










eric@phantasypsalteries.com
| |

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 instrument.)
Tops
 |
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 is nearly completely covered with blotches of bearclaw figure.
The appearance of this figure, along with the Spruce itself, will change
and shift depending upon the angle at which it's viewed.
|
|
Price: $45
Item #: TP-06 |
 |
Figured Honduran Mahogany Top - This bookmatched,
quartersawn top has a little bit of curl, and also has a nice reddish color. |
|
Price: $15
Item #: TP-02 |
 |
Curly Redwood Top - Whenever I come across an unusually
vibrant Redwood top, I make it available here. This top is no
exception.
This bookmatched, quartersawn Curly Redwood top has a pronounced, deep curl all the
way down the length of the soundboard, with nice patterning and
grain-lines as well.
|
|
Price: $65
Item #: TP-03 |
 |
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 is nearly completely covered with streaks of bearclaw figure.
The appearance of this figure, along with the Spruce itself, will change
and shift depending upon the angle at which it's viewed.
|
|
Price: $40
Item #: TP-07 |
 |
Curly Redwood Top - Whenever I come across an unusually
vibrant Redwood top, I make it available here. This top is no
exception. This bookmatched, quartersawn Curly Redwood top has a
deep, silky curl that looks like folded fabric. Lots of character in this
top!
|
|
Price: $65
Item #: TP-05 |
 |
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 is full of streaks of bearclaw figure with good symmetry. The
appearance of this figure, along with the Spruce itself, will change and
shift depending upon the angle at which it's viewed.
|
|
Price: $45
Item #: TP-08 |
 |
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 longer lines/trails of bearclaw figure that would
complement a standard triangular-shaped rosette well. The appearance of
this figure, along with the Spruce itself, will change and shift depending
upon the angle at which it's viewed.
|
|
Price: $50
Item #: TP-09 |
 |
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.
|
|
Price: $55
Item #: TP-10 |
 |
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 is mostly covered with streaks of bearclaw figure with decent
symmetry. The appearance of this figure, along with the Spruce itself,
will change and shift depending upon the angle at which it's viewed.
|
|
Price: $45
Item #: TP-11 |
| |
|
Backs and Sides
 |
Figured Cocobolo - This set is truly unique. I had a
narrow yet thick piece of Cocobolo with some outstanding sapwood included
with the orange heartwood, (click
here for sapwood closeup), and I decided to try an experiment. I used
a double-bookmatch for the back, so it is actually comprised of four
pieces of Cocobolo cut sequentially from the same board. The result was
dramatic.
Cocobolo is a true rosewood, and gives a very glassy and complex tone.
It is heavy and dense, and resonates very well.
|
|
Price: $90
Item #: BK-14
|
 |
African Wenge - This wood is quickly becoming
one of my absolute favorites for the frame of a bowed psaltery. It is
incredibly resonant, (similar to most of the rosewoods), and yet its
weight - although above average - is still moderate, so it has a decent
depth of tone as well.
And as you can see, this wood has quite a striking and dark beauty.
It's probably the darkest colored wood that I have available for the frame
of a psaltery.
|
|
Price: $85
Item #: BK-12 |
 |
Figured Canarywood - This incredibly figured set
has the best figure I've ever seen in Canarywood. As soon as I saw this
board, I knew it would be something special.
The bookmatched back looks like a flame, and I think that some mineral
deposits may have helped give this board some extra color.
I only have two sets like this.
Canarywood is of moderate density, and should fall somewhere between
Maple and Padauk acoustically. It should make for a very balanced tone,
with a decent compromise between resonance and responsiveness.
|
|
Price: $45
Item #: BK-02 |
 |
Figured Canarywood - This incredibly figured set
has the best figure I've ever seen in Canarywood. As soon as I saw this
board, I knew it would be something special.
The bookmatched back looks like a flame, and I think that some mineral
deposits may have helped give this board some extra color.
I only have two sets like this.
Canarywood is of moderate density, and should fall somewhere between
Maple and Padauk acoustically. It should make for a very balanced tone,
with a decent compromise between resonance and responsiveness.
|
|
Price: $45
Item #: BK-03 |
 |
Figured Oregon Myrtle - A lovely two-tone color is
combined with a curly figure to give this set a unique appeal.
I found this board mostly by chance while on a trip out to California.
I could only fit a small piece in with my carry-on luggage, and when I got
home, I made a slight mistake in sawing it up, and as a result, this is
the only two-tone myrtle back that I have! Another gem.
Myrtle is nearly identical to Maple in terms of acoustics. Expect a
sweet, crisp tone with good response.
|
|
Price: $95
Item #: BK-04 |
 |
Curly Shedua - This set is quite stunning, with
a strong curl on the back, and a medium curl on the sides. I almost did a
double-take when I saw this board! I knew it was destined to make music...
The bookmatched back shows a lot of rich variations in color. I also
have a set with sapwood running down the middle available a little further
down.
Shedua 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.
|
Price: $90
Item #: BK-05 |
 |
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.
|
Price: $65
Item #: BK-06 |
 |
Curly Shedua - This set is the highest quality Shedua 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...
The bookmatched back shows a lot of rich variations in color,
especially with the sapwood running down the center. I also have a set
without sapwood available above.
Shedua 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.
|
Price: $105
Item #: BK-07 |
 |
Figured Oregon Myrtle - I found this board mostly by chance while on a trip out to California.
I could only fit a small piece in with my carry-on luggage, and when I got
home, I made a slight mistake in sawing it up, and as a result, I only got
two backs out of the board. (The other is a two-tone back listed a few
rows up.)
The grain on this bookmatched Myrtle back forms an hourglass shape,
with a moderate amount of curl.
Myrtle is nearly identical to Maple in terms of acoustics. Expect a
sweet, crisp tone with good response.
|
|
Price: $45
Item #: BK-08 |
 |
Curly Honduran Mahogany - This set of Mahogany
has a medium amount of curl on the back and sides.
The bookmatched back will definitely have more character than a regular
mahogany set would, yet it is still moderately priced.
Acoustically, Mahogany performs close to Maple, but with a hint of
extra resonance.
|
Price: $50
Item #: BK-09 |
 |
Curly Honduran Mahogany - This set of Mahogany
has a light/medium amount of curl on the back and sides.
The bookmatched back will definitely have more character than a regular
mahogany set would, yet it is still moderately priced.
Acoustically, Mahogany performs close to Maple, but with a hint of
extra resonance.
|
Price: $45
Item #: BK-10 |
 |
Curly Cherry - This is some of the best Cherry
that I've seen. All red with tons of character. The pictures speak for
themselves.
Don't miss your opportunity to use some of the lightest, most responsive
wood around for your next bowed psaltery - and it's beautiful too.
|
Price: $65
Item #: BK-11 |
 |
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 |
Gems and Inlays
 |
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. |
|
Price: $25
Item #: IN-01 |
Miscellaneous
 |
Snakewood Binding and Bridge - In a word: exotic. This is both the rarest and
the hardest wood I offer. This figured wood features blacks, reds, and browns all mixed to form a nice
pattern that has a mottled appearance resembling that of a snake's skin.
It is hard to find pieces that are figured across the entire length of the
board, and as a result, this wood is in very limited supply.
Snakewood is also
one of the densest woods in the world, surpassing even many of the species of
ebony in density. It would make a great looking binding, and not to mention a
stunning bridge too.
|
|
Price: $125
Item #: MS-01 |
|