Name: Millettia Laurentii {Wenge (Zaire), Awong (Cameroon), Palisandre du Congo, Dikela, Mibotu, and Bokonge)}. Belongs to the Leguminosae (legume) family.

Growing Region: Belgian Congo region of Africa and the southern regions of Tanzania and Mozambique.

Availability: We had difficulty finding information on Wenge. We consulted with Robert Garner, San Francisco wood expert, and we learned that it is hard to establish habitat concerns/endangered listing because of the politics involved. Much of Africa does not have a long term stable government without corruption, making assessment of the trees status guesswork at best. There is also no certification program, again mostly due to politics and lack of funding.

Weight/Hardness/Density: Wenge weighs 4 pounds per board foot, compared to maple at 3.4 pounds per board foot and red oak at 3.75 pounds per board foot. Wenge has a Janka hardness score of 1630, compared to maple at 1450 and red oak at 1290. The Janka scale is a measure of how much force (in pounds) is required to drive a .44” steel ball one-half of its diameter into the wood.

Cost: 2.5 times more than maple.

Comments: Bark is used for its toxins to stun fish for harvest. Used in parts of Africa for mask carving. The tree grows to heights of 60 to 90 feet with a trunk diameter of 3 to 4 feet. Dust can cause reactions with the skin, eyes and respiratory system. The wood can also cause irritations. RB can speak to the irritation caused by slivers, and Elizabeth has received a rash from using wenge drumsticks.

Timbre/Tonal Color: Slightly lower fundamental pitch with more body. It has a longer note than maple with a darker, “airy” sound. Wenge is warmer than maple and sings out more.

Dynamic Range: Consistent sound from pp (very quiet) to ff (very loud). Wenge maintained its character sound, pitch, and tone throughout the dynamic range.

Tonal Range: Consistent sounds. This drum did NOT have many playing zones yielding different sounds. The sweet spot is large with a clean sounding center hit, and an edge sound with more over ring.

Tuning Range: Smaller than maple. The drum did not tune as tightly as maple, and did not take as loose a head tuning.

Resonance/Decay: The ring is less “washy” than on our maple comparison drum. Wenge has a large playing area. The note is longer than our maple drum.

Cross Stick: Very deep, big sound. There were 2 distinct cross stick sounds. Near the edge of the drum and also, to our surprise, the second location of the cross stick is much further toward the center of the head than on our maple drum. When played nearly 4 inches from the edge of the drum, we got a deep, big, rich sound that fills the room!

Volume: Very similar in volume to our Maple drum, but the wenge has more depth to the sound. It has more spread without the volume spike found in maple. It has a broader tone at maximum volume.

Sensitivity: Very similar to maple. Good sensitivity all around the drum.

Feel: Good feel and feedback from the drum. Easy to play and nicely responsive.

Comments: “Not as straight forward as maple. Maple is all there, wenge gives us a feel we don’t hear and is darker than it sounds” (Elizabeth).

By Greg Gaylord & Robert “Tree Hugger” Bowler and Elizabeth “Dot” Cabraser.

Photo credit Frankie Frost.