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Fossilized walrus ivory


Cougar

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Some time ago I e-bid high and came away with a Masterbilt EF500RAVS (love the burst!). Along with all the abalone, it came with a fossilized walrus ivory saddle and bridge pins. I figured this just added a little fanciness to the guitar. After a while, though, it became clear that this guitar just sounded better than my other 'bilts, and I've got a few. :rolleyes: It's right up there with the AJ500RC 12-fret slot head. Clear, crisp, really vibey, sympathetic vibes just hummm, sustain... sustain... sustain just emanates like a ghost in there. I don't know about the pins, but it sure seems like that super-hard saddle is giving me this noticeable effect. Or it's cut really well. Something! This guitar does not gently weep. She sings out! I'm sure bone makes a difference over plastic, but does this ancient walrus ivory really take it that next step?

 

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Stunning guitar, Cougar! WOW!

 

[thumbup] [thumbup] [thumbup] [thumbup] [thumbup]

 

...I'm sure bone makes a difference over plastic, but does this ancient walrus ivory really take it that next step?...

Oddly enough that might not be as wacky an idea as it seems.

 

My understanding of the subject is...

Although each individual bone saddle will be slightly different from another they usually are, by nature (pun), full of very, very small holes.

Fossilised ivory, OTOH, has, in general, had all of these holes filled-in with minerals during the fossilisation process and the resulting saddle might be better at transmitting string vibrations to the soundboard.

 

I'm open to contradiction, though. As I said earlier; this is just my take on the subject.

 

Pip.

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Maybe it really is fossilzed walrus bone. Maybe it's a ham hoc. Maybe it was made in China so there's always the possibility that it's canine bone.

 

Bone is a good materiel. Is Camel bone better than Horse bone? Camel bone sounds more PC than Horse.

 

BTW fossils are rocks not bones. Your Walrus bone most certainly isn't a fossil. It may be Walrus who knows? But it aint fossilized.

 

Look at your bridge pegs. Looks like they are all aftermarket. Two are different from the other four.

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Beautious Instrament,

Truly the work of a luthier

 

AS I SEE IT, a instrament is the sum of the parts.

Your golden tones are the result of the attributes working in concert.(little music joke, pun, ha ha)

 

That's the wonder of musical instraments.

Savez?

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Your Walrus bone most certainly isn't a fossil. It may be Walrus who knows? But it aint fossilized...

Walrus have existed in their present state for the last 3/4 of a million years.

As it takes as little as 10,000 years to turn organic matter into a fossilised state on what evidence can you possibly assert that Cougar's bridge-saddle... "most certainly isn't a fossil. It may be Walrus who knows? But it aint fossilized"?

 

BTW; I just happen to know what I'm talking about on this matter.

 

Pip.

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Maybe it really is fossilzed walrus bone. Maybe it's a ham hoc. Maybe it was made in China so there's always the possibility that it's canine bone.

 

Heh. The guitar was made in 2005 at the Grand Rewards factory in, yes, China. Masterbilts come with a bone nut and saddle. The previous owner sprung for the fossilized walrus ivory saddle and pins. He included the documentation (and the old parts). As Tman mentioned, they're by Bob Colosi.

 

BTW fossils are rocks not bones. Your Walrus bone most certainly isn't a fossil. It may be Walrus who knows? But it aint fossilized.

 

They're not walrus bone, they're walrus tusk. The ivory of the walrus. Yes, these pins are like rocks. To be more specific, they've undergone permineralization - where the "empty spaces within an organism [or part thereof] (spaces filled with liquid or gas during life) become filled with mineral-rich groundwater. Minerals precipitate from the groundwater, occupying the empty spaces."

 

I didn't do a radiometric dating myself, but there are numerous places on the web marketing walrus ivory as being fossilized; I wouldn't think they'd get away with that for long if they were false advertising.

 

(Who knew there must have been so many walruses? [scared] )

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Stunning guitar, Cougar! WOW!

 

Thanks, Pip. As you say, it very well could be a slightly better material for transmitting string vibrations to the soundboard. I imagine the nice solid rosewood back and sides don't hurt, either. B)

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