I'm thinking of buying a Grand and I'm still deciding the configuration (basically the material).
I have a 10 string rosewood stick and I really like it, but I would like another wood. Based on the pictures I'm not very fond of wenge (I don't like the grain).
I understand that padauk will darken with time and become less red depending on the finishing; I have a teflon tapper with a padauk top (oil finish) that is really dark and I love it! How will a padauk stick age? Can you please post some pics of a your padauk stick to see the aging?
My second choice will be a dark natural bamboo or another rosewood...

Thanks in advance for the info.

Cheers, Daniel.

PS: I just see a padauk grand on the production reserve; so tempting. Please somebody buy it before I do

PS2: My best wishes for 2012

I've owned a Padauk for about 2 weeks. I Love it. I'll try to post some pics


Brett

Hi,
on http://www.galaxygypsy.nl/page.php?pid=en_290 you can find pics that Ron Baggerman made when he brought me my padauk Stick 7 years ago. And I just too the attached photo, so that you can compare. I think the difference is not dramatic, but that it was slightly more orange 7 years ago, and a bit more brownish now. Still very good looking

Jaap

Thanks Jaap. I really prefer the color of the newest picture. The padauk pics at S.E. are a little bit too red for me, I prefer padauk when it's aged like in the attached picture. I can wait


Cheers, Daniel.

PS: Very nice DIY ACTV2! And the midi PU is cool too. Good hacks

I have my good old Rosewood Grand for 10 years now (I don't play it anymore), and own since 2009 a Padauk Grand which is absolutely fantastic color-wise. Maybe the color tends to darken a bit, but it's not that clearly visible.

Whoa, does that have peizo added on to it? Your pickup housing is awesome too!

I have a Paduak Grand that is about 3 years old, and a 10 string Rosewood a few years older. The Paduak is practically the same tint as the Rosewood, making them almost indistinguishable. I think it has alot to do with the tint of the original stain/coating applied at SE.

Hi,

the rectangular padauk casing on my Stick holds the preamp of my home made midi pickup. The pickup itself is a strip of PCB material with 6 tiny coils on it that I wound with the aid of my wife's sewing and a Lego brick winding device.
Emmett kindly sent me the block of padauk while my Stick was being built, so by the time my Stick arrived, I had the housing ready to install.
More recently I bought a used Roland VG-8, and for overdriven sounds it sounds great with this pickup. For clean sounds, however, the pickup sounds skinny. For midi triggering, it works fine.

I bought a 10 string Paduak Stick back in 92 and it still has much of it's deep red lustre. I also have a 2009 Grand Paduak. If you are transitioning from a lighter wood to a darker wood, it might take some getting used to if you look at your hands when you play (I do).

Let me know if you are interested in purchasing the Paduak 12-string Grand as I am finding that I am more of a fan of the 10 string. You can see some images under my post requesting to trade a 10 string of equal value.

Cheers!