Like many of the folks here, I buy my share of zoot from the OLF advertizers, and believe me, I deeply appreciate the excellent wood at a great value that they make available to us. But my resources are limited all too often, so I'll frequently drop in at the two local hardwood retailers here in Houston, to see what they might have sitting around on the shelves.
A couple months ago, I found these two pieces of cocobolo:
The piece on the right should yield two side sets and several headplates, and is close to qs. The piece(s) on the left (just pretend it is one piece -- I cut it up before taking a pic of it) is kinda-sorta quartered, with the edge of the heartwood showing in the middle.
I haven't cut up the piece for sides yet. But I resawed the big piece and got four back sets out of it. Big enough for classicals or parlors. I'll use them for classicals.
This is kiln-dried stuff, but the color will darken and even out within a month or two. So, time to sticker them and let them season for a while.
Well. Now I have four more back sets of coco, but only two more side sets. Guess when the time comes to start building with these, I'll be calling on the Zootman or another of our kindly suppliers, hat in hand, pleading that they'll consider parting with a spare side set of coco.
Best,
Michael
