We have new stock coming in all the time are happy to help with any queries you may have. Please phone 07982 444 295 for assistance.
I have many diferent woods available to back order with a two week waiting list for delivery please get in touch.
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African mahogany
Very similar in every respect to honduras mahogany except that it is coarser grained and not as stable.
OUT OF STOCK
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Amazon Rosewood,
Dalbergia Spruceana.
This fine high grade rosewood has often been sold as Brazilian rosewood because it is in truth from Brazil so can be sold as such without straying from the truth.
In actual fact it is a very fine substitute for Rio and possesses very similar tonal qualities to the fabled Dalbergia Nigra.
Amazon Rosewood can also sometimes look similar but is often lighter coloured and it lacks the distinctive spider webbing of high grade Rio.
This wood along with Madagascan rosewood is the closest you will get to the real thing without spending a minimum of £250.
There are two reasons why this fine wood is not often seen on production run guitars.
The first one is that guitars made with this wood will be sold as Brazilian rosewood guitars for marketing reasons.
The second is that it is not as commercially available as some of the other rosewoods due to its links with Rio rosewood.
Now is a good time to buy this wood as relative obscurity makes it lot cheaper than its more popular cousins.
This will change now that Madagascan rosewood has been put under stricter export restriction and we will see the price rise in the next few years as the demand for high grade rosewoods increases.
This wood is very very rare once these sets are gone a dont konow if or when i can get more.
As such the price has increased.
I make less that 20% on amazon rosewood.
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Ancient kauri
Ancient Kauri,
(Agathis Australis)
I am really exited to be able to offer this wood
This wonderful wood (a recent addition to the guitar world) has been proven as a guitar wood by well renowned New Zealand luthier Laurie Williams.
This wood is the oldest workable wood known to man with carbon dating results dating it to over 50,0000 years old.
This wood is taken from logs that were buried over 50,0000 years ago by an unknown event and have been sealed in New Zealand bogs for all that time since.
This wood works like any other wood but has an unsurpassed chatoyance due the sap content reacting to its time spent under the ground.
Tonally similar to walnut or mahogany guitars made from this wood have very earthy undertones.
This wood is very very light and as such is a perfect candidate for classical guitars.
It is a little soft so a lacquer or French polish is advised for finishing (a French polish will bring out the figure of this wood to the full).
It is also advised to prep the wood a little better than usual and to hand sand with micromesh to really bring out the best in the grain and figure.
All these sets exhibit a very nice large rolling flame, very pretty.
AAA Grade: £110
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Brazilian mahogany
This is the same species as hondras mahogany please see that page for discription.
AAA £35
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Bubinga
(guiborgia sp.), Bubinga is a very pretty wood that has been used for guitars for may years now.it makes a wonderful toewood and the plain grade are very reasonably priced. figured bubinga is one of the most beautiful woods there is but it is very expensive and very hard to source there fore commands a high price. thing you will agree however that results are well worth the expense.
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Cocobolo Rosewood
(dalbergia retusa),This very pretty wood has been a favorite of guitar makers for may a year now.Often called poor mans rio rosewood it is an excellent alternative tonewood with stunning looks as well as incredibly powerful tone with punchy mids and strong driv-ing bass.Color wise it can vary greatly with the best stuff having stunning figure similar to the best grade rio.it does however have brighter and bolder coloring.
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(dalbergia sp?) This sweet smelling wood is an exclusive to tonewood supplies. This wood is a previously undescribed rosewood from columbia is an outstanding option for guitars.This wood looks a little like brazilian tulipwood when freshly cut but darkens down with oxidadisation to look a little more like cocobolo. Tonally this wood really has the ping factor and rings like a bell when tapped with a “glassy “ tap tone.Allthough I have yet to see a guitar made from this wood I have very high hopes for it as a premier tonewood,Outstanding. because it is not a established tonewood as yet I can offer this wood a great price.If you are looking for something special at an affordable price this wood is for you.Polishes to a fine shine.please ask for a free sample if you are not yet sure about this wood
AA £65,
AAA £75,
Master or highly figured £85.
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Euro maple
(acer psudoplatinus), Also known as sycamore this is a classic materiel that has been used for instruments for many years wonderful traditional tone with most sets exhibiting curl.fidleback or ripple figure.graded on figure.
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Guatemalan Rosewood
(dalbergia tucerensis). This is a very rare rosewood that grows from guatemala through honduras,panama and down to columbia.It looks very much like honduras rosewood and has a very similar tap tone with same highly musical ring and is often sold as such.It looks very pale when freshly cut but oxidizes down to a lovely light reddish purple color.It polishes to an outstanding luster and has a chatoyance you can see into.In my opinion a wonderful guitar wood, one of my faves free samples available.
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Honduras Mahogany
Often called brazilian mahogany this wood is a classic body wood although like rio rosewood is now becoming scarce have found it very hard to source suitable stock and I have seen prices triple in the last year. This wood is often described as having a “woody” tone which basically means it has a warm tone with rich bottom end and clear mids which makes it well suited to steel string guitars.
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Dalbergia stevensoni, Again this is one of the primo rosewood and as such is getting hard to obtain it can range in color from light pink with purple lines to dark purple which darkens down when a finish is applied. Tonally it has very strong tap tone and is well known for-having outstanding projection and tone. It makes a very well balanced guitar with equally strong lows and highs.
