Really an excellent discussion! Makes me want to find some Cuban Mahogany! Chuck
Why Cuban Mahogany?
I have a lot of books. I have always found the money for books. I buy books instead of food. I have several old editions, large form...wpatrickedwards.blogspot.com
This guy has some interesting opinions about Cuban mahogany. Also read the comments section. There is some good info there too.
exoticwoodzone.com
exoticwoodzone.com
I would almost bet, they have it wrong.....Interestingly, EWZ has guitar bodies that are NOT listed as "cuban mahogany", but the botanical name under the listing is that of cuban mahogany. I'm guessing its not possible to tell from photos?
Exotic Wood Zone - Premium Tonewood & Hardwood Supplier in USA
Discover premium tonewood, exotic woods and hardwood at Exotic Wood Zone -your trusted hardwood supplier for woodworking, crafting, and lutherie projects.
View attachment 280990
Its curious because these guitar bodies are up to 4.34BF and only cost $139, whereas the drop tops that are actually listed as "cuban mahogany" are only 0.92BF @ $299 for plain cuban and 0.60BF @ $399 for fiddleback cuban. This is a significant cost difference.
And to complicate things even further, the listing photos for the supposed cuban mahogany has a post-it note on them that seems to say "Lujan Mahogany". Dr. Google suggests "Lujan" is a variant in the spelling of "Lauan", which would mean this is more likely to be Lauan Mahogany aka Philippine Mahogany aka Meranti...a cheap plywood veneer that isn't even related to Cuban Mahogany at all.
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Fiddleback Cuban Mahogany Drop Top 24" x 7-1/4" x 1/4" #48-C - Exotic
Own a Piece of History: Fiddleback Mahogany Drop Top Aged to Perfection: 20+ Year Old Fiddleback Mahogany Drop Top Species : Fiddleback - Exotic Wood Zone
They have the wrong wood or they have the text in the listing wrong?
I've seen many dealers over the years list the wrong Latin name. Sometimes it was a mistake and they made good on it and sadly sometimes it is done purposely to mislead buyers. On a side note, Cuban can be variable in color, and they may actually have it. Also, many that have Swietenia mahagoni, will sell it as Cuban versus where it was actually grown, because the name Cuban brings more money.
Luan is not mahogany of any kind.
Yeah I'm thinking they intentionally mislead at EWZ
Sorry for the wrong spelling.
Definitely looks like it used to be dunnage or something.
I'm assuming that's a bad sign for it being authentic considering Brazilian rosewood is historically a prized wood.
I meant in the sense of its quality as wood. Not as a species but in general Brazilian rosewood will also have really bad pieces like any other species of wood. It’s possible that someone (who makes small stuff) got a really good deal on all the b pieces of their lumberyard and bought it. Then never used it and these guys bought it. They probably expect people who do small stuff (like handplane Tote restorations) to buy it.
Yeah but being a nearly impossible to source species would presumably make even the junkiest pieces valuable. I wouldn't expect to find Brazilian rosewood used as dunnage, just like i wouldn't expect to find gaboon ebony used as dunnage.
I used dunnage as an example to represent the damage the pieces had. I used it to exemplify the low quality of the lumber. No matter the species, I would be ashamed to sell that. I would have cut it up into smaller pieces and sold them. I did not mean that it was actually used as dunnage. A more likely scenario is the one that I played out before.
Oh i see. Yeah, these pieces they are selling are practically useless. They're so tiny. One listing is for strips that are 3/8" x 1/8". Others have pieces that could be used as shims. At least exotic wood zone was offering pen blanks and guitar bodies (even if it's not truly Brazilian rosewood).
Have you found out if it is? According to one of the German luthiers that I’m in contact with, Amazon rosewood is a step in replacement for Brazilian rosewood in both looks and tone. Though maybe someone here can prove them wrong. If it’s Amazon you should consider it too. In that sense it’s even better because it’s less endangered.
I'm interested in Brazilian rosewood because of the fact that it's so rare and because it's the original rosewood. I'm interested primarily as a collector, though if i got a big enough piece i would consider using part in a project that was of high importance/value to me. So Amazon rosewood wouldn't work for me. Exotic Lumber does also have Amazon rosewood for sale though.
Ahh. I see. I don’t think that you’ll find something that large though.