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I only have the Chinese names, which are very different from English.

They are both hard woods. The one on the right is very hard and suitable for a fret board.billb38578.1550694444

The one on the right looks a lot like Kingwood. From SA and a Dalbergia spp if I remember correctly.

Yep, just looked it up. Dalbergia CearensisJerry Hossom38578.4198148148

The one on the left looks a bit like plain koa, but slightly like zebrawood. the one on the right looks a bit like bloodwood. Two nice samples. Okay, what are they?

The one on the left looks like the Canary wood I have up in the shop. It's a fairly hard piece of wood and splits easily.

The photo on the right is not very clear but, it looks very much like the Angico-Preto (Kurupay) which is a rosewood. (Patagonian Rosewood)Very hard and turns dark red with oxidation but, when fresh cut is very light in color and almost purplish. Very widely used for flooring because of the hardness. It's one of the hardest rosewoods there are. Here is a photo of some I have. The darker piece is before I cut it. The halves are after the cut.

I'm not saying that's what you have but, it's very similar.Brazilwood38578.5174074074

Thanks guys. Sorry if the picture makes it hard to tell. My camera's not that great.

Yes Brazilwood that's very close. I wiped it with a damp cloth before I took the picture, hence the redness like you said.

Perhaps I will try to get a better picture.

i have no idea what it is but i like it!

you don't have a small pile sitting around you want to send to the other side of the world to you?

Actually, I am getting my wood from man who makes and restores furniture. It's pretty nice, because if I am not happy with the quality of the wood he will return it and get me something better.

The pieces actually aren't big enough for the back so I have to do a four piece. The rest is okay though. It only cost me less than 80 dollars american for a guitars worth of wood.

Billb,

Are these samples of woods grown in China or are they imported by the man to whom you refer. It makes a difference.

Regards, Steve

PS welcome to the forum. Does the water really swirl backwards on the other side of the world?

The orange one looks like it might be New Guinea Rosewood (Pterocarpus Indicus) aka Solomon Rosewood, aka Narra. Narra grows all over SE asia, and my understanding is that it's good for backs and sides. I asked a question here about Narra a few months ago and got some good info - a search should turn it up.

Billb, Heres a photo of the Canary wood (Centrolobium Microchaete) I think.

Hey sfbrown I'm not really sure. I forgot to check the toilet before I left for China. Perhaps I'll make a video and let you decide. Just kidding

The wood on the right is from Guangxi province, which is in the south east of China. The one on the left I believe is from Malaysia.

D.L.Huskey

That wood looks similiar, but what I have is more reddish. It's been dried for over a year, so I don't know what it looks like before it's dried.billb38579.4489583333

Here's another pic.

I brought in my guitar as a reference and showed him the rosewood finger board. I told him I wanted something really hard that wouldn't get damaged from string use and that was light. This wood is what we came up with.

The other wood (yellow colour) in the picture above was chosen for the neck.

billb38579.4809837963

steve it's not the other side where that happens, it's the other end, in the southern hemisphere, thanks to coriolanus effect. tropical storms rotate the opposite direction also.

[QUOTE=crazymanmichael] steve it's not the other side where that happens, it's the other end, in the southern hemisphere, thanks to coriolanus effect. tropical storms rotate the opposite direction also.[/QUOTE]

I'm not sure how Caius Marcius Coriolanus, the noble Roman of Shakespere's play effects planetary vorticity? I've always thought it was the Coriolis Force

Colin

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

Knowing which direction the water spins in which part of the world, isn't really helping me with knowing what this wood is.

Cheers billb38580.4640740741

I know that I keep banging on about it, but always try and get the full taxonomic name for any wood you buy. All organisms that have been described have been allocated a full taxonomic name that is recognised worldwide, even in China. Plants can have very different common names from locations 50 miles apart, but they only have one scientific name. For instance, US Lacewood or sycamore are comletely different species (even genus) from UK Lacewood and sycamore. And, at least four different species are being sold as bubinga, As I've said before I'd like to see all wood sold with is full taxonomic name.

Colin

Sorry if I come over a bit grouchy, its 5:00am here and I have been up for 48hrs supervising a long data run. By the way there have been hundreds of forest fires on Sumatra, all that wood gone! Colin S38580.5063657407

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

thanks colin, i never could spell worth a hoot!!

the force causes the effect... and it, at least, is always with us. or is it; wonder what happens at the equator? crazymanmichael38580.558287037

The one on the left looks like Malaysian Blackwood.



So my guesses are Narra and Malaysian Blackwood. What do I win?

First of all, where are they from...you have Chinese names, what are they, I maybe able to translate but the translations are probably common names, not the species.

Any information as to whether it is from Asia or imported would also help...you can find woods on every continent (except Antartica ) that will look like the two woods shown.

Many times the only way to determine the species is by part detective work and part scientific analysis. A formal way to evaluate a species is to examine the structure of the grain (from end grain, the cell structure and through chemical test as to what solubles are in the cells...even then identification can be very hard.

Hi Colin S. Thanks I will do that for sure (try to get the taxonomic name).

Shawn. Please read posts. I mentioned above where they are from. South east China(Gaunxi province) and Malaysia.

I'll let you know what it is when I find out.

Thanks again

billb38581.2830671296

post is below.billb38583.3421064815

The yellow one is yellow rosewood (Yellow ormosia henryi), and the red one is a type of ironwood.

I got the chinese characters and translated them. I also found an image of ironwood.

I've never heard of yellow rosewood, and I read that ironwood is quite rare.billb38583.3441550926