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Indian rosewood
The industry standard after rio became commercially extinct. A classic wood that looks good and is easy to work. bends readily can be a little hard work to plane and polishes to a medium luster. Tonally its known for having a good bass response and plenty of power.
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(Dalbergia baroni)
This is species is commonly as rio type due to its striking similarity to brazilian Rosewood.
There is another type of madagascan rosewood that is very simalar but is comonly regarded as slightly inferior.
This is mainly due its color more than anything else.
If there is any wood that comes close to rio then this really is it. it is similar in every respect except that it has a more reddish color. This is the next most popular rosewood after rio it really is the best commercially available rosewood, simply stunning.This wood is rare and has just been subjected to a export embargo by madagascar so the wood that is available now will be the last for the foreseeable future.The best sets have spider-web figure like the best rio.tonaly this wood is the creme de la creme and pairs wonderfully with an alpine spruce top.
Prices from £100 - £150
Please inquire.
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(diospyros sp.) Also known as asian ebony this fine wood is a true eb-ony.The guitar world is very exited about this wood at it is fast becoming a favorite with high end luthiers everywhere,this visually stunning wood can crudely be described as cross between ebony and rosewood in terms of density etc but it really does have tone that can rival the very best rio rosewood at a fraction of the price. can currently offer this wood at very competitive prices so buy now before prices rise.Combined with an alpine spruce top this wood makes for a winning formula.
Prices on this wood vary acording to figure and quality but prices range from £90-£140.
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Ovangkol / shedua
Ovankol/shedua,
(Guiborgia spp,)
Ovanqkol has become very popular over the last 5 years with company’s such as taylor,breedlove,and even martin using it on there high end models.
Tonally It has been likened by many to a cross between mahogany and rosewood due to its well well defined high’s/mids, (similar to mahogany) and it the driving bass of rosewood.
Myself I think it’s a closer match to koa in this respect and as such has been used successfully by a few boutique makers as a top wood.
Visually this wood has a greenish brown tinge with fine black lines with finishes down to a wonderful golden brown after the application of your finish.
The sets I have display a lovely high mottle figure.
If this wood has a down side it’s the fact that it doesn’t smell, too nice but hey with results like this who cares what it smells like.Master Grade: £N/A
AAA Grade: ££35-£40
A Grade: £N/A
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Paduak
I have some very rare striped guatamalan padauk this paduak has a lovley strawbery and cream coloring and at texture and density simalar to mahogany this wood has a tap tone that rings loud and clear I also have tops in this wood and can supply this as a full guitar set to make for a very unique guitar.
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Palo Escrito Rosewood
(dalbergia palo escrito), Palo Escrito is a true Rosewood, also known as "Mexican Rosewood". It is used extensively by luthiers in Mexico. It differs visually from Indian Rosewood in having wider grain, better figure, and bolder color contrast. It is quite stiff but less dense than Indian Rosewood. It's bright tonal characteristics and light weight make it a natural for crossover or Negra, flamenco guitars, although several American classical builders have use it successfully. It is also excellent for smaller acoustic guitars.
OUT OF STOCK
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Rio rosewood
(Dalbergia nigra) This is the most sort after guitar wood in the world these days since it was put on cites list 1 in the 80s and an embargo was imposed on all felling and exportation in 1994. since then it has become very very hard to obtain nice guitar grade sets in the as all wood has to be pre cites.This wood has gained an almost mythical reputation and with good reason It has a wonderful balance,clarity of tone,quick response ,beauty. color and figure which is hard to beat (with only a few other rare rosewoods coming close). because of its legendary status lots of wood has found its way on to the market that would have been scraped in the past and people have resorted to using inferior stump wood to build guitars with. I have been lucky enough to source a small amount of very very high grade pre cites sets and other components That come from very old (at least 30 years) stock.Becouse of the rarity and the quality prices are high but I think you will agree that its well worth the extra expense.Guitars made with this wood can command a huge premium when sold.
i will not be listin sets on this due to ethical reasons if you are interested in old stock rio please contact me.
prices are £300 - £1000 depending on grade and figure.
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Santos mahogany
Another exclusive to tonewood supplies this very hard wood is very pretty with a nice red tinge the sets I have have stunning ribbon stripe figure with curl cuasing large mottled figure very nice tonewood at a very pleasing price.Tonally these sets have glassy tap tone that should make for a guitar with great projection.
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This wood although not a true rosewood makes wonderful guitar and is very underrated.It has a bad rep due the fact that some people are alergic to it.This wood wood is non porous and as such excepts a fine finish.
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Sepele
Another one of the viable mahogany substitutes.saple has is dark reddish brown and almost always exhibits stunning ribbon figure on the quarter sawn face.
Tonaly similar to Mahogany this wood is a very popular tonewood in its own right.
The plain grade is very affordable and very pretty but the figured “quilted” grade is very pricey but the this rare figure is at its best in sepele and worth the extra cost
I have just recived some new stock of quilted sepele that will be available in the New Year.
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Snakewood
This is not a wood that has been offered for back and sides very often only because it only grows to small widths as such very rarely a log comes along that is big enough for a 4 piece back and sides have just acquired such a log and will be resawing it soon so watch this space.
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Wenge
very pretty wood with very fine black and chocolate brown lines this wood is a god alternative to indian rosewood with similar tonal quality's can be a little tricky to bend and has large pores that need filling but otherwise an lovely tonewood at an affordable price.
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Zirocote
This wood is getting very very scarce and very hard to get.i have access to a small amount that I am trying to secure for back and side sets please watch this space.