Z Audio Oppo BDP 105 UDP 205 Exotic Hardwood Sides

A fellow contacted me awhile back and he had a beautiful 60's vintage Revox reel-to-reel that he'd restored. He wanted to know if I could make some hardwood sides for it. Well, sure, why not? After a bit of back and forth on technical details and woods, I made a set and sent them to him. He sent me pics of the finished product after installs. Turned out very nice. Really changed the character of the piece. And that got me thinking about those days when 'hifi' gear was often dressed up with nice hardwood accents. Marantz receivers, Teac reel-to-reels, Phase Linear amps, etc. In the 60's and 70's, it was the thing.

Sooo...I have an Oppo BDP 105 that I'm quite fond of - rather ugly, or at the very least, pedestrian-looking in my opinion. Doesn't look nearly as good as it performs at any rate. Seemed like a good candidate for 'dress-up'. So I measured, drew up, and made a set of sides in walnut. Yes, the player looked quite good; more fitting of the quality inside. I listed those sides here and elsewhere and I guess I was correct; I'm not the only one who thinks this 're-do' is desirable. They sold.

Back in the day though, rosewood veneer (on very cheap particle board) was THE common 'wood' for component side - walnut veneer for speaker cabinets and rosewood veneer for gear. I don't do veneer. I know, it's real wood. So? It's paper thin and chips, peels, warps and cracks easily; no thanks, not worth my time. Bur I came across some solid rosewood thick enough and wide enough (not very common) to use for sides and made some sets, They sold quickly. I've since found some more and bought all that could be made into component sides. (There is one set left and is offered in another listing).

As I go about making my guitars and other audio-related products I come across unusual woods - often not in the size or quantity I need for, say, a guitar top or body but attractive wood none the less. At one point I came across some black limba planks with wonderful figure. I couldn't use them for a guitar but I could turn them into Oppo sides. I made some up and, again, they sold quickly. This told me that Oppo sides didn't necessarily have to be rosewood.

Long story now approaching interminable, I've been buying up interesting pieces of wood that can be made into Oppo disc player sides as I come across them for the past year or so. And here's the result. These sets are all hand-finished naturally with my own blend of oil/varnish.

From Pic #2, starting at the upper left corner:
$150 Zebrawood (or 'Zebrano' if you ordered a Benz back in the day) - very dense, striking grain
$125 Padauk - a more open grain, smells like grandpa's pipe smoke, the orange-ness ages to a rich burgundy color over a few months  
$180 Rhodesian Teak - very, very dense, I'm not sure why it's in the teak family, it's as dense, heavy, fine-grained and as beautiful as rosewood     
$150 Purpleheart - bright purple when cut, sands to brown, and then goes back to a warm purplish burgundy after finish and aging      
$180 Wenge - it's dark chocolate oak to me, depending on the light it's black or deep brown  
$145 Black Limba - I use this for acoustic guitars, the figure with the orange streaking is rare  $125 Sapele - another popular acoustic guitar wood, it's a little hard to capture with a camera but the grain is very 3D/holographic   

Make me an offer at the prices above and specify which set you're interested in (the sets are numbered in their pics) and what player you have (so that I can put in the mounting holes). Please be aware the sets are listed other places. I will do my best to keep the list of what's available up to date but please always confirm the set you're interested in is still available.

(And folks, because there is always someone who needs to be told in very clear terms - this auction is not to sell my BDP-105. This auction is just for custom made sides.)

Installation couldn't be much simpler. With a Philips screwdriver remove the two screws on each side of the unit. Using the longer screws I provide, install the new sides. I provide a little clearance in the holes so that you can line the sides up perfectly.. Note: the BDP-95 is ever so slightly different. I don't have the exact specs but I am perfectly willing to make some for anyone that wants to provide me relevant technical details (ask me and I'll send you what you need to measure and how.)

If you have something other than an Oppo player, ask me about that too. I make sides/cases for all kinds of vintage gear (and non-vintage), even for gear that wasn't originally available with wood sides. I design and build all kinds of audio-related things; speaker stands, component shelves, speakers, media cabinets, etc. If you have an idea, let's talk. Have a look at my other auctions.
Condition is New. Shipped with FedEx Ground or FedEx Home Delivery.