Alessandro Make-over

[xnothingpoetic]

EDIT2: Can someone move this to the DYI section?


I would like to try my hand at making my ms1 into a woody for pure atheistic reasons. The $99 price tag on my ms1 makes me feel better knowing I can easily get another one w/o breaking the bank if I royally screw this up.

But before I do this I would like do get some very nice looking wood but I am unfamiliar with different types of wood.


I really like the patterns/grain in this pic from headphile:

Is this mapple wood Birdseye?

Any other wood suggestions wood

be nice

I also am not sure what color I am going to stain the wood. I always had a thing for darker wood so maybe that will be the route I will take?

And I was also thing of replacing the L&R plastic things with wood ones and also a leather headband would take place as well.

So basically I would be doing a whole make-over

EDIT: Ooo I found some sexy wood I might consider:
HERE
and
HERE

 

[kramer5150]

I dont believe that pic is maple. I'm going to guess a walnut burl-wood of some kind... walnut is the most common and readily abundant. Although that wood is a little too red looking for walnut.

Other woods for your consideration... bloodwood, rosewood, purpleheart, zebrawood Some of my favs. I generally prefer the darker woods though. And of course mahogany. Mahogany will be the easiest for you to work with. The first 4 are HARD and tough on tooling. But if you monitor your feeds/speeds you'll do fine.

Maple can be tricky. Some of the quilted maples are very hard, while the more standard cuts are more soft. There are sonic differences too between the fore-mentioned wood types. I can get into that too if you like.

 

[braillediver]

Instead of "sexy" why not look into woods known for thier acoustical properties? Unless the modification is completely cosmetic the wood chosen should effect the sound.


Mitch

 

[xnothingpoetic]

wow I didn't know different woods would effect the sound that much.

The main point of this project is about being sexy but I would like to incorporate sexy with great sound.

And if maple wood isn't known for acoustical properties, then why dose Larry use them on his headphone mods?

EDIT: what about snakewood and sonic properties of that?

 

[kramer5150]

Quote:

Originally Posted by xnothingpoetic /img/forum/go_quote.gif wow I didn't know different woods would effect the sound that much. The main point of this project is about being sexy but I would like to incorporate sexy with great sound. And if maple wood isn't known for acoustical properties, then why dose Larry use them on his headphone mods? EDIT: what about snakewood and sonic properties of that?

Maple is known for having a sharp, ringing sound. its crisp and snappy sounding with minimal sustained resonance. KNocking on a slab of maple hives a crisp "clonk"... without the resonant decay/overhang of say mahogany.

Ive never heard snakewood.... I think I have seen it, but can't recall what it looks like.

 

[xnothingpoetic]

Two more questions for you guys if you don't mind

Has anyone heard the koa wood?

and how deep should the chamber be?

 

[braillediver]

I don't really know anything about it.

I was going to suggest looking at musical instruments to see what types of wood is used in thier construction but there are probably certain types of woods for certain applications.

People do go and thump wood samples to hear how they resonate and ring.


Think of it like cooking. Sure there are numerous ways to make something but some spice combinations are superior to others.


Mitch

 

[Lawrenzini]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kramer5150 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I dont believe that pic is maple. I'm going to guess a walnut burl-wood of some kind... walnut is the most common and readily abundant. Although that wood is a little too red looking for walnut. Other woods for your consideration... bloodwood, rosewood, purpleheart, zebrawood Some of my favs. I generally prefer the darker woods though. And of course mahogany. Mahogany will be the easiest for you to work with. The first 4 are HARD and tough on tooling. But if you monitor your feeds/speeds you'll do fine. Maple can be tricky. Some of the quilted maples are very hard, while the more standard cuts are more soft. There are sonic differences too between the fore-mentioned wood types. I can get into that too if you like.

Walnut is virtually impossible to work unless you are very experienced. Purple heart is pretty much extinct.

 

[kramer5150]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lawrenzini /img/forum/go_quote.gif Walnut is virtually impossible to work unless you are very experienced. Purple heart is pretty much extinct.

That would explain why my local timber shoppe prices it as such. Not as costly as Ebony, but certianly on par with the more costly woods.

Koa is a Hawiian hardwood, darker in color than your typical mahogany cuts. It has more pronounced woodgrain features, its a slightly different appearance than mahogany. Sonically I have never heard a piece so I can't comment. Coolest thing about Koa is it can be found in flamed and quilted varieties. In fact that picture above looks like a quilted Koa.

 

[NiceCans]

of what wood does the Stradivarius come that it's so do'th sing?

(sorry, recently watched the Dr. Who episode involving Shakespeare)

Wiki says Willow, Spruce, and Maple.
Acoustic guitar tops are often Spruce, with backs and sides being of Mahoghany, Maple, Rosewood, (and others including varients).

Depth, thickness, shape, wood density, and even grain configuration can and likely will have an effect on the tonality, as it does in the Stradivarius.

Imagine sound waves, vibrations, harmonics, resonances, all transmitted through the fibers of the wood . . . it lives and breathes life into the sound.

Perhaps not as critical in a headphone, but who knows? Have fun, whatcha got to lose?

I have a suggestion, locate a lumber yard that carries furniture-grade hardwoords and pay them a visit. Look at some samples, knock on them, feel their heft. Then see which one calls to you, visually or otherwise.

 

[xnothingpoetic]

The more I look around the more I like the grain of the Amboyna Burl sold by THIS ebay seller.

I wish I could see it in person though and knock on it as you guys said.

If all else fails I can resort to mahogany, not as visually stunning as some of those exotic woods but should suffice.

 

[spinali]

The resonance of wood is better for musical instruments than headphones. When you have the electronic issue to manage, it's probably best to find something that has the best overall appearance. I suggest exotic woods like bubinga, or the striking wood in your pic.