MHargis Posted July 5, 2019 Share Posted July 5, 2019 Anyone else bothered by this? I knew cutting and working will cause irritation But I feel it just playing guitars made of some of these tone woods. New or vintage!I'm really into hollow bodies and as I get into the higher priced ones the worse I feel. Toxic Wood Species that my be used as Tone Wood;African Blackwood irritant, sensitizer Ash (Fraxinus genus) irritant Ash, alpine (Eucalyptus delegatensis) irritant Australian Blackwood irritant, sensitizer, asthma Balsa irritantBamboo irritantBirch (Betula genus) irritant, sensitizer, nausea Black Cherry wheezing, giddinessBlack Locust irritant, nausea Boxwood, Knysna (Gonioma kamassi) irritant, headache, asthma Brazilwood irritant, headache, nausea, swelling skin, blisters Cashew (Anacardium occidentale) irritant, blisters, sensitizerCedar, Aromatic Red irritant Cedar, Atlantic White irritantCedar, Western Red irritant, sensitizer, runny nose, asthma, nervous system effects, NPC(rare) Chestnut, Sweet irritant, sensitizerCuban Mahogany irritantCypress sensitizerCypress, Mediterranean irritant, rashes, headachesDouglas-fir irritant, giddiness, runny nose, splinters go septic, nausea Ebony (Diospyros genus) irritant, sensitizer, pink eye Ebony, Brown irritantEbony, Macassar irritant, sensitizerFir (Abies genus) irritantFir, Balsam irritantGum, Spotted irritant, rashesHemlock, Western irritant, runny nose, NPC (rare) Ironwood, Desert irritant, sneezing, coughing Juniper, Phoenician (Juniperus phoenicea) irritant, headache, nausea Kingwood irritant, sensitizer, pink eye Koto irritantMahogany, African irritant, sensitizer, NPC (rare) Mahogany, Honduran irritant, sensitizer, boils, nausea, giddiness, asthma, HP Mahogany, Santos irritant Mango irritantMaple (Acer genus) irritant, sensitizer, asthma; HP in spalted maple Maple, Queensland irritant Mesquite (Prosopis genus) irritantMyrtle irritant, sensitizer Norway Spruce irritant, asthma Oak (Quercus genus) irritant, sensitizer, asthma, NPC(rare) Olive irritant, sensitizer Osage Orange irritant, sap can cause dermatitis Pine (Pinus genus) irritant, runny nose, asthma Pistachio irritant Poison Walnut (Cryptocarya pleurosperma) bark irritating to skin, dust may cause asthma, nausea, giddiness,sap is toxic and corrosive Poplar irritant, blisters, asthma, bronchitis Redwood irritant, sensitizer, asthma, HP, NPC (rare) Rosewood (Dalbergia genus) irritant, sensitizer, asthma Rosewood, Brazilian irritant, sensitizer Rosewood, East Indian irritant, sensitizerRosewood, Siamese irritant, rash, hives, sensitizerSassafras sensitizer, nausea, respiratory, direct toxin, NPC (rare) Sapele irritant, sneezing Satinwood, East Indian irritant, headache, diarrhea, sensitizer Silky Oak, Southern irritant, sap may cause blistering of skin, eyelid inflammation Simarouba (Simarouba amara) irritant Slash Pine irritant, asthma Snakewood irritant Spruce (Picea genus) irritant, sensitizer Sweetgum irritant Tali (Erythrophleum suaveolens) irritant, headache, giddiness, nausea, disorders of bowels and stomach Teak irritant, sensitizer, rash, nausea, asthma, vision effects, pink eye, HP Walnut, African irritant, systemic effects, NPC(rare) Walnut, Black irritant, sensitizer, NPC (rare) Walnut, English irritant, NPC (rare) Willow (Salix spp.) sensitizer, nausea, NPC (rare)Zebrawood sensitizer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brad1 Posted July 5, 2019 Share Posted July 5, 2019 It is you. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHargis Posted July 5, 2019 Author Share Posted July 5, 2019 33 minutes ago, brad1 said: It is you. your very helpful, thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karloff Posted July 5, 2019 Share Posted July 5, 2019 a guitar made out of Balsa or Pistachio would definately irritate me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twang Gang Posted July 5, 2019 Share Posted July 5, 2019 If the wood is sealed by a lacquer or nitro I would think that would prevent the irritation? Not too many tonewoods left that I can think of that aren't on that list. Never had a reaction myself to any wood - at least not that I am aware of. May be time to get one of those old electrics made from plexiglass or whatever it was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted July 5, 2019 Share Posted July 5, 2019 2 hours ago, Twang Gang said: If the wood is sealed by a lacquer or nitro I would think that would prevent the irritation? Not too many tonewoods left that I can think of that aren't on that list. Never had a reaction myself to any wood - at least not that I am aware of. May be time to get one of those old electrics made from plexiglass or whatever it was. Yes this.. Its sealed. The only thing you have to worry about with all this is if you work with wood and breath the dust (cos no matter how hard you try, you are always going to breath some of it). Finished products, you really don't need to worry about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdgm Posted July 5, 2019 Share Posted July 5, 2019 (edited) The woods in this list are also very commonly used to make furniture and lots of other things apart from guitars. The internal doors in my house are pine, I have an old mahogany G-plan wardrobe (which Rabs would probably love to convert into guitars), wood chests, tables, chairs etc. So I don't feel that any of my guitars are 'toxic' or could be responible for any irritation/hay fever I might get. Household dust is far more likely to be a cause. Edited July 5, 2019 by jdgm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Bill Posted July 5, 2019 Share Posted July 5, 2019 It always burns when I pee after playing my Tele. