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ASH Available in Black (Swamp), White, and Figured varieties. Ash is a great domestic hardwood. Very dense and strong it yields a tight and powerful tone with great snap and presence. Black variety has a more prominant mid range honk. It has a striking grain structure which occasionally is figured with light to intense flame. |
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BLOODWOOD Available in solid or variagated versions. Bloodwood is a truly gorgeous deep red colored wood from South America. It is extremely dense, and in fact it will not float in water. It is a tremendous tone wood and rings like a bell in tap tests. It can found in very solid red colors or with creamy streaks running through it. It is very tight tonally but with great complexity that offers wonderful "bloom" and wonderful balance. |
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BOCOTE An incredible tonewood from Central America. Bocote is very dense and has wonderful golden yellow color with striking dark brown to black streaks. Tonally extremely complex, with beautiful bell like tones throughout the spectrum. It is becoming exceedingly rare. |
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BUBINGA Available in both plain and figured varieties. Bubinga is a beautiful exotic hardwood from Africa. It has terrific brown color with depth and dimension, and is streaked with fine purple to black veins. Bubinga has quickly become a prominant tone wood. It has a robust sound like Rosewood with a tighter overall tone. |
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BUTTERNUT Also referred to as White Walnut. Butternut is a great, underused tonewood found in North America. In the Walnut family, it shares many of the same visual characteristics except it is light golden brown in color. It is also slightly less dense that it's Black Walnut sister, which leads to a more springy tone. |
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CHERRY Available in Plain and Figured varieties. Cherry is one of the all time great North American hardwoods. Underused in the instrument industry it is actually a tremendous tonewood. It has lovely grain structure similar to maple, but with a warmer pale brown to reddish brown color. In figured variety it usually boasts wide curly figure. Light colored sapwood is often displayed and offers a great contrast. Over time it will darken beautifully. Tonally, it has great overall balance that easily finds itself in the mix. |
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CLARO WALNUT Hailing from the Pacific coast of the U.S. Claro Walnut is an exceptional wood, with terrific variagated color and often found with tremendous figure. It is tonally a very well balanced but warm wood, with great projection. It is often used on very high grade acoustics. |
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COCOBOLO One of the finest tonewoods available. Cocobolo is a wonderful true rosewood from South and Central America. It is becoming exceedingly rare. Tonally it is extremely complex, with big defined lows, sweet midrange, and bell like highs. Unlike most rosewoods it has a lot of color ranging from reddish orange through dark purple and black. Pieces often exhibit sapwood which is creamy yellow and offers a wonderful contrast. |
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GONCALO ALVES A great often overlooked tonewood that has a beautiful golden reddish brown color that often exhibits wide dark streaks. Very robust in tone with great definition and clarity. A very unique understated wood. |
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IPE Hailing from the tropical Central & South America, Ipe is one of the hardest lumbers known. It is very dense and highly resistant to decay. It has had limited use in the musical world primarily because of how difficult it is to work with, but it has amazing tonal characteristics as a results of its densisty and interlocked grain. It ranges in color from medium orange brown to deep dark brown and often has wonderful striping. |
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KORINA One of the best all around tonewoods. Many luthiers have commented that it may be the best all around tonewood for guitar. From Africa, Korina is available in White and Black forms. They are actually the same tree but can simply exhibit different color variations. Both are a warm yellow while black limba often has wonderful brown and black markings. Terrific all around tonewood with a classic look. |
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MACASSAR EBONY One of the finest timbers available in the world. From Southeast Asia, Macassar Ebony differs from its dark black cousins by exhibits gorgeous tan and brown streaks throughout and can often exhibit wild spider patterns as well. It is often used in some of the finest acoustics. Incredibly complex, it yields powerful and rich tones that are well balanced. |
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MAHOGANY Geniune Honduran Mahogany. There are many varieties of Mahogany, but this is the most popular for use in musical instruments. It has a great pinkish brown color in its natural state, although can be stained to many colors. Traditionally a warm inviting tone with good balance. |
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FIGURED MAPLE One of the very best domestic tonewoods there is. Classic and gorgeous, maple has had a place in musical instrument history for hundreds of years. Our standard Figured Maple usually rates about AAA and shows a very nice amount of flame and figure. Maple can of course be stained in a wide variety of colors due to its light nature. Tonally is shows great articulation and presence. Typically punchy and has both wide bass response as well as extra crispness. |
