First and foremost, to me, is the fact that this wood has been placed on the CITES treaty that restricts any post-ban felling of trees or export of new lumber. Beyond the fact that CITES makes it illegal to fell Brazilian trees in the rainforest, the political, humanitarian and environmental issues behind this policy are what I feel are most important. Even the use of legally harvested, pre-CITES Brazilian rosewood increases the wood's visibility within the guitar-buying public and, in my opinion, helps feed the demand for an endangered species. Without preaching these concerns, let’s just say that I’m trying to do my part in decreasing the demand for Brazilian Rosewood.

Secondly, to obtain high-quality Brazilian Rosewood, the cost of the guitar could easily rise by $1,000 to $3,000. That’s a lot of money for you, as a client, to shell out, and a lot of liability for me, as a builder, to assume. In my opinion, the extra expense doesn't provide sufficient payoff in increased quality.

And lastly, Brazilian Rosewood is exceptionally prone to severe warping, cracking, and splitting; and at some time over the life of a Brazilian Rosewood guitar, a crack will likely develop and need to be repaired – something that is costly for both the guitar owner and the luthier.

Combined, these three reasons compel me to say, “Sorry, I don’t work with Brazilian Rosewood.”

While Brazilian Rosewood will make an excellent-sounding guitar, I truly believe that there are woods available that are every bit as beautiful and sound every bit as good for considerably less money. East Indian Rosewood will produce an absolutely amazing guitar, and Madagascar Rosewood, Cocobolo and Honduran Rosewood are all suitable alternatives. All of these woods will produce much of the same look and sound as Brazilian, if that is what you are seeking. If you are determined that you need a Brazilian guitar, I’m happy to provide you with a list of very good luthiers who work with this resource.

Top Woods

Sitka Spruce
Sitka Spruce is an excellent choice for just about any steel-stringed flat-top guitar. It is light, strong and tends to be consistently stiffer than other varieties of spruce I work with. The color can range from light tan to a rosy pink, and in master grades the color and grain are very tight and even. Sitka is probably my most popular top selection.

Englemann Spruce
Englemann Spruce is a bit softer than Sitka, and while many sets can be quite stiff and produce wonderful tap tones, they are not as consistent as Sitka and I spend a considerable amount of time working with my suppliers to procure the best, stiffest sets. The color of Englemann tends to be a bit whiter and creamier than Sitka, and the silking patterns are very pronounced and quite striking in master-grade soundboards. Englemann seems to be more popular with finger-style players, but this is an excellent choice for any style of flat-top guitar.

Adirondack (Red) Spruce
Adirondack Spruce was popularized by Martin on many of their “pre-war” guitars and remains a revered tonewood by players and collectors alike. My experiences have been that exceptionally good Adirondack Spruce soundboards are hard to get and come at exorbitant prices. However, they do build very fine instruments. Cosmetically, Adirondack soundboards tend to have wider grain spacing than Sitka or Englemann, and their color occasionally has striping that goes from creamy to light tan.

Western Red Cedar
Western Red Cedar has traditionally been used on classical and flamenco guitars. In recent years, flat-top builders have been incorporating the wood with much success on steel-stringed instruments. The tone WRC produces tends to be a bit warmer with less sparkle. Some have described the tone as “intimate.” I enjoy working with this wood and believe that it builds very good finger-style guitars.

Neck Woods

5-Ply Necks
I choose to custom cut and laminate my necks to add strength. Solid woods are more prone to twist, warp or move under the constant stress of string tension than laminated necks. Most of my necks are laminated in a pattern of Honduran Mahogany, Hard Maple, Walnut, Hard Maple and Honduran Mahogany. Then each neck is reinforced with carbon-fiber rods to provide added stiffness, and a double-action truss rod. This provides a rock-solid neck that will last forever which resists twist, warp or bow.

Fingerboard & Bridge Selection

Ebony
Ebony is the fingerboard and bridge choice of the masses in the guitar world. It is extremely dense and stable. This dense stability translates to energy being transferred to the sound box with as little energy as possible being lost. An Ebony bridge and fingerboard will ad to creating a bold sound with incredible sustain.

Rosewood
Rosewood is fine choice for fingerboards and bridges. It is dense and stable but not to the extent of Ebony. The rosewood will add to a slightly darker, warmer tone to the guitar. Because it is not as dense as Ebony, a Rosewood fingerboard and bridge combination could sacrifice sustain slightly.

Trim and appointments

If you are looking for plastic bindings on a guitar, you’ve come to the wrong luthier. I use only hardwood bindings which not only add to the aesthetics, but also can contribute to the tone of the guitar. I try to keep my purfling lines very simple – usually just a thin line of Maple and another of Rosewood. But if decoration is required, this is the place for it to shine. Mother of pearl and abalone can be added to the purfling scheme for an additional charge.