hey john, i wold be willing to bet the set came from the wood not being dry enough.
i too have a a stave that i traded yazoo for. beautiful piece of hedge,althopough i thought it felt heavy when i got mine so its been sitting
with the rest of the wood since then.it does llok to be a dense piece of wood but i thought i would let it sit for the winter and give it a go
come summer. i am in the same climate conditions as you(mn) so i'll let ya know how it turns out in the summer and if it lost any weight by then.
how wide is your bow at the fades and the tips?
peace,
tim