Guess the wood

Beau Hannam Ukuleles

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This set of very rare wood finally arrived today.

If you saw this on facebook, don't give it away (that means you Terence!)

Clue 1- Has been used for hundreds of years as part of musical instruments.
Clue 2- It is higher on the endangered list then Brazilian rosewood.
Clue 3- Pea soup

It seems to tap with a more profound sense of musical note then Brazilian RW, Honduran RW or African blackwood...I cant wait to turn this into a Low G tenor

wood2.jpg
 
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Pernambuco?
Though I have no idea how that relates to pea soup.

Kent
 
I was going to guess Putumuju but it didn't match any of the hints.. :rolleyes:
 
Correct Kent.

It is the traditional wood used for making bows for violins, cellos etc

Brazil was named after this tree (Brazilwood) Pernambuco is in Brazil

Apparently, it is in the pea family of trees!

http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/brazilwood/

Here's a list of pea family members that I cut and pasted from wikipedia, I think you'll recognize a number of tone woods, and maybe some potential tone woods.

Fabaceae: The Legume Family (The Pea Family)[edit]
Acacia – Acacias and Wattles
Acacia albida – Winter Thorn Acacia
Acacia aneura – Mulga Acacia
Acacia angustissima – Prairie Acacia
Acacia baileyana ‘Purpurea’ – Purple-Leaf Acacia
Acacia choriophylla – Cinnecord
Acacia crassifolia – Butterfly-Leafed Acacia; Bauhinia-leafed Acacia
Acacia dealbata – Silver Wattle
Acacia farnesiana – Sweet Acacia
Acacia greggii – Catclaw Acacia
Acacia koa – Koa
Acacia longifolia – Sydney Golden Wattle
Acacia macracantha – Longspine Acacia
Acacia mearnsii – Black Wattle
Acacia melanoxylon - Australian Blackwood
Acacia pendula – Weeping Acacia
Acacia pycnantha – Golden Wattle
Acacia tortilis – Umbrella Tree; Tortilis
Acacia tortuosa – Huisachillo
Acacia xanthophloea – Yellow-fever Tree
Albizia – Silk Trees and False Acacias
Albizia julibrissin – Silk Tree; Mimosa; Pea Shame
Albizia lebbeck – Lebbeck; Woman’s Tongue
Albizia saman - Saman, Rain Tree and Monkeypod
Bauhinia – Orchid Trees
Bauhinia purpurea – Purple Orchid Tree
Bauhinia variegata – Pink Orchid Tree
Bauhinia variegata var. candida – White Orchid Tree
Caesalpinia – Bird-of-Paradise Trees
Caesalpinia echinata - Pau Ferro, Brazilwood, Pau-Brasil, Pau de Pernambuco, Pernambuco tree, Nicaragua wood and Ibirapitanga
Caesalpinia mexicana – Mexican Bird-of-Paradise Tree
Caesalpinia pulcherrima – Red Bird-of-Paradise Tree; Flowerfence Poinciana
Caragana – Asian Pea Trees
Caragana arborescens – Siberian Pea Tree
Cassia – Senna
Cassia leptophylla – Gold Medallion Tree
Cassia marilandica – Wild Senna
Cassia occidentalis – Coffee Senna
Centrolobium '
Centrolobium Robustum – Canary Wood
Ceratonia – Ceratonia Trees
Ceratonia siliqua – Carob Tree
Cercis – Redbuds
Cercis canadensis – Eastern Redbud
Cercis occidentalis – Western Redbud
Cercis siliquastrum - Judas Tree
Cladrastis – Yellowwoods
Cladrastis kentukea – Kentucky Yellowwood
Dalbergia – (The true Rosewoods)
Dalbergia bariensis – Burmese rosewood
Dalbergia baroni – Madigascar Rosewood, Madaga
Dalbergia congestifloria – Kingwood
Dalbergia decipularis – Tulipwood
Dalbergia frutescens – Pau Rosa
Dalbergia latifolia – Indian Rosewood
Dalbergia melanoxylon – African Blackwood, Mpingo
Dalbergia retusa – Cocobolo
Dalbergia stevensonii – Honduran Rosewood
Delonix – Poincianas
Delonix regia – Royal Poinciana; Flamboyant
Erythrina – Coral Trees
Erythrina caffra – Coastal Coral Tree
Erythrina coralloides – Naked Coral Tree
Erythrina falcata – Brazilian Coral Tree
Erythrina humeana – Natal Coral Tree
Gleditsia – False Locusts
Gleditsia aquatica – Water Locust
Gleditsia triacanthos – Honey Locust
Guibourtia
Guibourtia arnoldiana – Bubinga, Benge, Benzi, Bubinga
Guibourtia ehie – Amazakoue, Ovangkol, Shedua
Gymnocladus – Gymnocladus Trees
Gymnocladus dioica – Kentucky Coffee Tree
Hymenaea
Hymenaea courbaril – Jatoba, Brazilian Cherry
Inga – Sugarpod Trees
Inga edulis – Ice Cream Bean
Laburnum – Laburnum Trees
Laburnum anagyroides – Goldenchain Tree
Leucaena – Leucaana Trees
Leucaena leucocephala – Lead Tree; White Popinac
Lysiloma – Lysiloma Trees
Lysiloma latisiliquum – False Tamarind; Bahamian Wild Tamarind
Machaerium
Machaerium scleroxylon – Bolivian Rosewood, Morado
Millettia
Millettia laurentii – Wenge
Mimosa – Mimosas
Mimosa biuncifera – Arizona Ironwood; Mimosa
Parkinsonia – Parkinsonia Trees
Parkinsonia aculeata – Jerusalem-thorn, Mexican Palo Verde
Peltogyne –
Peltogyne pubescens – Purpleheart
Piscidia – Fishpoison Trees
Piscidia piscipula – Jamaican Dogwood; Florida Fishpoison Tree
Pithecellobium – Blackbeads
Pithecellobium guadalupense – Guadaloupe Blackbead
Pithecellobium saman – Monkeypod
Pithecellobium unguis-cati – Catclaw Blackbead
Platymiscium
Platymiscium polystachyum – Coyote
Prosopis – Mesquites and Kiawes
Prosopis glandulosa – Honey Mesquite
Prosopis juliflora – Thorny Kiawe; Algaroba
Prosopis pallida – Kiawe
Prosopis pubescens – Screw Bean; Tornillo
Pterocarpus – Padauk
Pterocarpus soyauxii – African Padauk; African Coralwood
Pterocarpus santalinus – Red Sanders; Red Sandalwood
Robinia – Locusts
Robinia hispida – Bristly Locust; Rose Acacia
Robinia neomexicana – New Mexican Locust
Robinia pseudoacacia – Black Locust
Robinia viscosa – Clammy Locust
Sophora – Sophoras
Sophora affinis – Texas Sophora
Sophora japonica – Japanese Pagoda Tree
Tamarindus – Tamarinds
Tamarindus indica – Tamarind
Tipuana – Tipuana Trees
Tipuana tipu – Tipu Tree; Rosewood
 
