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Hello all, I'm headed to Thailand shortly and I was wondering if there is anything that I should look for while there? Or is there a reason that I their woods aren't known. I did some brief research and came up with some interesting woods that I had never heard of guitars being made out of before.

Burmese Rosewood (I'm assuming this is EIR)
dalmatian ebony
black palm
and a couple others I can't think of off the top of my head.

Any input appreciated. Is it worth looking for wood, or should I save my money for beer and lobster?

I used black palm on a rosette and head cap. Its a bit difficult to work with as the black strips flake off easily. Its generally rather brittle. I cut the parts from a turning blank i got from Rockler.

Chiengmai in the north is the heart of the furniture industry there.
A visit to Baan Tawai craft village close by is amazing and would be your best bet
if you could talk to some of the artisans who build stuff right there. Their wood carving is pretty incredible and I would be inclined to look for some carving tools....dont know why I didnt do that. If you go up there make sure you rent a motorbike and ride the Mae Rim/Samoeng Loop in the hills north of the city and visit the Elephant Camp there
You WILL have an amazing time

Not the best place to be visiting right now I hear.

Certain parts, yes, but not where I am going. I'll be in the South at the beach.

Some of the inlay artists in Thailand are remarkable. A friend of mine bought a fretboard blank out there with inlays that compete with anyone in the world. They live it so much they bought a few instruments with various inlays. You may get a nice source of inlay materials out there for next to nothing.

Yea I was hoping for that as well. Although I currently have a couple lbs. of MOP and Abalone (Green, red and black) that I got on the cheap. Quality is great but the pieces vary greatly in size. I don't think it should be difficult to find a better and cheaper source somewhere in Patong, Phuket though.

thanks

Yea I was hoping for that as well. Although I currently have a couple lbs. of MOP and Abalone (Green, red and black) that I got on the cheap. Quality is great but the pieces vary greatly in size. I don't think it should be difficult to find a better and cheaper source somewhere in Patong, Phuket though.

thanks