eric@phantasypsalteries.com
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The back of a bowed psaltery should typically be dense,
and able to resonate the vibrations of the strings well; think of a tuning fork.
Additionally, with the somewhat aesthetically limited range of softwoods for the
top, the back is frequently the place on stringed instruments to show off the
beauty of hardwoods.
The wood making up the sides of the psaltery needs to be thick enough to not only support the pull
of all the strings in tension, but also accommodate the 3/16" diameter
hitch pins with ample wood surrounding them to avoid the pin damaging the wood when the
string is brought up to tension. Because of their size and thickness, the sides of a bowed
psaltery can play a significant role in determining the weight of the finished
instrument. However, since I use a technique to hollow out parts of the pinblock
and frame, even the heaviest woods can still be held relatively comfortably in
your arm. I will try to note the approximate weight of each hardwood below.
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Curly Maple—Also called tiger or fiddleback maple, this wood is
very similar to
the woods used extensively in the construction of violins. It is know for a
clean, sweet sound.
Curly Maple is an optical phenomenon occurring mostly in soft maples, giving an
illusion of ripples or curls in the wood. I make it a point to try and find only
wood that displays the deepest and most intense curls. The maple itself can
range from a light white color, to a more golden hue; though it's
still quite light-colored compared to some of the other darker hardwoods.
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Quilted Maple—This wood has an optical trick that gives it an illusion of
bubbles or blisters in the wood. The color of quilted maple usually ranges from a light honey to golden
color, though some sets are light white. Tonally it is the same as curly
maple. Light to medium quilt is priced on the custom work page. The highest
figure of quilted maple is occasionally available in the treasure
trove section.
Pictured at left is a nicely quilted board, which I would rate as a
medium quilt.
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Black Walnut—One of the most striking of the domestic lumbers, walnut's
color can vary from a grayish brown to a deep chocolate brown color when
finished.
Acoustically, it is of a moderate density and should compare closely to
Maple.
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Cherry—I use this wood as my standard base for veneering
sides;
however, it looks good enough on its own without a veneer covering, so I have
made cherry available as a solid-wood option.
Cherry is a light reddish tan color,
and is perhaps the lightest weight of the woods that I use for sides and backs. The
sound should compare similarly to that of Maple.
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Padauk—This striking hardwood is a bright orange when first cut, but the
color is quickly subdued to a darker orangish brown once finished. The color of
padauk can darken and shift towards a more reddish brown with time, depending
on exposure to UV light. This wood is
a good choice if you are looking for an instrument that
will stand out.
Padauk is fairly dense, and produces a good resonant tone.
To the left is a Padauk psaltery with Curly Maple binding.
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Bloodwood—A vibrant red color, this wood is very similar to
Padauk in
appearance, but with a darker, more pronounced red instead of Padauk's orange.
The color can darken slightly over time to a more brownish red, depending on
exposure to UV light.
Bloodwood is a very
dense wood, with the same glassy ringing tone that rosewoods exhibit.
To the left is a psaltery with a bloodwood back and frame
with a strip of Yellowheart in the middle.
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Cocobolo—A beautiful blend of dark browns, with reds, oranges and yellows
mixed in. These colors can darken with time, to a more reddish brown.
Cocobolo
is classified as a true rosewood, and it shares many of the same acoustic
traits as other rosewoods: with a glassy, resonating tone. It is very dense. Some pieces also contain
white sapwood on the edges, which can be included in the instrument (by request)
to make a natural center-strip of contrasting color along the back bookmatch.
To the left is a finished psaltery made of Cocobolo with a glossy
finish and Verawood binding.
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Purpleheart—Just as the name implies, this wood is naturally a rich purple
color. The color may darken to a brownish purple with time, depending
on exposure to UV light.
Purpleheart is a heavy and
dense wood, though not commonly used as a tonewood; it is resonant, though it is
not a rosewood. This wood would give any instrument a unique
look of distinction.
