(Plum) Purple Heart?

[Joey Wilson (bigredbass)]

Mica:
 
I guess I should know by now, but does purple heart vary in color quite a bit?  I'm asking since 'The Purple Princess' really looked purple in clear, and yet 'Plum Pudding' really is plum colored (another show stopper, by the way). And then, FLAME purple heart?  Is it ever dyed, the way some brownish ebony is blackened by other builders?  Would it make it as a fingerboard?
Could you clue me in on this ?
 
Thanks,
 
Joey

[mica]

Most of the Purpleheart lumber I've seen for sale looks like the neck laminates: straight grained with a deep intense purple color. But like most woods, there is a bit of variation. Most of the pieces I've seen with figure have a lighter color, like this month's Featured Custom.
 
Don't know much about dyeing, no experience with that.  
 
We've used Purpleheart for fingerboards on custom orders as long as I can remember. Judging from the early 70s ones I've seen back for restorations, it seems to hold up relatively well, though it does darken a bit over time.  
 

[Michael Delacerda (dela217)]

Joey,
 
I used to have an Alembic with what looked like quilted purple heart for the top of the bass.  It was quite stunning.  Everyone who saw it thought it was quilted maple with a stain. I have also seen purple heart used as a fingerboard on an older Alembic, but I cannot answer if they will still do it.  But I do know that purple heart will sort of turn brown after a while.  I have an older Alembic series 1 (serial number 30) that has a purpleheart neck.  It was only protected by an oil finish and over the years has turned to a color that looks like it is walnut.  I am not sure, but I think even if the wood is sealed under a hard finish it will eventually fade and not be as purple.
 
Purpleheart is another one of my favorites and maybe someday I can have an Alembic dream bass using it for the top and back.

[Jake Strauss (jake)]

Plum Pudding is truly amazing.  The top absolutely blows everything away.  maybe now Dragon Magic will have some competition for being my favorite featured custom ever...

[Ville Koivula (vkoivula)]

Mica: what kind of tone purpleheart gives when used as fingerboard material?
 
Thanks.
 
-V

[mica]

I don't notice dramatic tonal differences on fretted Alembic fingerboards, and I've never heard Purpleheart on a fretless, so I'd have to say I don't know, V.  
 
What I do notice is a different tactile response. Purpleheart is very dense (not as dense as Ebony), and has a slightly open grain compared to Ebony. I can describe it as feeling a little drier than Ebony.  
 
MD is right, the Purpleheart darkens over time, mostly from exposure to UV rays. Under the polyester finish it should always look purple, even as it darkens up. As a fingerboard or under an oil finish, it can eventually look nearly brown. Of course, as soon as you refret it, the shock of purple color will return.