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Months ago Ryan and I obtained two large slabs of Kelobra (aka Guanacaste, aka Perota) in swap for a future guitar. They were in table form, though damaged in shipping. The wood looked promising, so we thought it would be worth a try. We enjoy working alternative species, and with the ongoing constrictions on traditional woods this seemed a worthwhile experiment.

Here's a few pics of the result:







The neck is also Kelobra from that same table. Bindings are a brownish Macassar ebony, top is Sitka bearclaw, rosette is a wood called Sapodilla from the Florida Keys.
The sound of this guitar is wonderful--loud, crisp yet warm, with a lushness in the overtones that suggest rosewood, only a bit drier. It's very like a really good Koa guitar. As a plus, it's light as a feather, with good looks that remind of Monkey Pod, or unflamed Koa.
The tree grows quickly and becomes massive with substantial yields.
You should try some--Steve Roberson at Colonial has some sets.
Only caveat is that it makes both Ryan and me break into coughing fits. Only wood I've encountered that does this. But dust mask in place, no problems.

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

Steve you're right it does have a hint of Koa about it. Nice to use recycled wood, I'm currently making an all mahogany guitar from my neighbour's old mahogany window frames and most of my mahogany neck stock is from an old Victorian bed frame. Old furniture is also a good source of BRW and Cuban mahogany over here, the all mahogany Weiss that Dave White made me is from a Georgian corner cabinet. It's the good top wood that will be difficult to get in the future, so I guess that's why you've been reduced to using sitka .

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

That is some fine looking wood Steve!
Thanks for letting us know about it.

Joe

Mmmmmm. Sounds like its worth a try. Thanks SK!

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"Building guitars looks hard, but it's actually much harder than it looks." Tom Buck

Nice Steve. It looks a little bit like Koa, or Sapele. What soundboard did you use with it?

Chris.

Very attractive as usual Steve! Looks a little like African Mahogany, aka Khaya. But I'm a long ways away. Does it have pores? Does it have interlocking grain? It's great to see reclaimed wood used for such a beautiful build. How 'bout a shot of the flip side.

Enjoy the Day,
Danny

Did I miss part one?

Very beautiful!

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

Thanks guys, and we're going to let the slur against Sitka slide.
But only because we all know that *secretly* Colin is eaten up with envy over our Sitka trees.

Ok, that over with, here's a couple views of the top:





Thanks again,

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

Wow! Nice wood and a beautiful guitar. Although, I think you might have chosen a top with a bit more claw! Just kidding! Really nice top!

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http://www.CostaGuitars.com
PMoMC

Thanks Tony. Really, one could almost call this birdseye Sitka--it's an unusual pattern, that's for sure. But holy cow it sounded great.

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

Lovely woods - so nice I almost missed the rosette!

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

If I learned to read posts all the way through, i would have known it was Sitka. Really nice bearclaw on that top.

Chris.

Very nice work impressive , ernie

Beautiful guitars as always Steve..I really love that shape...

Nice wood and nice guitar! now, if only i could pronounce its name...

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member of the guild of professional dilettantes

Thanks fellas for the kind words!
You all really should try some. If you're into mahogany, OR Koa, but you'd rather something a little less pricey, give this a go.

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

Let me get around to answering Danny's Questions (sorry Danny)-
Pores? Yes--big ones. Think Padauk, or Wenge, then expand that even more.
Interlocking grain, well, from the look of the wood you'd think so, but not from bending it.
Bends easily, at least our pieces did. And then you've got that lovely light shift as your eye goes across the surface.

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

Very Beautiful wood Steve, I really like the matching Kelobra neck -And
of course the Florida wood in your rosette! Thanks for sharing this.

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Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

Hey Dave, thanks mate.
High praise coming from you.

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

I'm not familiar with this species at all. The luster looks spectacular in your photos. Very nice.