Wenge for sides and back

[Jack Lord]

I'm looking for opinions on this.

[Donald A. Fortune]

Hey Jack- all I can tell you about Wenge is that it comes from central to eastern Africa and is more than likely to be a good choise in place of Indain rose wood. It is heaver and stiffer than Indain rose wood, but softer. Needs a pore filler to finish.
I have never used this wood, but given the opertunity I would more than likely give it a try.
I say go for it and let us here know how you make out with it..
Peace, Donald

[Mark Pollock]

Rather splintery, in a really nasty, sharp way. Super hard, super dense. Oily. The grain looks nice on the small scale, but I'm not sure how it looks on the large scale.

[David Houchens]

I have some earmarked for some parlor guitars some day. Thanks for the splinter warning.

[Pierre-Antoine Roiron]

I've only used it for fingerboards or necks. Kind of tricky to work with, because it can break or splinter. I'm currently giving it a try for a classical guitar, but it's a side project so it won't be finished before next year I guess. Just give it a try, there's no reason it shouldn't lead to a good result if you work well.

[Howard Klepper]

Can make a very good sounding guitar. I don't like it because of how it works: It splits easily, will spit splinters into your fingers if you blink, and has humongous pores. I still use it for bindings sometimes.