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I just picked up a nice set at less price than RW.
Is there a reason it is not in common usage for acoustics?

Some say it is hard to bend but I have used Padauk without any problems. There may be some hidden lenght wise checks which can be easily fixed. The main problem is sawdust ...........gets over everything especialy your cloths. I think it is one of the best bargins in tonewood. Works well and rings like a bell. I would use it ahead of EIR any day of the week.
Tom

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I am a big fan; it is an excellent wood for instruments. The color fades into a deep brownish red over time that some don't care for.

Built with it , Love the sound , HATE the Saw dust ..... And I do Mean DUST gets Everywhere !

I did have some issue bending it , however I think I was just to thick on my sides .

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I love padauk when it's freshly sawn. Unfortunately it, in my opinion, turns an ugly brownish color after it oxidizes awhile.

I don't find the dust to be any more troublesome than rosewoods although because it's bright orange-ish,
it shows up on everything.

worked with it several times. the dust is such a hassle. wear a good dust mask, seriously. It not only gets into everything it has caused a sinus condition in me once. you can cut down on oxidation by using a UV blocking finish like spar urethane or another outdoor rated finish. of course, weight and sound become an issue with thicker heavier finishes. i have not build a guitar body with it, would like to if i could balance the finish issues. also it has giant pores if flatsawn. still, all in all, its one of my favorite woods. its usually reasonably priced and plentiful.

Just finished one with it. Sounds great! Very rosewood like, lots of rich overtones.

The pores are huge regardless of how it's sawn - my set was near perfectly quarter sawn.

It is prone to cracking so handle carefully.

Kevin Looker

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From a production standpoint EI Rosewoodis tough to beat. It's rosewood,a popular wood, cheap, plentiful, and has good working properties. The big factories can get rosewood pretty cheap direct from India, not sure that's true with Padauk.

Padauk is less desireable for a factory because it's not as well known and has huge open pores to fill, plus the orange dust gets everywhere. I can't imagine anybody using it on a large production scale.

I

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Old growth, shmold growth!

One major problem is that you have to explain to your costumer that their new strong colored guitar will turn into something reddish,greyish brown which is rather dull looking. And then they often say. No thanks.

Never made an acoustic with it, made an electric, almost 13 years ago, still red. Finished it with tung oil, then paste wax.

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Old growth, shmold growth!

Sounds great. Huge pores. Prone to cracking. Make that _really_ prone to cracking. I found that a piece of masking tape pulled tight across the ends of the sides on both surfaces before bending really helped. Tape across the back on the outside might be a good idea too.