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AAAA MAPLE Same great tone as Figured Maple, but with even more figure. |
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AAAAA MAPLE The best of the best of flame and figure. Same great tone as Figured Maple. |
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AMBROSIA MAPLE One of the most unique varieties of maple available. The great color streaks actually come from the Ambrosia beatle the burrows its way through the wood and leaves mineral traces behind that result in striking patterns and colors. The wood itself is actually a tiny bit less dense as a result and likewise has a slightly different midrange. |
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BIRD'S EYE MAPLE Where most Figured Maple is of the soft maple variety, Birdseye can only be found in hard maples, which is a little heavier. Commonly used for highly figured guitar necks, Birdseye Maple has great snap and brightness but with wide bandwith and clarity. |
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MAPLE BURL Similar to Figured Maple, but with wild burl swirls and patterns. Burl Maple actually sounds a tad different, because there are so many localized burl spots which have a wide range of density. Impossible to completly predict, but it typically lends towards a slightly springier tone. |
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QUILTED MAPLE Same great tone as Figured Maple, but with even more wave like Quilted Figure. Also available in highly Quilted. |
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SPALTED MAPLE One of the most interesting of the Maple varieties. Spalted Maple actually occurs when natural fungus impacts the tree and leaves dark spalt lines throughout the lumber. There is often a great variety in color as well compared to regular maple. The spalt process actually changes the makeup of the wood and likewise impacts tone. It is typically springy sounding with great pop and life. |
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PADAUK Hailing from Africa and also Asia, Padauk is a very interesting lumber. It has a great bright orange red color when cut that will eventually turn to a dark brown with exposure to UV rays. It often has great grain figure and sometimes ribbon striping. It is only offered in complete Padauk cabs (no mixing with other woods) due to the natural dyes that are in the lumber it often stains lighter colored woods from its incredibly fine sawdust. Tonally is offers a broad rich spectrum that has great character and overall balance. |
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PAU FERRO A terrific rosewood substitute, often referred to as Bolivian Rosewood or Morado. Pau Ferro looks and sounds like many of its rosewood cousins. A wonderful full bodied sound with warmth and clarity. It has lovely brown color with purple to black streaks and is sometimes found in lighter reddish varieties. |
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POPLAR This is our standard lumber. It is a relatively plain looking wood, but can be stained to a wide variety of colors, making it very striking. Poplar is a great all around tonewood that is well balanced and has good character. |
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PURPLEHEART Extemely unique true purple color sets it apart from other woods. It is actually a very dense and hard wood that rings beautifully. Has great tonal and aesthetic flare. |
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EAST INDIAN ROSEWOOD One of the most popular tonewoods of all time. Has great robust sound with warmth and clarity. Terrifically balanced and classic in looks. Most examples are medium brown with dark purple to black veining, however some pieces can show variegated color. |
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SAPELE Often called African Mahogany, Sapele is an extremely popular substiture for Honduran Mahogany and for music it is in many respects superior. Warm, well balanced, and powerful, it is a great tonewood that is similar but usually more striking and slightly darker in color than it's cousin. If often exhibits great ribbon stripe figure. |
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TULIPWOOD One of the rarest and most beautiful woods you'll find in the world. A true rosewood, Brazilian Tulipwood is a superior tonewood that is not used often because of the tree's limited size. Wonderfully complex and rich, it rivals Brazilian Rosewood on all tone notes. Incredibly striking with it's creamy background set against wild veining ranging from light pink to dark purple. This is a wood for those who want nothing but the best. |
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WALNUT Another great tonewood that has become more popular in high end acoustic guitars. Walnut has a great warmth and balance that lends for many styles. Typically has medium brown color, although can be stained dark, and is often available in figured varieties. |
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YELLOWHEART A unique naturally yellow colored wood from Asia that is beautifully elegant. It is quite dense, which leads to extended response in both directions. Great projection is typical. |
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ZEBRAWOOD It's terrific tan and black striped color makes Zebrawood instantly recogizable. A great tonewood that is difficult to work, but yields terrific response. Well balanced, slightly warm, and robust. |
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ZIRICOTE An increasingly popular, but very rare, premium tonewood among acoustic builders, Ziricote is a rare gorgeous gem that feautures tremendous grain variation throughout. Warm brown hues with dark black streaking are the norm. A wonderfully complex and rich tonal spectrum are available. |