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Hello there, I'm from México and I'm building a requinto jarocho. As there is not a category for this instrument, I posted it here because it's about the size of an ukulele (again).

Now, tradition dictates that we must use cedar (cedrela odorata) for carve all the instrument from a single log (body, neck, headstock). and use a cedar top. I have read that some luthiers overseas complain about how scarse spanish cedar is, but in fact here in México (and in the Veracruz state) cedar is the ONLY wood you will find. You won't find anything else, rosewoods, maple, spruce, or whatever, you will find in any single store just cedar and more cedar (literally, logs as bigs as cars)

My question... Can I use another wood? I was thinking of using Palo escrito (Dalbergia paloescrito, a mexican rosewood used in the "famous" mexican guitars from Paracho), or maybe Ziricote (a Cordia species that is native from México too). Are they stable enough? Can I get a big enough log (we need a log at least 7cm x 32 cm x 100 cm... using metric hehe).

You can use any wood you want, but the real question, which you asked is, will it be stable enough?
Ziricote likes to split along the dark grain lines. If you can find an old, dry piece big enough, it could work, but you may need to use some CA glue to stabilize it as you thin it. Never worked with Palo Escrito, so I can't comment on its stability. Post pics of the build. It will be cool to see how one of these are made.

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Looking forward to seeing this build ... This Is Exactly the right forum for this build !

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How about huapinol, also known as jatoba, or primavera?

Is palo escrito available at the lumberyards in Veracruz?

Denny.

I cannot speak for Palo Escrito, but a dry piece of ziricote that thickness will be quite expensive... if you can even find one. Ziricote must be dried under controlled conditions or it will likely crack. Once dry it should be quite stable, and would likely make a stunning little guitar.

I expect that any of the woods mentioned could work but they would be very difficult to carve and would give you a very heavy instrument to play.

Cedar or mahogany makes more sense to me.

Bob

I concur with senor bob, cedar on mahog.

I've been making some amazing sounding tops from cypress. Cocobolo body and cypress top would be a winner.

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Michael F Smith
Goat Rock Ukulele
http://goatrockukulele.com

Ziricote or Palo Escrito are both nice woods. They'll be much heavier than spanish cedar though, and much harder to carve. Maybe use it for the body and use cedar for the neck and top?