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Exotic finish question for HDBR


Parrot

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Andy,

Could you tell me, and I'm sure others would like to know, how often anyone ordered exotic finishes on Klipschorns when you worked there? I'm talking Zebrawood, Ebony, Teak, Rosewood, Cherry, or any other unusual ones that aren't listed in the literature.

Thanks,

Paul

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in 7 years, I saw maybe 5 pairs in Teak, 15 in ebony...6 or 7 in zebrawood...cherry was not very common(although it has had a recent run in popularity...for now at least...but for some reason the trend in it at this time is to have lots of sapmarks or "sugar-lines" showing...something no self-respecting classic furnituremaker ever wanted in his final result!!)...the vast majority of speakers with exotic veneers were of rosewood...a couple of hundred pairs or so while I was there...BTW...cherry isn't an exotic...it is a native. We have lots of native "black cherry" on our land. Pearwood is a pretty thing...but exceedingly rare in furniture applications, I am sad to say! I also like Sassafras wood, black locust(very hard!!!), pecan, and even hickory veneers! We did up a pair or two k-horns out of pecan while I was there...quite beautiful!! Now that a bit of recently cut blight resistant native American chestnut is slowly becoming available, I would love to see some out of it!! NO...the blight didn't get em all...and a couple of decades ago it was "discovered" that there were a few stands of them around that had naturally been blight resistant...and the AFA(American Forestry Assoc.) began offering up nuts from these for planting...YES....one of the most beautiful woods to ever grace the forests of North America is on the way back!!!!!! Thank God!!

Rosewood is probably the most popular of the exotics because it can be beautiful and still go with a variety of room decor...without ever being overly "loud" like zebrawood is. Ebony tends to be so damned dark leaning towards black, that one may as well just get black speakers!! LOL! BTW...the favorite wood for k-horns among the employees was always rosewood!! We hated working with it...those splinters really hurt!!...but we all loved the results!!

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OT but I agree with HDBR about chestnut. The wood moldings in the living & dining rooms of my house (built 1933) are all chestnut, moderately stained. Windows, floor and wall/ceiling. My Cornwalls are laquered oak but matching chestnut would be lovely.

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