Howdy jr1968-ga,
Imitation blackwood is not a wood at all, but rather it is a man-made
plastic/nylon called Polypenco. The Alro website has some technical
information on Polypenco.
http://www.alro.com/DIVPlastics/plastic_product_nylatron.htm
"Of all the unmodified nylons, Polypenco Nylon 101 is the strongest,
most rigid and has one of the highest melting points."
African blackwood (Dalbergia Melanoxylon) also known as ebony, or mpingo
(in Swahili) is a wood that grows mostly in Tanzania and Mozambique.
Some of the differences are that Polypenco bagpipes tend to be less
expensive, and are more sanitary as they can be washed.
There are environmental concerns about the replenishment and conservation
of the African Blackwood. More can be found on the African Blackwood
Conservation Project (ABCP) website.
http://www.blackwoodconservation.org/
"Despite its importance as a world timber there have been few conservation
efforts to replenish the species."
The Tartan Store web site explains that there are tonal differences between
bagpipes that are made of Polypenco and African blackwood.
http://tartanstore.net/faq.html?faq_id=83
"The advantage of blackwood is just that it can produce a slightly sweeter
tone, but this is really a matter of personal preference. The polypenco
gets a little more robust sound."
If you need any clarification, please feel free to ask.
Search strategy:
Google search on: "imitation blackwood"
://www.google.com/search?q=%22imitation+blackwood%22
Google search on: Polypenco
://www.google.com/search?q=Polypenco
Google search on: "African blackwood"
://www.google.com/search?q=%22African+blackwood%22
Looking Forward, denco-ga - Google Answers Researcher |
