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ROSEWOOD, EAST INDIAN

Dalbergia latifolia

Dalbergia latifolia of the family Leguminosae

Also called Indian rosewood and shisham, this true rosewood is darker than most rosewoods but quite attractive and more readily available, and less expensive, than its better known cousin Brazilian rosewood. It is hard and heavy and works and polishes well. Its combination of beauty and tonal qualities make it popular for guitar sides and backs.



my samples --- colors are accurate throughout and you'll see some very similar colors and grain pattern in the web pics below.


plank and end grain


end grain closeup of the piece directly above


this piece is from the same plank as the sample above, but it is oiled.


sample plank and end grain


end grain closeup of the piece directly above


a bunch of guitar backs from the stock of a luthier relative of mine, Jarad Lindsey, who built his first guitar at 14 (and it's beautiful) using similar planks for the side and back.


both sides of a sample plank of East Indian rosewood --- the very dull color of this piece would be somewhat enhanced by finer sanding, and greatly enhanced by a finishing agent.


end grain and end grain closeup of the sample plank directly above


both sides of a plank contributed to the site by Daniel Duelen, whom I thank for this and other contributions.


closeup of one face of the plank above


side view of the plank above


various end grain views, and an end grain closeup, of the piece directly above. The last pic and the closeup were taken at a different time and the color correction added a slight orangish tinge that is not present in the wood.


veneer


this piece of veneer was in my "mystery woods" section for a long time but was finally identified by a correspondent as an East Indian Rosewood burl veneer



NOTE: the following bright-colored pieces, including the guitar set, were contributed to the site by a generous fellow named Liem in Indonesia. They are much brighter in color than I am accustomed to in D. latifolia and Liem tells me that they are significantly different in physical characteristics than what he is accustomed to in Dalbergia latifolia, a species that he is very familiar with, BUT ... they have been positively identified by the USDA Wood Lab as being that species. My thanks for the contribution.


a batch of small, thin, planks


closeup of two of the pieces above


small slab and end grain shot


two contiguous sides of a small plank that was cut from the top of the slightly larger one directly above and moderately-fine sanded --- it is the sanding that accounts for the the darker color all of the visible surfaces.


end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above


a spectacular guitar-back set


the sides of the guitar set



web pics


planks and turning stock


scales


listed as east indian rosewood, but looks more like kingwood to me


both sides and a closeup of a thick plank


turning stock


finished pool cue butts


flat cut veneer


quartersawn veneer


veneer, all from the same vendor


veneer sheet closeups with both levels of enlargement --- all from the same vendor as the batch directly above


pomelle veneer




tatting shuttle (might have coloring agent added)





both sides and a closeup of a plank from the BogusColorVendor




guitar sides and backs


this species is widely used in guitar construction


a raw guitar-wood set


bowl