Picana Negra (Cordia alliodora) is a South American hardwood from the same genus as Bocote, and some boards show similarly striking grain patterns. With its dark brown tones, black streaks, and fine texture, it offers both beauty and versatility. Weighing around 800 kg/m³, it’s well-suited for musical instruments, fine furniture, and decorative work, prized by craftsmen for its workability and smooth finish.

Ababa is a lesser-known West African hardwood prized for its durability and warm, earthy tones. With a medium to coarse texture and interlocked grain, it machines well and finishes beautifully, making it suitable for furniture, cabinetry, and interior joinery. Naturally resistant to decay and insects, Ababa is also valued in select outdoor applications. Its combination of strength, workability, and understated elegance makes it an appealing alternative to more commonly used tropical species.

Introducing Yellow Rosa, a premium hardwood from the Aspidosperma genus. Prized for its vibrant yellow hue, Yellow Rosa serves as an excellent alternative to traditional Yellowheart. While predominantly golden, some boards display patches of soft pinks and oranges, reminiscent of the classic tones found in Peroba Rosa (another species in the Aspidosperma genus). This fine-textured, durable hardwood is well-suited for high-end furniture, flooring, and precision woodworking. Whether you’re crafting timeless interiors or standout statement pieces, Yellow Rosa offers a perfect balance of beauty, strength, and workability.

“Roasting” Soft Curly Maple involves gradually heating the wood up to temperatures of greater than 160 degrees celcius in special heat chambers made of stainless steel under anoxic conditions. The heat removes organic compounds from the wood cells, changing both the physical and chemical make-up of the wood. The process is natural and chemical free. It darkens the wood to a beautiful rich chocolatey brown color whilst still showing the gorgeous grain and figure of the underlying wood.

The thermally modified wood is more dimensionally stable, but the process does reduce bending strength and make the wood a little more brittle. This makes it chip a little easier than the un-modified lumber. The brittleness makes it less suitable for intricate cabinetry, but it is still an excellent choice for less intricate items such as floors, tops, panels, cladding etc.

Extra care needs to be taken when finishing thermally modified wood, as the "bone dry" wood has a tendency to "suck in" much of what is given to it. Our in-house woodworking specialist has had excellent results with Osmo PolyX. He suggests a thicker finish will work better.

“Roasting” Birdseye Maple involves gradually heating the wood up to temperatures of greater than 160 degrees celcius in special heat chambers made of stainless steel under anoxic conditions. The heat removes organic compounds from the wood cells, changing both the physical and chemical make-up of the wood. The process is natural and chemical free. It darkens the wood to a beautiful rich chocolatey brown color whilst still showing the gorgeous grain and figure of the underlying wood.

The thermally modified wood is more dimensionally stable, but the process does reduce bending strength and make the wood a little more brittle. This makes it chip a little easier than the un-modified lumber. The brittleness makes it less suitable for intricate cabinetry, but it is still an excellent choice for less intricate items such as floors, tops, panels, cladding etc.

Extra care needs to be taken when finishing thermally modified wood, as the "bone dry" wood has a tendency to "suck in" much of what is given to it. Our in-house woodworking specialist has had excellent results with Osmo PolyX. He suggests a thicker finish will work better.

This vibrant Central American wood can features primary colors ranging from orange to golden brown (with gold, red and sometimes even green accent coloration). It is thought to be the closest relative to Brazilwood (famous for its use in stringed-instrument bows), and Chakte Viga shares many of the same acoustic properties. Grains are straight, but sometimes interlocked -- otherwise, this wood works easily, and finishes well. It has a fine texture and excellent natural luster. Sap is a pale off-white to pale yellow.

Chakte Viga is a wood that has been starting to emerge from relative obscurity over the last decade or so, being one of the lesser-known and -demanded woods from the tropical Central America region. We feel it has a huge untapped potential as a guitar tonewood, as well as in fine furniture production in the US. The wood has some very subtle aesthetics, sometimes exhibiting a 3D-like shimmering chatoyance after being finished with clear lacquer.

Redheart is a unique Central / South American hardwood characterized by a reddish base color -- ranging from dull to bright pink, pinkish-red or red -- with streaks and highlights diverse in color, from darker red tones, to yellows, oranges and even occasional purples. Grains range from irregular to wild (although sometimes straight, also), and can often be multi-dimensional or overlapping -- often to very dramatic effect, especially when vibrant secondary colors are present.

Its texture is fine and smooth, although it does not possess much natural luster. It works, turns, glues and finishes well, as would be expected with a wood of its moderate density.

Despite Redheart's rather moderate weight, hardness and density, the wood can burn easily when resawn, if blades and cutting tools are not sharp. Such burning produces a black tar-like resin which adheres to the wood's surface and requires patient sanding.<br><br>With its sometimes stunning aesthetic qualities, Redheart has been a popular turning wood; it is starting to appear more frequently in custom electric guitar building (necks, fretboards, etc.), also.