GUITAR WOODS: WENGE

Wenge (Millettia Stuhlmannii) grows in Africa within Zaire, Cameroon and Gabon. The tree reaches to a height of 18 mt with a 0.6 to 1.2 mt diameter. Weight ranges around 830/1000 kg/mt3, so pretty heavy.

Wenge is very common in bass neck construction, both neck through and bolt on , both as a single piece of wood, or matched to other hardwoods like paduak or purple heart and maple.

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Wenge is occasionally used for fretboard construction as a substitute for more expensive and rare woods like rosewood and ebony.

Like all hard, dense and heavy woods, if accurately seasoned, wenge will enhance the fundamental definition and provide a bit of top end.

Galeazzo Frudua

As a luthier and guitar making and repair teacher, since 1988 he has built making more than 350 boutique guitars and basses priced from 2,900 to 5,600 Euros and repaired and customized thousands of stringed instruments. His instruments and amplifiers are used by flagship artists, such as Chick Corea, Peter Gabriel, Ennio Morricone, Carl Verheyen. He owns two YouTube channels—where he teaches music—that count over 40 million views and about 200,000 subscribers and almost 200.000 subscribers.