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Hey folks. I've had this piece of wood for a long time in my shop. Not totally sure what it is but thinking part of the rosewood family of sorts. It's pretty dense and taps like the BRW I've used in the past (still have a piece but it's too small.

I'm thinking of using it for a bridge plate, skewing the grain angle so it's about 15-20 deg off the perpendicular of the top grain.

The grain is very tight and the piece is quarter sawn.

Something in me is saying don't use it....
Your thoughts would be appreciated.



It's not glued on just placed.




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Rod it's Bocote. Same family as Ziricote

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The Zootman
1109 Military Rd.
Kenmore, NY 14217
(716) 874-1498

So probably looking at split city if I use it?


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"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

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Really not crack prone like Ziricote. I have used it for bridges and never had a problem

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Beautiful and unusual tone woods at a reasonable price.
http://www.rctonewoods.com/RCT_Store
The Zootman
1109 Military Rd.
Kenmore, NY 14217
(716) 874-1498

Any thoughts on using it as a bridge plate?


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"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

Why not? Should be fine

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Beautiful and unusual tone woods at a reasonable price.
http://www.rctonewoods.com/RCT_Store
The Zootman
1109 Military Rd.
Kenmore, NY 14217
(716) 874-1498

My first thought was Bocote as well and if so then I think you would be fine. I can't remember but I did build my very first guitar with bacote and I've always used cutoffs for bridge plates so chances are I have used it but it was over 20 years ago. None the less I think it would be fine. I tend to go for flat sawn stuff there now but...

Great! Thanks guys.

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"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

As others have said, without question, it is Bocote. Not as split prone as Zizicote but I definitely wouldn't use it for bridge plate material since there are so many much, much better alternatives. My absolute favorite is Patagonia Rosewood (Anadenanthera columbrina) also known as Curapay. This stuff is very resonant and once of the hardest woods on the planet. It is also ridiculously tough and takes a lot of force to split. In short, it is the ideal bridge plate material. I've been using it for years and it's great stuff.

I've got a bocote guitar almost finished now. Looks beautiful...but it's HEAVY and never really sounded very musical when tapping, etc-pretty dull thud from all of it I've had in the shop. For those reasons I wouldn't use it as part of a soundboard.

Will it work Maybe
Maple rosewood osage orange
that is what I use

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I'm gonna skip the bocote and use some rift sawn cocobolo.


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"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

Rod - Interesting that your tone bar placement line comes out of you bridge plate... I think this has come up in another post. Could we digress and revisit that (briefly)?

BTW - I'm thinking about using some Bocote for radial purfling. The lines in the grain makes it good for that...

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Steve Sollod (pronounced sorta like "Solid")
www.swiftcreekguitars.com

My bracing layout is based on Jim Olson's bracing design. This is only #13 for me. I've built 12 with the pattern and I really like it, not that I've got anything to compare it with (of my own building that is). Jim's got over 1,300 builds out there, I'd say this pattern is pretty well proven.

We all copy something, I love the Olson sound thus I use his bracing pattern. That's as technical as I've been on why I'm using this layout.

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"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson