hello all: The thing no one has mentioned is the darned wood will vary with the tree itself too. If the Walnut comes from Morocco or Turkey & has tough, slow growing conditions..so the wood will be different in the same species of walnut with different growing conditions.
I prefer Bastogne as it's stronger, often has good curly or fiddle and not much heavier than other types. The most beautiful I've ever seen was exhibition grade Claro, with English a close 2nd. I have a problem with Black Walnut as when it gets older, the surface is brittle, and I've had problems with chipping. Other walnuts don't do this.
I once had an exhibition grade Myrtle wood stock I once took into a snobbish gun store...and it blew away all the wood on the very high end guns there. It came from Coos Bay
Oregon, was sealed by Roberts Wood Products & was the most beautiful wood I'd ever seen since.
Best Regards, Tom

Is Roberts still in business, I haven't seen an ad in years?

Hello: I don't think Roberts is still in business. My reference goes back to about 1966! Seems like
yesterday, but that's because of my age!
Best regards, Tom

Thanks, I haven't seen anything in a long time. Used some of their products in the early '70s

I agree with most of what you said but I will tell you that all Morrocan and Turkish wood is grown in the same area and under the same conditions and that is why its the best wood in the world today...Actually most of it is stolen and smuggled out of Russia and sold as Turkish, but its still the same stuff and same condition..Some of those old trees are very old and as big around at the base as an office building. Most Claro, English and even Bastogne we see today was grown on a California ditch bank. Jack Belk calls it Californis cork wood!