I am thinking about getting a Slaydawg nihon, but I am not sure which one to get, help me out por favor. Thanks!
If you like damas that tend to have good grain and a light feel, pick up an Ash Nihon. If you like damas that tend to fall on the heavier side of the spectrum, then pick up a Maple Nihon. It's really up to personal preference. (Also, if you like the Teej mod in your profile picture, then pick up the ash since it's the same wood.)
I have an ash. Its starting to break in really nicely. Plus it has all the cool engravings on the ken. Ash isn't always light by the way; my ash set up weighs in at 78/75 tama heavy. On that same note, maple isn't always heavy. I've seen maple kens weigh lower than 65 g. All wood varies. I played with my friends maple, and the thing makes some nice sounds. It feels really solid in the hand and looks clean overall even though it doesn't have the engravings. I say go with the wood type you like more/are familiar with. That way you can enjoy it a bit more without worrying about if you should've picked the other one or not. (P.S. I have an extra ash slaydawg for sale if you or anyone you know is looking for a slightly used one )
currently i have a nihon ash and Thorkilds ash pmod. I plan on getting a nihon maple dawg soon though, i noticed on my first one that the spike wore down pretty fast (glued) and i have a maple Kaizen craft slim as well that I've been using and the wood seems much more durable than ash. Soooo... if your looking to make your dama last a bit longer id go with maple cause imo it is just more durable than the ash. But if you like to really feel your ken and what not, then id say ash because, to me maple is really really smooth feeling wood
Maple will last the longest, ash will look the dopest and might play a little better with engravings and such
In my opinion? I have really bad luck when it comes to ash damas in general, I tend to have really bad lunar balance with my ash kens and I really just think maple is the way to go for me. It is such a beautiful wood when it is straight out the box, that clean white that makes it almost look Resin material, that clack when you spike it. I also think that LOL clear is best with maple wood.
The slaydawgs tend to have mismatched weight for some reason. The BDAY dawgs are always really good. That is what I would go with.
Capitalized on the $19.99 KROM pro mods this past week. Copped Bonz (Ash), Thorkild (Ash), Iji (Ash), and Ballard (Maple). HAHA
I picked up the Eldridge maple and it is amazing. Thought hard about ash but I've had a ton of bad experiences with ash kens so stuck with Maple in the end.
Dope! Still waiting on the Ballard Maple in the mail. But I have a 6 year BDAY and it was so honed before the tip became almost blunt and the sarado now sits below the string hole. I use that mainly for border balance practice but its still plays well. In terms of Maple vs. Ash. Its well known Maple is a more durable wood and has a much smoother grain. Ive chipped several Ash dama's but to me its all worth it for that feel and play I get for the 6 months of use I get out of it. I own so many dama's and can rotate a different one each day for months if need be, so thats how I justify it. If I were to only have one dama, id pick Maple every time. As far as im concerned, nothing last longer except maybe Purple Heart but that wood is SLICK WILSON. But Ash will always be one of my favorites.