Is cocobolo and rosewood the same?
Cocobolo is a true Rosewood, similar in color & tap tone to Brazilian Rosewood and considered to be a good substitute. It is denser than most Rosewoods and oilier. For best results in gluing, epoxy is recommended. Cocobolo has great working properties & turns to a naturally glass-like polish.
Is cocobolo good for guitars?
Cocobolo is an amazing acoustic and classical guitar fretboard tonewood, though it’s not as popular as East Indian and Brazilian rosewood.
What kind of wood is cocobolo?
Cocobolo is a tropical hardwood of Central American trees belonging to the genus Dalbergia. Only the heartwood of cocobolo is used; it is usually orange or reddish-brown, often with darker irregular traces weaving through the wood.
Where does cocobolo wood come from?
Cocobolo Dalbergia retusa retusa, commonly known as cocobolo, is a small to medium-sized tree native to Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama. Cocobolo’s distinctive characteristic is its production of natural oils, which provides the wood with a natural waterproof polish.
What wood is best for guitar necks?
Mahogany is the most common wood used for building necks for acoustic guitars. It is strong, dense but light and easy to carve. Voila!
What does cocobolo sound like on a guitar?
Cocobolo is a dense, stiff tropical hardwood with a fairly bright tone. Sonically, it’s similar to koa, but resonates a little deeper on the low end, although it doesn’t have quite the full low end of rosewood or ovangkol. Fast and responsive, with moderate note decay, it’s articulate with lots of note distinction.
Why is a cocobolo desk so expensive?
The cocobolo desk is a desk made from cocobolo wood that is a particularly hard wood that comes from a slow growing tree. The slow growth makes wood from these trees expensive as they cannot be harvested quickly, making the availability low and price high.
What wood is best for guitar fretboard?
The Big Three Fretboard Woods
- Ebony. Considered the supreme tonewood for fingerboards due to its solidity, resiliency, and firmness, ebony was the primary fretboard wood in use from the 15th century till very recently.
- Rosewood.
- Maple.
- Indian Laurel.
- Ovangkol.
- Padauk.
- Pau Ferro.
- Walnut.
Is there a difference between Indian rosewood and cocobolo?
So, if you find there to be a difference between the sound of a Cocobolo guitar and an Indian rosewood guitar, chances are pretty good that it has much more to do with other factors than the particular variety of rosewood. Buy the one you like more. More sharing options… I have built a few Cocobolo guitars.
What is a cocobolo wood?
Cocobolo is a part of the Dalbergia genus. This is the same genus where both the Brazilian and Indian rosewoods belong. In fact, some builders count it as rosewood. So although it’s not a rosewood, it’s pretty close. And, due to its properties, it’s also used as its substitute. After all, these are all within the genus of Dalbergia.
How much do the back and sides of a rosewood affect sound?
If such things could be quantified, I’d say that back and sides maybe contribute 10-15% to a guitar’s sound. And the difference between the various species of rosewoods is minimal at best. Cocobolo is the same species (Dalbergia) as Brazilian, Indian, Honduran, Camatillo, and Madagascar rosewoods.
What is the difference between Brazilian rosewood and Indian rosewood fretboards?
However, the experiences differ and there are also differences between Brazilian and Indian rosewoods. Indian rosewood is known for sounding more evened out as it cuts out some of the mids. Rosewood fretboards bring a brighter twist to the tone. And they also come with their noticeable darker slightly purple appearance.