ALL AFRICAN GUITAR PROJECT:


The project was inspired by Mr. Tim Mullin a Luthier, guitar maker, forester and scientist who has now moved from Wellington       NewZealand to Nairobi Kenya.

Equitoria Hardwoods (K) Ltd has Partnered with Mulling Guitars for the project to come to fruition. We are the suppliers of the guitar Building tone-woods and Mulling Guitars are the Luthiers.

For it to be an “All-African” guitar  we are looking at the following :

  1. Back/side set (pair of back plates and pair of sides): African blackwood (straight grained, some sapwood desirable), Macassar ebony (quartersawn, straight-grained with prominent striping), Bubinga (particularly Pomele or waterfall figure, darker heartwood, sapwood can be interesting), Wenge. We are looking for interesting colour and figure, but free of cracks, holes and other defects, at least within the outline of the body.
  2. Headplates (3 required for headstock face and back, and for trim use elsewhere): species African Blackwood.
  3. Appointments (Binding/fingerboard/bridge): Gabon ebony, African blackwood, Macassar ebony,  flat sawn or quartersawn. Binding can also be a contrasting colour from a species such as Wenge or Bubinga, while using ebony or blackwood for fingerboard and bridge.
  4. Bridgeplate: African Blackwood will use offcuts from back/side
  5. Neck blank/heel block/tail block: one of each: mahogany (Khaya). Lower density, very straight. Grain orientation very important, especially for neck blank: either quartersawn, or laminated flatsawn pieces. Rift sawn only appropriate for tailblock and perhaps heel block.
  6. Linings: mahogany (Khaya) straight grained and either flatsawn or quartered, in order to allow milling to small, quartered strips.
  7. Bracewood: can be mahogany, particularly for the back bracing that is easy to see. Top bracing would normally be spruce (very light and stiff). African pencil cedar can  work also (needs to be straight grained with no runout, meaning it should be supplied as billets to be hand split)
  8. Top plates: if you want a truly all-African instrument, we will need to find very high quality Khaya Mahogany for the top: light and stiff, perfectly quartersawn. Pencil cedar might work, if it can be found in sufficient quality.

Order the “All-African” guitar Model at Mullin Guitars:
USD 5,400

















Photos courtesy of Mullin Guitars

                                         "If you want to sit under a shade in your old age plant a tree now."(African Proverb)