I learned a lot about rosewoods last week, and so decided to share my small horde (photographically only). Here are pix of various rosewoods. From left to right:
1. East Indian Rosewood
2. Brazilian Rosewood (I think, from a restorer’s shop, and probably at least 50 years old)
3. Bolivian Rosewood (confirmed by Mr. Arno)
4. Unknown, but hoped to be Brazilian Rosewood (sample sent to Mr. Arno today)
5. Hondouran Rosewood
Unnumbered, but laying flat in the second pix, a small piece of Cocobola (my only piece).
Nos. 1 and 3-5 (and the cocobola) are from an estate shop, recently purchased. No. 2 is from a recently retired chairmaker, who in his later years mostly did restoration work. He said it was Brazilian, and that is what I base the statement on.
The colors in the photos are not that clear. On the bottom of each board I did a quick wipe with a light blonde shellac. The No. 4 sample is redder in tone than No. 3, which has almost no red in it. I have 7 boards of the No. 4, 11 ft. long, 6 to 10″ wide, in very good cond. I have only a bit of the Bolivian, just the scrap you see of the No. 2 Brazilian, just 2 small boards of the Hondouran, and one plank, 19″ by 75″, 8/4, of the East Indian (plus a 12″ by 24″, 8/4 chunk for handles, etc.).
A further discussion is welcome. Rosewood is a new wood to me.
Alan
www.alanturnerfurnituremaker.com
Replies
s4s, in the second picture the wood that you list as cocobola, looks to me like macasser ebony, that is actually a whole lot better than coccobola. Maybe someone else can jump in here, but I think that cocobola would have more golden colors to it and not be black and chocolate brown like what you show. Hard to tell from a photo sometimes.
Congratulations on your woods. They look beautiful.
You might want to check on their value as rosewood is pricey for classical guitars backs.
If you have ebony, that's what the most expenssive type of fretboard on them too.
Maybe those woods were meant for guitar-making?
-mbl-
No ebony from this estate shop, but I do have a smattering otherwise. He was not a musical instrument maker, I was told. I would welcome information on prices. Were it enough, I would let it go for other interesting woods, or would consider trading some. How wide do guitar backs have to be? I know nothing about such things.
Alan
http://www.alanturnerfurnituremaker.com
Friend,
Don't make guitars. Would like to. Do however, own and have owned, and have had one custom made.
The back is made by joining two boards. So each half would be about 10" wide. Depends on the guitar design. But the curved sides are maybe about 4" wide. Rosewood is also used there.
You might want to check under "luthier" or "guitar making". They have material sellers and also forums in which the members would advice on whether the woods you have are or not suitable for guitar or other instrument makeing.
The rosewood goes on the back. And in the front, the sound-board, a different type of wood is used, such as Spanish pine.
Do know that rosewood is used on the more expenssive guitars, though.
Best wishes.
-mbl-
Alan, we're just guessing here...but based on the pictures and going left to right...the first one looks like Brazilian rosewood (Dalbergia nigra). The second one looks like the variety often maketed as morado (the Spanish word for purple) or sometimes pau ferro. It's one of the Andean species actually belonging to the purpleheart genus (Peltogyne). The next two look like "Bolivian rosewood", probably one of the Machaerium species we've discussed in the other thread.
I'm not sure what the last one might be. It seems to have the warmer pigmentation usually associated with Central American rosewood (Dalbergia stevensonii), but there's an Indian rosewood (D. sissoo)...and there's also an Amazonian rosewood (D. spruceana) with similar color. The piece laying horizontally in front of the others seems to have exceptionally nice, black veining, which you sometimes see in Brazilian rosewood, but it could just be and exceptionally dark pigmented Machaerium. Scent would be the best clue for trying to unravel that mystery.
There are also several rosewoods native to Indochina, but since this stock was bought when the South American rosewoods were still readily available, it's less likely these Asian species are involved.
Again, Alan, these are just wild guesses, but hopefully it gives you a starting point.
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled