Wood Coloration

synthRodriguez

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Wood Coloration
« on: November 05, 2020, 03:09:31 PM »
The wood on my P10 s/n 76 was a bit on the light side for me and kind of dry looking, so while I was at the cap replacement I pulled all the wood components and stained them darker.

I used Minwax English Chestnut followed by a liberal application of Johnson's Paste Wax as a finish coat. Turned out very nice.

Sorry, don't have a "before" photo (I'm bad about things like that) but attached is the "after". Kind of hard to get even lighting in the studio (and no polarizing filter for the camera) but you get the idea.
« Last Edit: November 05, 2020, 03:18:40 PM by scottrod »

Shaw

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Re: Wood Coloration
« Reply #1 on: November 05, 2020, 05:04:39 PM »
Looks very nice... Great work!
"Classical musicians go to the conservatories, rock´n roll musicians go to the garages." --- Frank Zappa
| Linnstrument | Suhr Custom Modern | Mayones Jaba Custom | Godin Multiac Nylon | Roland TD-50 | Synergy Guitar Amps | Eventide Effects Galore |

ddp

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Re: Wood Coloration
« Reply #2 on: November 05, 2020, 09:27:37 PM »
it does, i wish i had the skill to attempt that!
Linnstrument, Pro 3 SE, Tempest, Prophet 10 & 12, Synclavier Regen, Cirklon 2, Torso T-1, Max/Ableton/Push 3, Kawai MP11SE, Pioneer Pro XDJ-XZ.

Re: Wood Coloration
« Reply #3 on: November 06, 2020, 12:17:08 AM »
Very nice!

Re: Wood Coloration
« Reply #4 on: November 06, 2020, 10:19:58 AM »
Looks great indeed! Good job! Very much like the original P5 casing.
If only the insides were up to the task of doing the same.  ::)
Oberheim OB-X8, Minimoog D (vintage), OB6 (Desktop), Oberheim Matrix-6 (MIDI Controller for OB6), VC340

A Thousand Eyes

Re: Wood Coloration
« Reply #5 on: November 06, 2020, 10:31:14 AM »
If only the insides were up to the task of doing the same.  ::)

Can't wait till you get your UB-Xa.  ::)

Re: Wood Coloration
« Reply #6 on: November 29, 2020, 02:31:23 PM »
Looks great, though I wish sequential would do this from the factory (or at least ensure all the wood used is high quality non sapwood with decent finish). I want a Prophet 10 but dread it turning up and looking like an eyesore someone knocked up from MDF with slap on formica ;)
Prophet 10 Rev 4 (Keyboard) | Trigon-6 (Keyboard) | OB-6 (Keyboard)

Re: Wood Coloration
« Reply #7 on: December 05, 2020, 12:28:48 AM »
Looks really nice!

Re: Wood Coloration
« Reply #8 on: December 07, 2020, 10:54:14 PM »
Looks very nice... Great work!

That's what the originals looked like.
Jim Thorburn .  Toys-  Dave Smith: Prophet 5, Rev 4; Prophet 08; Pro 2; Prophet 12 module; EastWest Orchestral soft synths; Yamaha S-90; Yamaha Montage 8, Yamaha DX-7; KARP Odyssey; Ensoniq ESQ-1.  All run through a Cubase DAW with a Tascam DM-24 board.

LPF83

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Re: Wood Coloration
« Reply #9 on: December 08, 2020, 05:59:09 AM »
Looks very nice... Great work!

That's what the originals looked like.

Probably not when new... wood darkens with age.
Prophet 10, OB-X8m, Prophet 6, OB-6, 3rd Wave, Prophet 12m, Prophet Rev2-16, Toraiz AS-1, Pro 2, Virus TI2, Moog SlimPhatty, Hydrasynth desktop, Korg Minilogue XDm, Roland JP-8080, Roland System-8, Roland SPD-SX SE / Octapad, Maschine, Cubase/Ableton/Akai MPC

Re: Wood Coloration
« Reply #10 on: December 08, 2020, 11:14:14 AM »
Looks very nice... Great work!

That's what the originals looked like.

Probably not when new... wood darkens with age.

