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Kauri
http://www-.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10102&t=5672		 Page 1 of 2
Author:  Dave White [ Wed Mar 15, 2006 8:57 pm ]
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Having just seen Paddy D's latest "wood fix" post (what's the wood equivalent of methadone Paddy? ) and a post by Bruce Sexauer on the 13th Fret, it looks as though Kauri is available outside of New Zealand.

According to Laurie Williams' website:

"Today any logging of Kauri on private land is strictly controlled. Consequently it is not really available in any commercial quantities. Additionally, all export of this timber is restricted and can only be exported as finished goods i.e. guitars etc."

What gives here? Does this control only apply to Kauri and not Ancient Kauri (the submerged thousands of year old stuff)?

I'd be interested to hear from the OLF woodsuppliers on this one.
Author:  PaddyD [ Wed Mar 15, 2006 10:44 pm ]
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hi dave,

i got the one and only set that steve had, i have spoken to people in new zealand before and they could only do solid body guitar blanks, no acoustic billets,

i'm sure someone has some somewhere the trees are enormous!!

Author:  Serge Poirier [ Wed Mar 15, 2006 11:11 pm ]
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If anyone has even a piece of Kauri scrap from saw cuts, i'd be delighted to have it!
Author:  johno [ Wed Mar 15, 2006 11:35 pm ]
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I saw that someone here in the US plans to make a guitar from the New Zealand wood, ancient Kauri. A while back, a couple of us were going to get some of this stuff to saw up into sets. When we checked into it a little further, we decided to stay away from it because of the export rules. It is really neat stuff and it has a great story behind it.

I did a google on ancient kauri and there is someone in the US that is selling in boards. I dunno if its legal... There are so many tonewoods out there though, so I have since decided to leave that particular tonewood in the very capable hands of Laurie Williams.
Author:  Brock Poling [ Thu Mar 16, 2006 12:55 am ]
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We just had a set of this stuff in our wood shed.

Author:  LanceK [ Thu Mar 16, 2006 2:06 am ]
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It can be had of you look hard enough, but as John said, you really have to jump through hoops to get it and the shipping is insane.
Author:  Bob Steidl [ Thu Mar 16, 2006 5:04 am ]
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As a gift, a friend sent me a 12" wide x 60" long 8/4 board of QS ancient kauri (the stuff that was mined, I guess). It's very pretty, though quite soft, so I am sure it would not be my first choice for b/s sets.

I'm reasonably sure he got it from Wisconsin:

Hobbit Wood
Author:  Don Williams [ Thu Mar 16, 2006 5:13 am ]
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That's got to be the most highly priced wood I've seen.
They did have one piece there that was $7K that looked nice.
I'll have to call...

Author:  Howard Klepper [ Thu Mar 16, 2006 6:10 am ]
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I saw two planks of it at the NAMM show, in the possession of a west coast
USA wood dealer.
Author:  PaulB [ Thu Mar 16, 2006 8:17 am ]
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Kauri grows in Australia too iirc, though not the ancient stuff.

If you guys really want some perhaps you could source it from here. Maybe Tim at Australian Tonewoods could hunt some down for you?
Author:  CarltonM [ Thu Mar 16, 2006 1:44 pm ]
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I just don't understand the excitement about Kauri, other than the "ancient" gimmick. Now, I've read that it has some good luster under finish when seen in person, but so does a lot of much less expensive wood (like redwood, or some mahogany), but otherwise it seems pretty plain. What am I missing?
Author:  Alain Desforges [ Thu Mar 16, 2006 2:00 pm ]
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   Carlton, you'd have the see the 'Whitebait' figured Kauri. So named for it's likeness to a school of whitebait fish frolicking happily in the ocean... It's the rarest of figures for Kauri wood and it does look quite amazing. Williams had a 'white bait' guitar on dreamguitar.com that was almost 30K... Alain Desforges38792.9233680556
Author:  CarltonM [ Thu Mar 16, 2006 2:12 pm ]
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[QUOTE=Alain Desforges]     Williams had a 'white bait' guitar on dreamguitar.com that was almost 30K... [/QUOTE]
For just the back & sides, or the whole guitar?    Nope, I haven't seen the "white bait" figure. That sounds interesting, but man, so many people have gotten so excited about, what to me, seems like pretty unextarordinary wood being sold at extraordinary prices.
Author:  Alain Desforges [ Thu Mar 16, 2006 2:12 pm ]
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I got these pictures from Dreamguitars.com. This is the 'Whitebait' Kauri.





Author:  Alain Desforges [ Thu Mar 16, 2006 2:17 pm ]
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Carlton, I agree. I find it's very nice, but not as nice, say, as that exhibition grade Macassar Ebony Doug had at Blue Spirit ot that rare White Ebony Bob has on deck...   The Whitebait doesn't turn my crank enough to have me part with that kind of squeela!
Author:  CarltonM [ Thu Mar 16, 2006 2:25 pm ]
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O.K., the "white bait" stuff looks pretty good, but put it up against the Taz. Blackwood that "Black Swan" Tim posted earlier and it looks like brown shoes at a formal dinner!
Author:  Jason [ Thu Mar 16, 2006 2:45 pm ]
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Cartlon I agree.. I think the story that goes along with it is cooler than the actual wood.. Those are like dinosaur trees.. Crazy you can bury something for that long then dig it up and build instruments and furniture with it.
Author:  MSpencer [ Thu Mar 16, 2006 2:54 pm ]
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I agree, nice wood, great story, unique figure, but is it as nice as the dollars demand.......not for me. I have seen some woods on the OLF like the ones mentioned I personally liked better and might could afford.

Mike
White Oak, Texas
Author:  Serge Poirier [ Thu Mar 16, 2006 4:22 pm ]
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Beauty in this case is in the eye of the beholder but if i might add, i know there is a video on a website somewhere, perhaps Laurie Williams, i'm not sure, but the video gave more justice to my eyes than a still photograph. In the video, the person showing the guitar is turning it 360 degrees and you can see this awesome wood shine like wavy gold ! If anyone knows about this video, please post a link to it, it's really worth looking at it!

Serge
Author:  Dave White [ Thu Mar 16, 2006 6:09 pm ]
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Serge,

It's here on Laurie Williams' website: Whitebait
Author:  Serge Poirier [ Fri Mar 17, 2006 1:34 am ]
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Thanks a lot Dave, isn't it awesome to look at this?
Author:  Don A [ Sat Mar 18, 2006 10:32 am ]
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[QUOTE=Brock Poling]
We just had a set of this stuff in our wood shed.

[/QUOTE]

I know. The price was very reasonable in comparison to some other woods I have purchased.Don A38794.7905208333
Author:  BlueSpirit [ Sat Mar 18, 2006 12:50 pm ]
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I can probably get more, if anyone's interested.
Author:  Serge Poirier [ Sat Mar 18, 2006 1:22 pm ]
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Doug, is it possible you have a problem with your website? Might just be my computer though, i can seem to get to your site?
Author:  BlueSpirit [ Sun Mar 19, 2006 4:59 am ]
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Serge,
I went there from the Sponsor's button on the top of this page, and had no problem.
I then opened another browser and went to my site without going through the OLF, and had no problem. So from my end, I can get there. That does not mean there might not be a problem, though.
Maybe someone else might try, just to be sure?
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