Just in a fabulous figured Amazon rosewood set. While this sort of figure is common enough on Madagascar rosewood, cocobolo or ziricote, I’ve never seen any Amazon set even remotely close. Strikingly similar to the finest Brazilian rosewood.
A bit confused here… Amazon is in Brasil, for much of its part… how is Amazon Rosewood different from Brasilian Rosewood (apart that, from what I know, Brasilian is extinct for some decades by now)
It is a different species from the same genus: dalbergia spruceana. “Real” Brazilian aka Rio rosewood is dalbergia nigra. Indian rosewood, dalbergia latifolia. Tonally and in terms of color Amazon and Rio can be very very similar, but Amazon is consistently denser, lacks the smell and has a sandy yellow fill in the pores (due to the soil it grows in). Rio rosewood used to grow closer to the Atlantic coast. There are two other dalbergias coming from Brazil: tulipwood (dalbergia decipularis/frutescens) and kingwood (dalbergia cearensis). Kingwood is the oldest dalbergia ever used on a musical instrument, which is also the oldest guitar, made by Belchior Dias in Lisbon in 1581….
A bit confused here… Amazon is in Brasil, for much of its part… how is Amazon Rosewood different from Brasilian Rosewood (apart that, from what I know, Brasilian is extinct for some decades by now)
It is a different species from the same genus: dalbergia spruceana. “Real” Brazilian aka Rio rosewood is dalbergia nigra. Indian rosewood, dalbergia latifolia. Tonally and in terms of color Amazon and Rio can be very very similar, but Amazon is consistently denser, lacks the smell and has a sandy yellow fill in the pores (due to the soil it grows in). Rio rosewood used to grow closer to the Atlantic coast. There are two other dalbergias coming from Brazil: tulipwood (dalbergia decipularis/frutescens) and kingwood (dalbergia cearensis). Kingwood is the oldest dalbergia ever used on a musical instrument, which is also the oldest guitar, made by Belchior Dias in Lisbon in 1581….
wow, it always gives me goose bumps when I discover there is SO MUCH I still have a chance to learn 🙂 thank you!