Walnut actually gets lighter with age while a rich honey color comes through.

LPF83

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Re: Wood Coloration
« Reply #11 on: December 08, 2020, 05:01:56 PM »
Looks very nice... Great work!

That's what the originals looked like.

Probably not when new... wood darkens with age.

Walnut actually gets lighter with age while a rich honey color comes through.

Interesting, didn't know this!
Prophet 10, OB-X8m, Prophet 6, OB-6, 3rd Wave, Prophet 12m, Prophet Rev2-16, Toraiz AS-1, Pro 2, Virus TI2, Moog SlimPhatty, Hydrasynth desktop, Korg Minilogue XDm, Roland JP-8080, Roland System-8, Roland SPD-SX SE / Octapad, Maschine, Cubase/Ableton/Akai MPC

Re: Wood Coloration
« Reply #12 on: December 10, 2020, 02:57:53 AM »
Mine is unfortunately a mixture of sapwood and heartwood ... Support formally confirmed that this is in quality. Disappointing reaction. Also I asked to BUY a set of wood if they are not going to exchange - not possible.

Now I need to think of other options. That is really a pitty and it is not what I expected from that premium synthesizer for that premium price and the "we make everything possible support attitude". The support attitute is actually not at all that way.

My experience is more - go away, there is not problem.

So if the problem is not something like "knob is broken off" or Missing parts, not working at all.. you are pretty much on your own.

Gomjab

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Re: Wood Coloration
« Reply #13 on: December 10, 2020, 06:20:01 AM »
I found this video on Walnut interesting.  I’m happy with the looks of my Prophet 10 but was curious about the heartwood sapwood discussion as I know nothing about woodworking.

That blog states that even select walnut has a lot of variation.
“It’s really easy to look at a pile of walnut and assume it’s low in quality because walnut, the poor guy, has a lot of characteristics that you don’t find in other woods. That means even the best grade of walnut comes with appearance flaws and defects.”

He also mentions Danish Oil as an easy finish that can darken the sap wood.  The closest I’ve come to a wood working project was building speakers from a kit.  The wood was all precut with an unfinished veneer.  Basically glue and clamp the wood.  I used Danish Oil as a finish and was really pleased with the ease of application and results.  If down the road I want a change of appearance of my Prophet that would probably be the route I’d take.

https://www.woodworkerssource.com/blog/wood-conversations/ultimate-guide-to-walnut/
« Last Edit: December 10, 2020, 06:46:13 AM by Gomjab »

Re: Wood Coloration
« Reply #14 on: December 10, 2020, 07:13:58 AM »
The point is, they advertised it on their front page as:

Quote
The Whole Package
All of this punchy, powerful, analog goodness is housed in a full, five-octave, semi-weighted Fatar keyboard with USB, MIDI, Gate and CV ins/outs, and a premium-quality, steel and hand-oiled, sustainable black walnut heartwood body that make it as satisfying to behold as it is to hear and play.

The product shots reflect that.

Mine is on the front plate half heartwood and half sapwood. But it is in quality. So it is directly in your eyes every day.

Gomjab

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Re: Wood Coloration
« Reply #15 on: December 10, 2020, 07:57:42 AM »
@SerErris My post was not a reply to you but the thread topic in general.  Most dealers have pretty good return policies so perhaps you can take that route.  I hope you can get your issue resolved.

I just found that blog post interesting since it discussed the issues with Walnut.  It seemed that the best of the best get used to produce veneer.  I’d rather have solid Walnut with some character flaws than veneer.  It does seem that Sequential should change the verbiage of their advert from heartwood to the actual lumber grade.

From https://www.mcilvain.com/news/walnut-grades-explained/

“ BLACK WALNUT LUMBER GRADE

For more information on NHLA grading and defects, be sure to check out Understanding Hardwood Lumber Grades.