To the left is a psaltery with Purpleheart used for the back, sides,
and binding.
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Zebrawood—This unique wood is very well named; it
has beautiful contrasting bands of dark brown and cream colors, similar to
the patterning found on zebras.
It is of medium to high density and gives
tone that is somewhat resonant, close to padauk.
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Honduran Mahogany—One of the few woods that I offer
regularly that can be used for both the top, and the back and sides of a
psaltery, if desired. Mahogany has a rich reddish orange hue and a certain
indescribable shimmer that gives this wood a look of added depth.
Mahogany sounds similar to maple, but with just a bit more resonance.
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Bookmatching Backs: The term bookmatch refers to cutting a piece
of wood through its thickness instead of its length, and then folding it open
like a book. As a result, a back that is bookmatched will be in two symmetrical
pieces, with the same grain pattern mirrored on either side. Bookmatching
is standard on all bowed psaltery backs.
The alternative is
a single piece back, though this option may not be available for all woods. (If
you would like a one-piece top, please add this in the notes section of
your special order.)
To the left is a piece of figured Oregon Myrtle to illustrate this effect
to its fullest.
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Backstrips: One further embellishment that can be done to the
back of the psaltery is to add a backstrip. This is typically done to emphasize the symmetry of the two
bookmatched panels. Backstrips are approximately 1/8" wide.
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Striped Wood Banding |
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Centerline—A thin banding is inlaid along the
center seam of the back of the psaltery. My three "in stock"
choices are shown above. I can also use bigger, wider, or more elaborate
banding strips upon request.
To the left is the striped wood banding inlaid into a bird's eye maple
veneered back.
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Natural Sapwood—Sometimes when I get certain
boards, they have the sapwood on one side or section. This is usually the case with
darker woods, with the sapwood being a lighter color. Upon request, I can
try to find a board with sapwood, and bookmatch it so that the sapwood
forms a naturally forming center-strip along the back.
To the left is a beautiful bookmatched honduran rosewood back with
natural sapwood running down the center.
Sapwood backs are occasionally available in the treasure
trove.
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Three Piece Back—A number of combinations are
possible with this type of back. Basically, any back that is three pieces,
with whatever wood, in whatever shape can be used.
What is most common is to simply slip in a strip of wood along the
center seam—usually the same wood that is chosen for the binding. I can
cut the strip at a slight taper, or use one straight piece.
To the left is a bloodwood back, with a tapered piece of yellowheart in
the center.
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Striped Back—Taking the three piece back one
step further, I can glue together thin strips of wood in a variety of
colors and thicknesses to form the back of the psaltery. Price varies
depending upon how many stripes are used, the types of wood used, and the overall intricacy of the design.
At left is a striped back with a combination of purpleheart and holly.
There are a lot of interesting possibilities with this option. |
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Pinblock Features: |
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Delignit-Capped—All pinblocks are capped with a
specialized form of plywood called Delignit. It is basically laminated of
thin layers of European Beech and bonded with phenolic resins.
Since there are so many layers of wood that contact the tuning pin, the
pinblock’s bearing surface is guaranteed to be consistent and free of
any irregularities or defects. Also, since the layers are cross-laminated
with the grain running perpendicular to each adjacent layer, it less
susceptible to movement during changes in weather or seasons.
What it all amounts to is that your bowed psaltery will be more likely
to remain in tune versus standard solid-wood pinbocks.
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Concealed—Though all of my psalteries use a hardwood pinblock as part of the frame,
(with a Delignit cap for tuning stability), it is always covered with thin strips of wood to give an uninterrupted look to
the sides. Whatever type of wood is chosen for the sides of the instrument will also
be used to cover the pinblock.
To the left you can see a picture of bright red bloodwood covering a
pinblock of Hard Maple. Otherwise, the Maple would stick out like a sore
thumb on the rest of the instrument!
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