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted July 5, 2019 Share Posted July 5, 2019 1 minute ago, Big Bill said: It always burns when I pee after playing my Tele. You should know by now.. That's because only a Gibson is good enough 😄 (just make sure its authentic) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted July 5, 2019 Share Posted July 5, 2019 One of the worst types of wood to work with for this (apparently) is Spalted wood.. Because the black stuff that makes up the spalting is a fungus.. You wont want to breath any of that in.. Luckily I very rarely work with it and of course when I do I use a mask.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLeadFlatpick Posted July 6, 2019 Share Posted July 6, 2019 Maybe you’re allergic to the finish, or maybe the woods, of those guitars. Thankfully I don’t have this problem, Im just allergic to the frets, strings, and all of the nickel hardware on the guitar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaxson50 Posted July 6, 2019 Share Posted July 6, 2019 I have no such allergy but I'm very concerned about those who do . So I will gladly take any toxic guitars off the hands of those poor souls who do.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLeadFlatpick Posted July 6, 2019 Share Posted July 6, 2019 27 minutes ago, jaxson50 said: have no such allergy but I'm very concerned about those who do . So I will gladly take any toxic guitars off the hands of those poor souls who do.... I’m glad to see some people do care, that is a great fix for the problem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marky Forrest Posted July 6, 2019 Share Posted July 6, 2019 This is news to me. I've never experienced any unusual symptoms from playing my guitars. Maybe some euphoria buts that's it. Thanks for the interesting post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted July 6, 2019 Share Posted July 6, 2019 That sounds like a very unfortunate and annoying reaction. Perhaps you may have developed a hypersensitivity to woods? Is it the mostly the newer hollowbodies where residue/dust may remain? 15 hours ago, MHargis said: Sassafras I'm sure I've heard Yosemite Sam mention this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanHenry Posted July 6, 2019 Share Posted July 6, 2019 14 hours ago, Big Bill said: It always burns when I pee after playing my Tele. Bill, Jimmy Page used a Violin bow, I shudder to think what your using. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notes_Norton Posted July 6, 2019 Share Posted July 6, 2019 The main toxic problem caused by my guitars is wrong notes. I think it's due to the ebony irritant partially paralyzing the nerves in my fingers, making them land on the wrong frets. Here in Florida we have Mango and Brazilian Pepper trees that many people are bothered by. Supposedly they contain a similar toxin to poison ivy. I can't eat Mangoes, and I do fine around the trees. I'm OK around the pepper trees but once when clearing some out, I got stabbed by a fresh cut and where it cut my skin got very irritated for a few days. Notes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zigzag Posted July 6, 2019 Share Posted July 6, 2019 My wife says she's allergic to my woody. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaxson50 Posted July 6, 2019 Share Posted July 6, 2019 Just be glad sumac isn't a tone wood, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLeadFlatpick Posted July 6, 2019 Share Posted July 6, 2019 5 hours ago, Notes_Norton said: The main toxic problem caused by my guitars is wrong notes. I think it's due to the ebony irritant partially paralyzing the nerves in my fingers, making them land on the wrong frets. I have the same symptoms! Add an Ebony allergy on top of my nickel allergy, no wonder Im not as good as Tony Rice!Come to think if it, I have the same problems on maple and rosewood fretboards. Thanks for the excuses guys, I'm glad my playing is not my fault😁 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notes_Norton Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 18 hours ago, TheLeadFlatpick said: I have the same symptoms! Add an Ebony allergy on top of my nickel allergy, no wonder Im not as good as Tony Rice!Come to think if it, I have the same problems on maple and rosewood fretboards. Thanks for the excuses guys, I'm glad my playing is not my fault😁 And that stuff they make picks out of, the allergy causes the plectrum to pluck the wrong places which of course pesters your performances. It's a pity. It's never your fault when you can blame your tools ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.