Hey Beau....that's some hot wood you've got there :stop:

This wood species is in CITES Appendix II, and is on the IUCN Red List. It is listed as endangered due to a population reduction of over 50% in the past three generations, caused by a decline in its natural range, and exploitation
 
I think you will need to use Unicorn horn for the purfling and hens teeth for the fret markers to do it justice.
 
Back in the 18 th and 19 th century it was an important dye wood, being heavily exported to Europe. Partly why it is now endangered. I've used the chips to dye Veneer and also as a tint in Spirit varnishes.
 
I think you will need to use Unicorn horn for the purfling and hens teeth for the fret markers to do it justice.

I was thinking about that as i tried to fall asleep last night (which is difficult after you get a nice stash of wood in the mail).

Im thinking ebony binding, but maybe cocobolo. Ill box it up and see how it looks. ive never made an orange instrument before. The color does remind me of the Thai Buddhist monk robes though and they wear yellow sashes from memory so maybe i can tie that in
 
And for anyone who wants to use Pernambuco but can't find any it is worth looking out for Caesalpinia platyloba sometimes called Coulteria platyloba or Chakte Viga. I use it for bridges and it is pretty much the closest thing you can find to real Pernambuco.

What is also interesting is that in fiddle/violin circles there is a distinction made between Pernambuco (heartwood) and Brazilwood (sapwood) with Pernambuco being favoured. Whether this is actually the case I couldn't say.
 
I do love the look and sound of Pernambuco. Paired with the Ancient Sitka, wow! Those are absolutely stunning instruments.
 
Well, this old thread got me looking. Not like I needed more wood, but I just ordered a baritone size set of Pernambuco. I've been mostly sticking with North American woods, but that's some pretty tonewood. I'll use Beau's idea and just call it Osage Orange. I plan to stick it on my shelf and let it acclimate for a year or two. Now for some ancient top wood . . .
 
Look what arrived at my door literally a few minutes ago: a baritone uke set of Pernambuco. Sweet. I'm going to let it acclimate to my shop for a few months while I finish my current projects. It will be paired with high grade old growth Red Spruce from the eastern mountains of my home state. I purchased some a few years ago from a master luthier in that area of the state, along with some select old growth Honduran Mahogany, and with that combination I built a beautiful and very nice sounding O-size parlor guitar. He said both woods had been cut over 25 years ago and had been seasoning ever since. I will be using the same Red Spruce top and Honduran Mahogany neck stock along with this Pernambuco to build another baritone-size guitalele. The peghead overlay, bindings, and end graft will be Indian Rosewood. Eager to get started, but I must be patient!

Pernambuco 0504.jpg
 
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