Official Luthiers Forum!

How do you tell Cocobolo from Brazilian when the color is somewhere in the middle?

Thanks, Peter

Scratch and sniff ... Coco is unmistakeable and smells like sweaty horses, at least to me. I hate the smell of it but love the wood. BRW also has an unmistakeable smell too kind of a cross between roses and sweet dark chocolate. There is no way to get the two smells confused once you have experienced them.

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tim...
http://www.mcknightguitars.com

Hey Tim .. stop storing it in the barn !!! The stuff I have smells more like a spicy cinnamon- and brw .. ah well, thats sweet like chocolate.

like Tim said, there is NO mistaking these two once you have smelled em both ...

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

Tony,
First off, I love your Signature line.

Secondly, is there a sure fire way to tell by looking at coco & brw pictures before you buy?

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"After forty-nine years of violin building, I have decided that the search for a varnish is similar to the fox hunt. The fun is in the hunt."
Jack Batts Maker and Repairer of Fine Violins

I'd say don't buy from a supplier with whom you don't have the confidence upfront.

Yes, if the coco is freshly cut it is pretty unmistakable with LOTS of color variations. However, if the wood is many years old and the surface has oxidized to a dark brown color, then it will be more difficult to tell. I bought a bunch of "BRW" bridge blanks from a reputable supplier many years ago and they "looked" like BRW with a dark brown chocolaty color and prominent black spider web veining. Ran them through my thickness sander about a year ago and low and behold they were Coco. Both of us were fooled until we smelled them.

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tim...
http://www.mcknightguitars.com

My tag line .. yes .. sad, but true ...

heard a good one yesterday as well .... sure if you become an entrepeneur, you get to work half days if you like .. and you even get to pick which 12 hours of the day to work !!!!

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