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I have a friend that lives in Costa Rica, and he has sent me enough coco olo (not cocobolo) to build a couple of guitars. Has anybody ever built with this wood or have an experience with it? I am interested in resawing tips and bending tips if anybody knows anything about it. Sure is some dense wood and WOW what a ring tone too!!!

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Reguards,

Ken H

Pictures?

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

I'll try to post a picture this afternoon for you Don. The wood has oxidized and is quite dark right now. This wood is quater sawn and very tight grained, much like you would expect a good set of spruce to be. It is very dense though and taps like a piece of steel. My friend told me he made his work bench out of it and expects his great grandchildren to be able to use the bench. I'll see if I can sand a piece of it and see if I can get some of the detail to pop out.

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Reguards,

Ken H

Hi Ken,

Coco Olo?

Are you sure e isn't ulling your eg? Or maybe a bad connection on the phone?

But seriously, there are lots of regional names for wood, maybe this is one. Can you post some photos of the wood?

Dennis

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Dennis Leahy
Duluth, MN, USA
7th Sense Multimedia

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

Does it look anything like Allied's Panama rosewood or their Honduran?

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Ken Franklin
clumsy yet persistent
https://www.kenfranklinukulele.com

Here are a couple of pics of this wood. He says it is rare, even for Costa Rica. To my eye, it doesnt look like the panama rosewood and Allied didnt have a picture of the honduran rosewood on their site, so I done have a clue if there is another name for this. See if you can decide what it is?? All I can tell you is that it rings like crazy and is extremely dense wood.

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Reguards,

Ken H

Nice looking wood but that's not Coco Olo!
I've seen this stuff now and then it's called Ahogany (Not Mahogany)!!

Sorry, had to do it!

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Billy Dean Thomas
Covina, CA

"Multi famam, conscientiam, pauci verentur."
(Many fear their reputation, few their conscience)

Cheers
Cw

Ken, I'm finishing up a guitar right now out of Coco Olo.
Welllll.... we might as well call it that.
It looks just like your set, and matches your description perfectly.
I bought it sight unseen from some bloke advertising in Fine Woodworking. He called it Honduran Cocobolo. But Cocobolo it ain't.
Smells different, looks different, acts different.
Maybe he meant Cocolo Olo?
Anyway, if it's the same stuff as mine (and Cocobolo is such a catch-all term when the vendor doesn't know what the wood is) you've got some good wood there. Treat it like any other super dense wood, ie work it thinner.
Mine bent ok by the way, and I bend on a pipe.
Thanks for the new term...this'll drive my customer crazy.
Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

The translation from spanish to english for coco olo is "I smell coconut"

I dont think the wood has a smell of coconut or rosewood. I dont smell that good, but I cant smell anything at all. Maybe when I get to sanding it I'll know more. If it is a rosewood I would expect it to have a rosewood smell??

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Reguards,

Ken H

Nice looking score there Ken.

Don't smell it to closely when you sand it, remember why you bought that big dust collector. Any exotic should be treated as if you're allergic to it, till you can safely say you're not. We'd hate for you to get all puffed up now.

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Thanks, I needed a good laugh!!!

Are you sure it's not wood from the "Australian chocolate tree"?

Dave F.

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Cambrian Guitars

"There goes Mister Tic-Tac out the back with some bric-brac from the knick-knack rack"