FIRST AND SECONDS (FAS)

Black Walnut lumber
Above grade Walnut can be found in wide and long boards but you will pay a premium for it.
This is the highest grade, and NHLA states for all lumber the following:
83.3% clear of defect on both faces
Minimum Board Size: 6″x8′
Minimum Clear Cutting Size: 3″x7′ or 4″x5′
Now for Walnut lumber, the rules are changed, and the bar is lowered to allow a wider sample of wood into the grade.  The above guidelines are the same with the exception of the following changes:

Minimum Board Size is reduced to 5″x6′ with 80% of the pack yielding 8′ and longer
Minimum Clear Cutting Size is reduced to 4″x3′ or 3″x6′
Pieces 5″ x 6-7′ are allowed wane along the edges, splits not longer than 6″ on 1 end, and 1 defect
Pieces 8″ and wider are admitted 2 defects
SELECTS

Walnut hardwood
Shorter and Narrower Boards will be more common with Walnut lumber.
This grade is very similar to FAS, but now both faces do not have to meet the grade. The standard grading rule for all species is:
83.3% clear on 1 face only with the 2nd face being of #2 Common grade
Minimum Board Size: 4″ x 6′
Minimum Clear Cutting Size is the same as FAS but for 1 face
For Walnut, again the rules are changed as follows:

Minimum Clear Cutting Size: 4″ x 3′ or 3″ x 6′
Essentially, the rules for Selects Walnut are the same as FAS, but again only 1 face must meet the grade and the other face must meet #1 Common grade.

#1 COMMON

Walnut lumber grade
More knots means more chances for beautiful, crazy grain
The Common grades are much less in demand for most species, which is a shame, because as you will see there is still quite a bit of usable lumber in each board. Usually being able to work with and around knots will make you a great customer for Common lumber. The standard grade is:
66.6% clear on both faces
Minimum Board Size: 3″ x 4′
Minimum Clear Cutting Size: 3″ x 3′ or 4″ x 2′
For Walnut, again the guidelines are the same with the following exceptions:

Minimum Clear Cutting Size: 3″ x 2′
Again, the cutting size has been reduced, yet the percentages remain the same, which basically means smaller boards can be admitted into the grade.”

I hope you are able to resolve your issue.

The point is, they advertised it on their front page as:

Quote
The Whole Package
All of this punchy, powerful, analog goodness is housed in a full, five-octave, semi-weighted Fatar keyboard with USB, MIDI, Gate and CV ins/outs, and a premium-quality, steel and hand-oiled, sustainable black walnut heartwood body that make it as satisfying to behold as it is to hear and play.

The product shots reflect that.

Mine is on the front plate half heartwood and half sapwood. But it is in quality. So it is directly in your eyes every day.
« Last Edit: December 10, 2020, 08:37:15 AM by Gomjab »

Gomjab

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Re: Wood Coloration
« Reply #16 on: December 10, 2020, 08:07:08 AM »
The point is, they advertised it on their front page as:

Quote
The Whole Package
All of this punchy, powerful, analog goodness is housed in a full, five-octave, semi-weighted Fatar keyboard with USB, MIDI, Gate and CV ins/outs, and a premium-quality, steel and hand-oiled, sustainable black walnut heartwood body that make it as satisfying to behold as it is to hear and play.

The product shots reflect that.

Mine is on the front plate half heartwood and half sapwood. But it is in quality. So it is directly in your eyes every day.

Can you post a picture?  As I said I’m happy with mine.  Perhaps I just got lucky.



Re: Wood Coloration
« Reply #17 on: December 10, 2020, 11:55:40 PM »
Here we go

Gomjab

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Re: Wood Coloration
« Reply #18 on: December 11, 2020, 06:22:24 AM »
Here we go

I wouldn’t mind the small knots.  The inconsistency of the color from left to right could be viewed as good or bad depending on individual taste.  I do like having something unique.  I think yours looks great but then again it is always hard to judge from a photo.  Lighting can make a huge difference on contrast and tone.  It can either hide or emphasize differences depending on angle and color temperature of light.

Maybe we need a forum post for people unhappy with their wood to post pics and swap wood with other users.   ;D

What one person finds ugly, another will find beautiful.

Also is that a Saturn V in the corner?  I bought my wife a huge one made like a stuffed animal.


Re: Wood Coloration
« Reply #19 on: December 11, 2020, 10:37:36 AM »
Yes it is a Saturn V, Lego Edition. A gift from my wife two years ago.