(Prunus emarginata)

Bitter Cherry has a warm golden honey colour, often with hues of green blueish stripping. Known to the older generation natives as a medicinal tree, as the leaves produce hydrogen cyanide. In small amounts this compound was used to stimulate respiration, improve digestion and give a sense of well-being. The wood has too small amount of toxins to have any harmful effect. Used a lot for furniture as it takes a high lustrous polish. Bitter Cherry has a sweet tap tone, often compared to Mahogany.

(Juglans nigra)

Black Walnut is softer and less dense than rosewood and mahogany but is still very resonant. This wood has proven itself as a tonewood with large manufacturers and custom builders alike. Similar in density and grain structure to Hawaiian Koa. Black Walnut yields excellent balance with tonal characteristics that fall between Mahogany and Rosewood. The trebles have a unique earthy tone which records very distinctively. Often recommended for a flatpicked sound and mellow fingerstyle playing. With its rich brown colour and occasional steaks Black Walnut has a stripy appearance somewhat like Indian Rosewood.

(Guibourtia tessmannii)

Also known as African Rosewood, Bubinga has a dark red colour with a brownish tinge. It is harder and heavier than Brazilian and Indian Rosewood with interlocking grain. The figure ranges from Pomelle (waterfall) to Block mottle. Bending is similar to Sapeli and the more challenging Mahogany. It is a great tonewood and finishes nicely to a smooth glossy finish.

(Chamaecyparis nootkatensis)

Alaskan Yellow Cedar, aka Canadian cypress, is so closely related to the true cypresses that it has been classified with them by botanists in the past. It is an excellent carving wood, with fine even texture, and very close-grained. It is one of the most stable woods in terms of dimensional change due to moisture content change. It works easily and finishes well. Though YC/CDN Cypress is not a traditional wood, it is gaining popularity. Many custom builders use YC/CDN cypress for guitar tops, including archtops (jazz guitars and mandolins). It is also used for backs and sides of Flamenco guitars. It is a denser wood than Red Cedar, with a specific gravity very close to Sitka Spruce. It has a nice light yellow color and a pleasant aroma.

Big Leaf Maple - (Acer macrophyllum)

Our pride and joy.  We are priveledged to live in the center of heaven when it comes to this wood.  Our business was founded because we have so much of it growing on our own property. It is one the most traditional maples used for carved and flatback instruments.  Tonally Maple is clear and bright with nice projection.  Big Leaf Maple has quilt and curly figure.

Juglans regia

English Walnut, also called Common Walnut, or Persian Walnut, is the original walnut tree of the Old World. It is a relatively slow-growing tree, and is grown extensively for nut, as an ornamental tree, and for wood.  The wood is very high quality, and is used for furniture, rifle stocks, and musical instruments.  It is a porous wood, like the other walnuts, and is denser and heavier than black walnut.  Some of our sets show the contrasting creamy white sapwood.

Our Espave is harvested from the bottom of Gatun lake, a man made fresh water lake created by the building of the Panama Canal. Also known as White Mahogany, espave is easily worked with hand and power tools. Although some guitar makers have found it to be resonant and great for solidbody guitars, it has yet to find its way into the mainstream market. It is closer to alder than to mahogany in workability, but softer than either, so make sure your bits and edge tools are sharp to avoid tearout. Espave offers some rich variations in appearance, and a smell that is truly memorable. 

Swietenia macrophylla

Unfortunately, we are unable to ship Honduran Mahogany outside of Canada.

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Mahogany has long been a standard tonewood for guitar and instrument builders.  It sands and polishes well, and is easy on edge tools.  In workability, aesthetics, and tonal qualities, it is simply a dream wood.  Tonally, Mahogany excels in the midrange, having less of both the high and low frequencies than Rosewood.  We are happy to offer these dramatically figured sets to our customers, especially in view of the increased difficulties in importing this valuable tonewood.  There are different species of wood now coming onto the market that are being confused with Mahogany, but this is the real deal.

The figure could be described as a combination of quilt and bearclaw.  It shows up best on the flat-sawn face, the same as quilted maple.

(dalbergia latifolia)

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Due to the decline in availability of Brazilian Rosewood, East Indian Rosewood has become the staple tonewood for luthiers.  The color is purple/brown which darkens to a rich brown color with exposure to air and can contain streaks of red to light golden brown.  It is slightly less dense, more evenly grained and more stable than Brazilian Rosewood.  It bends well by hand or machine.  Considered the best value in rosewoods.  It is a sustained resource as it is planted to shade coffee and tea plantations.

Back dimension: 22" x 9 1/2" x 3/16"

Side dimension: 35 1/4" x 5 1/2" x 3/16"