Price: $45
Item #: BK-13 |
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Figured Cocobolo—This back has an absolutely
wild grain pattern and a full range of colors, ranging from deep brown and black, to
red and shades of orange. The sides are reddish orange with dark
brown/black streaks.
Cocobolo is a true rosewood, and gives a very glassy and complex tone.
It is heavy and dense, and resonates very well.
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Price: $155
Item #: BK-22 |
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Figured Bocote (Mexican Rosewood)—Though Bocote is
not technically in the true Rosewood genus of trees (Dalbergia), it looks
and sounds so great that it has been called "Mexican Rosewood"
by some. Expect a deep, full, haunting tone, with lots of sustain. |
Price: $95
Item #: BK-23 |
(These tuning wrenches are also available for individual sale
without a psaltery. Find out more information about them on the sub-site: Archimedes'
Workshop.)
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Made from an Australian Banksia Pod.
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Cocobolo base cap with Anigre veneer stripe.
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Refitted with an extra-large aluminum ferrule.
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This is a large tuning wrench!
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Handle Length: ~ 8 1/4"
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Overall Length: ~ 12 1/4"
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Item #: TW-03
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Price: $55
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Ammonite (shell)—Ammonites are extinct mollusks, with a
spiral-shaped shell. The fossilized shell is cut in half, and the
shell-half is then inlaid flush with the surface of the instrument, with
the inside section of the shell facing outwards. The price is for one
shell-half, and includes both the cost of the fossil and the time taken
for the inlay process. Since the shell is relatively deep, it is best
suited to be inlaid on the side of the frame of the instrument, where the
wood is thicker. Diameter of one shell half is about 3/4" to 1".
One procedure is to inlay one shell-half in each
facet of the two back sides of the pinblock. Since each half is cut from
the same fossil, they are symmetrical and should be nearly identical in
color and pattern. |
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Price: $25
Item #: IN-01 |
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