Can you experts help me identify this wood?

[Kevin Sjostrand]

Hey Gang.
I have been given this board to make a commissioned guitar. I am told it is Brazilian rosewood. It is very heavy, 33 lbs for a 2 3/8" x
9 1/2" x 48" board, and when I knock on it it rings like a bell.
It is a light chocolate brown with golden streaks that give a ribbon look. I think it is rift cut, sort of between quartered and slab sawn....would that be rift?
Will it be stable enough for guitar wood? It has a smell, sort of sweet, but not strong.....I suppose you have to cut it to really get a smell.
I know brazilian can have many many different looks. This was obviously a beam in some kind of construction, that has been cut to the 4 ft length, as it has nail holes in one end. It does have some splits, so there will be some waste when it is cut up.
So, what do you all think? Brazilian? It is definitely dense and heavy enough that it should be a rosewood of some kind.
Thanks for your input.

[Tony_in_NYC]

It looks an awful lot like mahogany to me.

[Kevin Sjostrand]

Definately not mahogany. A bit of a sapele in coloring, but I have been making necks from that and this is not the same.
I have seen a couple of brazilian samples that have similar coloring and grain to this....and this wood is a bit darker than the pictures depic. I will have to wet it and see what that looks like.

Kevin

[Kevin Sjostrand]

I just wet this board, and the color is a much darker brown, with black flowing streaks running down the board. I also sanded it and it has a sweet smell. The surface is very tight, closed cell.

Kevin

[Tony_in_NYC]

Damn. I knew I should have kept my mouth shut! You asked for "experts" and I don't know jack spit about wood! Post new pics of it sanded and wet so I can make another bad guess!

[tippie53]

Brazilian has a smell that is very identifiable. I think it smell like a cross of Fleers bubble gum and chocolate. This may or may not be BRW. Can you get a better picture and also get a close up. In all fairness that first pic does look like African Mahogany but it isn't quite right.
BRW is hard and heavy for sure.

[kencierp]

I'd have to handle and like John said smell it to be sure --- to me most likely Arfican Mahogany (Sapele is not the only African Mohogany) Flat sawn maybe slightly riff cut. Nothing about it looks to be any one of the Rosewoods. Much of the grain pattern and color shouts out Mahogany maybe even Phillipine ---- Certainly just my guess

[kencierp]

Mahogany pixs

http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/ ... ippine.htm

[Kevin Sjostrand]

I have a bunch of luan mahogany that someone gave me and this wood looks nothing like it, however a couple of pics in the link Ken put up has a similar look.
I will wet it tonight and put up some more pictures. I sanded it again this morning and smelled spicy chocolate, maybe a little bit sweet, but not bubble gum. Maybe I need to go out and buy some Double Bubble gum and make a comparison.

Kevin

[Kevin Sjostrand]

Okay, here are some pictures of the wood wet.
I sanded it some more and smelled some more. It is quite strong, the closest I come to is still spicy chocolate.

Someone on Obrien's forum thinks it is Santos Mahogany.

Kevin