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Is Honduran Rosewood too dense of a wood for flamenco guitars? Dont see much of it anyway. It ranks a little higher in density in comparison to Indian and it feels like lead!
I have a bridge blank I got for free from the PRS factory which is not too far from me.
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I bought a big plank years ago. It was heavy and very unstable, of course stability can certainly vary between individual pieces of wood. I had this wood for years and every time I tried to work it the twisting and corkscrewing was amazing. I ended up using it for trim on kitchen cabinets. Hope you have better luck.
What’s the density of that piece? Honduran Rosewood is a beautiful and very resonant wood, but in my experience is more than just a little above Indian rosewood in weight. I’d still use it for a classical if I could get the weight down, but more mostly because I love the wood.
I think Honduran rosewood may be about the same as Bolivian rosewood, aka Pau Ferro, which I use a lot for negras and classicals.
It is true that Indian rosewood makes negras that sound a lot more like blancas. Negras made from Pau Ferro have a mellower tone. But I make negras from Pau Ferro that don't sound like classicals of Pau Ferro.
I haven't had any trouble working the wood. I prefer it for bridges and bindings. It has closed pores and it doesn't bleed color the way Indian rosewood does, so it makes finishing easier.
It is true that Indian rosewood makes negras that sound a lot more like blancas. Negras made from Pau Ferro have a mellower tone. But I make negras from Pau Ferro that don't sound like classicals of Pau Ferro.
Are you riffing on Jeff Elliot's famous musing? (Paraphrased)
"African Black wood is to Brazilian Rosewood, as Indian Rosewood is to a Rib Eye steak is to a plate of Tacos Dorados is to a Motoguzzi cycle is to a Krups Delux Coffee maker is to Brazilian Rosewood"
That bridge blank feels surprisingly heavy, but I haven't weighed it yet. I actually like the look of and sound of Pau ferro back and sides to Indian rosewood Negras, although I have little experience with them.
I haven't seen flamencas made from Honduras RW but I have a classical guitar with Honduras body and cedar top made by Sebastian Stenzel. It's not heavy at all for a classical guitar (1580g incl. tuners; his cypress blanca weighs 1336g).
Stenzel considers Honduras rosewood to be as good as good Brazilian and better than most Braziian you can get on the market these days. It (the one I have) has very straight grain and is perfectly quarter-sawn. He says it has very similar sonic properties without the disadvantage of the tendency to crack easily like Brazil.
So I guess it very much depends on the piece of wood you have to your disposal.
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I’ve used it for bridges and headplates before and it worked out OK, met my target weights and sounded good. But I have also heard concern expressed regarding its stability. In my case, I had bought some fingerboards that were cut quite thick. After sitting for about five years they hadn’t shifted or twisted in any way, so I decided to cut a couple of them up into bridge blanks with matching headplates. The wood looked a lot like the blank you’re showing.
Alternatively, EIR is a good, safe selection. It works easily, looks great IMO, and sounds great, too.
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