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I'm interested in identifyikng the wood on the bottom in the first picture, also shown in the second picture. I'll let you know up front that this was identified as koa when I bought the board a number of years ago. The grain pattern and pore structure wouldn't lead me to believe otherwise, but I've just never seen another piece this red in color (and consequently can't find anything to make matching sides from.) A set of sides of more expected color is shown for contrast.

Can koa be this red? Anyone know a source for another board or sides of this color?

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Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

Its hard to say from the picture ... but it kinda looks like padauk, somewhat oxidized ... does it sand red/orange, like paprika ?? If so, its definitely padauk.

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

Padauk - hmmmm....   I have some padauk that I've been cutting recently (example below), and the color of the board in question when freshly sliced did not have the same red/orange intensity. My padauk doesn't have any of the darker lines in it either - can that happen or is the presence of the dark lines an indication that it isn't padauk? I'll look more closely at the grain and pores when I get home.

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Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

I would say purple heart mabye thats oxidized Ive seen plenty of purple heart turn very light purple to deep brown when exposed to light unfinished.
The pore pattern is consistant with purpleheart.
Cheers
Charliewood

I should have said, I have limited experience with tropical hardwoods so I couldnt say whether its oxidized padauk or something like.
dang edit button!
Cheers
Charliewood

The white residue in the pores makes me think Meranti or Luan. Though I've never seen that much color variation in one board.

Sorry, wasn't feeling well last evening and didn't follow up on anyone's suggestions. hanks Charlie and Ronn. It's definitely nothing like Purpleheart. I'll try to chase the meranti suggestion. I don't think its Luan. I think the white in the pores is bad photography - I'll try to get some pictures in daylight when I get home today.

Jim

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Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

if you can't get sides then a possibility is a uke or mandolin.

My maple mando was made from an orphaned back that I killed the matching sides on

no idea on the identity though!!

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My soundclick xx luthier blog xx luthier soundclick

Try this

Wood Identifier

Good luck

[QUOTE=RCoates] Try this

Wood Identifier

Good luck[/QUOTE]

Yep, that's where I'm looking for examples. All the Luan and Meranti samples look to be pretty uniformly colored within each sample. The wood I have is definitely not. More pictures this PM.

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Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

I cant trust the colors on this monitor but the second picture looks like Mahogany in grain structure to me.

I have some Jatoba (Brazilian Cherry) that looks just like that !
The piece is 20 years old.
Mike

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Mike Collins

Looks like Honduran rosewood to me.

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Don Atwood
Arlington, VA

[QUOTE=Don A] Looks like Honduran rosewood to me.[/QUOTE]

Oh don't I wish!    

No daylight pictures this evening - it's poring here.

JK

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Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

OK, here is another try, with pictures taken in very diffuse daylight (about the best we get this week )

The first picture shows the too-red ?koa? next to a koa side. This is probably a closer-to-truth version of the true colors than the first pictures above, where I think the sample in question is maybe too red due to the camera flash.



The next picture is the piece in question next to Padauk.
Everything here is freshly sanded. Any notion that the piece in question is "red" really takes a beating here.
(Looks less red than it does in the first picture, doesn't it??)



?? Whaddya think?? Could it be koa or do I still need to look elsewhere?

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Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu