Thread: Dysoxylum Fraseri

Hey folks,

I'm in the process of designing a guitar and plan to use some Aussie woods so I've got something a bit different, and the folks over at Project Guitar Forums pointed me this way.

The long and short of it is, I'm the luxurious position of having a decent slab of Rose Mahogany/Aussie Rosewood/Dysoxylum Fraseri at hand, and I'm wondering if any could offer a bit of advice.

First of all, would it be suitable for a guitar neck? From the Aussie Wood for Instruments thread, I gather that it's a good hard, dense wood not dissimilar to more more conventional mahogany and rosewood used by luthiers, and is well suited to fingerboards, bridges and whatnot. I've also heard that it can be brittle, which would make it less than ideal for a guitar neck.

Secondly, how much different are the properties of the sapwood vs the heartwood? I'd be more inclined toward the colour of the sapwood, but is it going to be tough enough?

Last of all, would it really be worth using a rare and beautiful timber for a guitar neck, given that there's going to be a lot of waste, and I'm not going to know if it's going to give me the sound I want until it's finished?