Wood a.k.a.'s

[jalevinemd]

I know woods go by several different names. Could someone please tell me if pau ferro is rosewood? If not, what is it?
 
Thanks,
 
Jonathan

[palembic]

Nope.
If I remember well is Pau Ferro Portugese for Iron wood (or Iron Skin ...not sure about that).  Rosewood is something else I think. Although the two could be related??
I don't know much about tree's.
 
Oh ...hum ...let's asked Treebeard when he passes by.
 
Paul TBO

[David Houck]

Here is something I found:
 
Pau ferro (Machaerium scleroxylon), one more among many names for this attractive wood (Morado, Palo Santos, Caviuna, Bolivian rosewood, Brazilian ironwood, etc.) makes a nice guitar, but for a heavy and rosewood-like wood, interestingly has more of a maple than rosewood taptone. As well as being appealing with its warm look and strong contrast in the grain pattern, it is very nonporous so that it is almost fun to finish. There is one caveat, however, and that is that it does cause allergic reactions in about 15% of the population.
 
http://www.sonic.net/todd1216/paoferro.htm
 

[lowlife]

This is interesting.  If this allergic reaction does occur in 15% of the population, then that might explain why two of the fingers on my left hand have a rash, which broke out about 2 months after I bought my Excel (which has a Pao ferro fret board).  There's no way I'm selling my Excel if this turns out to be true.  I'm going to have to find some sort medication.
Dave, thanks for the info.
 
Ellery (Lowlife)

[bassman10096]

I recently visited a house whose entire interior was floored and trimmed (moldings, stairway, beam ceiling and I forget what else) in Morado.  Needless to say, it was breathtaking, apart from its location 2 miles inland from Medocino, CA, nestled in a grove of 100+ foot tall redwoods.  I still find it one of my better general audiences daydreams.  Absolutely stunning (if potentially allergic!).
 
Bill

[jalevinemd]

Dave,
 
Thank you sincerely for that extremely informative answer...and with a little Latin thrown in, no less. You don't happen to list Park Ranger or Natural History Museum Curator next to Musician in your list of hobbies/occupations? LOL!
 
Ellery,
 
Type I hypersensitivity reactions usually occur immediately, though sometimes repeated exposures are necessary before the immune response kicks into high gear. If yours is truly an allergic reaction, it won't go away, and while a topical cream (like hydrocortisone) may help, it will likely persist and possibly get worse. I'll ask one of the allergists at my hospital if he has any recommendations. We have to keep you and that Excel together.
 
Jonathan

[David Houck]

Jonathan; the information was quoted from the cited link; my brain does not retain that type of information; and no, I can not even name the trees that surround my house .
 
Ellery; when doing my search, I found reference to the allergic reactions in a couple of places.  In one such reference the context was in working with the wood, i.e. sawing, sanding, etc.  Thus my initial thought was that a finished surface might not be a problem.  However, after reading your report, I don't know.  It will be interesting to see what Jonathan is able to find out.  It just seems to me that if fretboards could cause such a problem, we would have heard about it from 15% of Excel owners.

[David Houck]

I ran another search and pretty much all references for allergic reactions to Pau Ferro are in context to dust resulting from working with the wood.

[jalevinemd]

Ellery,
 
Spoke with an allergist/immunologist at my hospital. To see if the fretboard is the culprit, she recommended abstaining from playing it for at least a week and apply hydrocortisone cream to the affected area. Once the rash has completely disappeared, try playing again and see if the same thing happens. If so, the pao ferro is the culprit. Blood tests won't help. Unfortunately, if you are allergic, other than treating the symptoms, there's nothing more you can do.
 
Jonathan

[adriaan]

If you're playing nickel strings - that's a very common allergy to have. If so, try if steel strings help you out.

[wideload]

Lowlife; Sounds like an ebony board is in order (or could this be the genesis of a future custom of the month?) Its only money!
Or is it just that you're itching to play your Alembic? OK, I'll stop now.
 
Larry

[bkbass]

How about semi sealing the fingerboard with a simple wax coating like Pledge or something?

[lowlife]

Adriaan: I use DR Low Riders on both of my Alembics, the Excel has Pao ferro freboard and the Spoiler has an ebony fretboard.
 
Jonathan: I've put the Excel back into it's case where it will remain during this 7 to 10 day test, duing which time I will only use the Spoiler.  The hydorcortisone cream is easy enough to find.  Thank you for your research.
 
Larry: Don't stop, I may by itchy (not bitchy) but I still have a sense of humor
 
So my friends, here I am, king of the funk, a real happy slapper, just beggin' an' cryin' the blues.  I'd give you the finger, but I still need it.
 
Ellery (Lowlife)

[lowlife]

Just checking in with this thread to give everyone an update. It's now 5 days since I've touched my Excel, and yes, with the assistance of some hydrocortisone cream, the rash (and itch) have almost disappeared.  My intention is to wait another couple of days until my skin shows no visible trace and then expose myself (in a good way) to the Pao ferro again.  I'm still not convinced that it's the wood.
 
Ellery (Lowlife)

[David Houck]

Let us know what happens; this is an interesting and educational experiment.