Spalted Tamarind Native American Style Flute

Spalted Tamarind F#m Flute

The Spalted Tamarind has been favored by several of my customers. It truly is a unusual wood. This particular piece had some voids that were not apparent until I began working with the wood. There was a grub inside that feasted on some of this wood before it was harvested from the orchard floor in Cambodia. I filled most of the voids with a crushed Turquoise and epoxy mixture. A couple of the voids are filled with epoxy only. You can see close ups of the fills in photos below.

The accents are Red Mallee Burl from Australia and Mun Ebony, also from Southeast Asia. The coloration of the wood is natural and unique. Even though this piece is spalted and has voids that have been filled, it is a solid piece with a good strong tone. It plays very well with a full, clear voice. You can listen for yourself by clicking on the links below.

Listen to this flute here.
Listen to this flute with reverb (canyon sound) here.

Top view. The Tamarind trees are the same ones where we get the delicious fruit. This wood comes from an orchard in South East Asia.

Bottom view. You can also see one of the instances where I filled a bug hole with crushed turquoise. Voids in wood from trees that have died naturally and become spalted after lying on the forest floor are unavoidable. Filling them with a mixture of crushed turquoise and epoxy add to the fascinating beauty of woodwork. This flute is strong and I guarantee it for one year against defects in materials and workmanship.

A view of the front, showing the end caps which are made from Red Mallee Burl and Mun (pronounced "moon") Ebony.

Rear view. The lines in the wood are created by the natural decomposition process after the tree has reached the end of it's natural life.

A close up of a couple of the epoxy filled voids.

A close up view of the large void on the bottom that is filled with epoxy and crushed Turquoise. PS: I have the grub that ate all this wood. He's mummified and in a drawer in my workshop.