"L'Exotique"

(scroll down for pictures)

THE USE OF ALTERNATE WOODS FOR BACK AND SIDES 

For most of the 20^th Century, Brazilian Rosewood was the favourite wood amongst luthiers for the back and sides of the classical guitar (as well as other instruments).  Its sheer beauty and acoustic properties made it an ideal choice for quality guitars.  In 1992 however, Brazilian Rosewood was added to the  C.I.T.E.S. (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species).  Since then, it has become increasingly difficult to acquire quality backs and sides of Brazilian Rosewood, and top quality sets often sell for $1000 USD and more. 

East Indian Rosewood is probably the next in line as the most favourite choice for back and sides (some luthiers even prefer it to Brazilian). East Indian is a great choice because of its looks, stability, acoustic properties, availability and affordable prices.  Sets go for between  $40 to $125 USD depending on the quality (that’s one tenth of the price for Brazilian!) 

Availability, which was thought to be secured for decades, is now being questioned. Growing demand means that prices will go up soon, with the possible decrease in quality sets available. It is therefore a good idea to start considering some of the alternatives as guitarists often believe that Rosewood = high quality, while not Rosewood = low quality. This widespread belief is, as far as I am concerned, not entirely accurate. 

Just of few words on what makes a certain type of wood favourable or not for use in guitarmaking. Here is a short list of the characteristics sought: 

-Sound properties:  Normally, harder woods are better at reflecting sound waves. Softer woods tend to absorb vibrations, which is not suitable. Luthiers often evaluate a piece of wood using the method of “tap tone”, by which holding a piece of wood at a proper place between the thumb and forefinger, and giving it a sharp knuckle blow with the other hand. This produces a note, with distinguishable pitch, clarity and sustain which will help determine the specific sound properties of a piece a particular piece wood. 

-Appearance:  It can sound as great as it wants, if it doesn’t look good, people are not going to buy it. Some people prefer even grain, while others prefer wild figures in the wood. It is a matter of personal taste. 

-Availability and price:  Some species are not only expensive, but hard to find in quality sets. In some cases, only one tree in a thousand yields the quality and size required to make a guitar. African Blackwood is the best example. 

-Stability:  Even when quartered cut, some woods may crack when confronted to extremes in weather conditions.  Some woods which grow in very humid environment may not survive the harsh and dry winter of the northern countries.  East Indian Rosewood is impressively stable, while Brazilian Rosewood can be somewhat fragile.  

-Workability and allergic reactions : Some woods look and sound great, but are notoriously hard to work with. Some will dull tools, be difficult to glue, other will split or tear when bent, shaped or planed.  Some provoke allergic reactions to the handler. I have heard many cases of luthiers who had to quit using Cocobolo, despite its excellent properties, because of the rashes, swellings and choking reactions it triggers to some individuals.  

These are some of the things that we look for when selecting woods for back and sides. There are other factors, such as weight, density, ease of finishing; the list could go on for a few pages, so I’ll stick to this one above. 

Case study:  Tiger Wood

Of the many alternative species on the market, I recently stumbled upon one of the lesser known: Tiger Wood, also known as Goncalo Alves. It is part of the Astronium Species and grows in Brazil.  I found a set at a big supply store in Montreal last year, and a local wood collector (this guy is amazing: he has samples of thousands and thousands of species of wood in his garage and basement!) also had a few sets.  I did some searches over the web to find out whether or not Tiger Wood was used at all for guitarmaking, but found only a few instances where it was, with few comments, details or pictures about it. Since the price was right, I decided to give it a try anyways! 

The first thing you notice about Tiger Wood is its striking appearance. Although it may not please everyone, its tiger like black and orange stripes are very attractive (you can have a look at by scrolling down this page)  I have been showing it to everyone who comes in my workshop over the last few months, and they all thought it looked great.  Since it is a pore-less wood, it is also a breeze to finish.  It does however oxidize a lot, and at uneven rates between areas, but I suspect it will darken more evenly over the next few months.

Of the many other non-rosewood species that I have examined over the last couple of years, Tiger Wood has the best tap tone of the lot. It produces a crystal clear and very high note, with very good sustain.  The finished guitar (although only strung for a few weeks) has excellent clarity and it certainly matches similar  Rosewood guitars that I have made with regards to volume, projection, separation and tone.  Of course the importance of the wood type for the back and sides is a widely debated subject (Torres’ papier-mâché guitar is one argument, while at the opposite end there is a well known luthier out there who claims that he can hear the difference between East Indian and Brazilian Rosewood from the 4^th row of a concert hall…  The truth probably lies somewhere between those two extremes).  In addition to its sound properties, Tiger Wood is available at a fairly low price (a little less on average than East Indian), is easy to work with, and as I said above, requires no pore filling before finishing. The only downside that I have noticed is the oxidation process, which until completed may create some light blotchiness on certain areas.  We’ll have to wait to see the long term results about oxidation and stability, but since it feels very close to Maple in texture, I have a feeling that cracking will not be a problem. 

In conclusion, I will say that I am very pleased with Tiger Wood for use on the back and sides of a classical guitar, and that if the looks please you, I would recommend it highly. It sounds great, and it definitely makes an eye-catcher of a guitar at an affordable price.

If you have any experience with Tiger Wood, or would like to discuss this issue a bit further, please contact me at patrick.mailloux@videotron.ca. I would love to read your comments about it. 

Cheers,

Pat

Description of a Tiger Wood guitar called "L'Exotique":

Soundboard:          Western Red Cedar
Back/sides:            Tiger Wood ( a.k.a. Goncalo Alves)
Neck:                     Spanish Cedar, reinforced with Ebony
Fingerboard:          Ebony
Bridge:                   African Blackwood
Tuners:                   Van Gent
Scale length:          650mm
Finish:                    French Polished soundboard, waterbased lacquer for back, sides and head plate, Tung Oil for the neck

*A recording of "L'Exotique" will be available shortly

Pictures:  (click on each one to enlarge)