One of the advantages of a custom-built guitar is the ability to specify the various species of woods used.  To take that a step further, I allow my customers to select the exact back-and-side sets from photographs of my inventory.  To make a custom guitar truly one-of-a-kind, I spend a significant amount of time searching for unique back-and-side wood from dozens of sources located throughout the US and abroad.  I check my sources via the web daily for new sets.  I look for wood with interesting figure and color.  Of course, I offer the more traditional straight-grained wood as well.

When ordering a custom guitar, you have the option of selecting a back-and-side set from the following photographs of my inventory. Due to differences in the dimensions of the sets, included with each photograph is a list of the guitar body styles that can be supported.  Also listed is the upcharge for the particular set.  Sets listed as $ 0 do not have an upcharge.  Sets listed as Reserved are already set aside for a customer's guitar.

The following back-and-side sets are listed in alphabetical order based on the common name of the wood.  The sets are only rough sanded and many are sprayed with naptha to give a better idea of the look of the wood under lacquer. Photographs of sets that are not sprayed with naptha are listed as '(dry)' and those that have been sprayed are listed as '(sprayed).'  If interested, I'm happy to email additional photographs (sprayed or dry) of any set.

Comments: Afzelia is a relatively dense wood that ranges in color between yellow, orange, and brown.  It is often compared to Koa in appearance.  Tonally Afzelia has an even tone with rich basses, clear mid-tones and crisp trebles.

Comments:  Amboyna is a colorful wood that displays light yellow, golden brown, and reddish brown tones.

Comments:  The Ambrosia beetle creates a stunning brown and gray striped pattern in Soft Maple. This patterns does not effect on the physical properties of the wood.

Comments:  Ancient Kauri is derived from Kauri forests that grew over 50,000 years ago in New Zealand. The logs are excavated from prehistoric swamps and bogs that are found beneath farm fields and ranch lands. Radio Carbon dating dates these logs at least 50,000 years old (the limit of Carbon Dating). The logs are from massive Kauri trees that were commonly 200 feet high and 40 feet in girth and grew for up to 2000 years. Ancient Kauri is the oldest workable timber on earth. In addition to Ancient Kauri's amazing history, no live trees are harvested for this wood.

Ancient Kauri is a warm wood with tonal qualities similar to Mahogany. It often exhibits spectacular "flash" under reflected light.

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Comments:  Black Walnut is well known in the United States in its use in fine furniture and veneers.  Its rich shades of brown color, with occasional black streaks, give Black Walnut a very warm and inviting appearance.  Tonally, Black Walnut provides a crisp, rich tone with a strong fundamental

Comments:  For many years Brazilian Rosewood was in widespread use for both classical and steel string guitars.  Its popularity was due to its aesthetic beauty and tonal properties.  As important, another factor leading to the historical popularity of Brazilian Rosewood by guitar manufacturers, was its high availability at the time.  This fact is often overlooked given the scarcity of Brazilian Rosewood today.

The popularity of Brazilian Rosewood in the manufacturing of furniture and other items, resulted in heavy harvesting of the trees.  To preserve the species, Brazilian Rosewood was added to the endangered species list of the CITES treaty in 1991.  Under the agreement, only wood harvested before June, 1992 or cut under special arrangement, can be legally exported.  This caused the availability of Brazilian Rosewood to diminish, the quality to decline, and the cost to sky-rocket.  As a result, guitar manufacturers were forced to find an alternative back/side tonewood.  East Indian Rosewood became the traditional tonewood for most guitar manufacturers. 

Not surprising, many of the great-sounding, highly sought after vintage instruments (e.g., pre-war Martins) used Brazilian Rosewood for the back and sides.  Therefore, Brazilian Rosewood gained the reputation as being the premier tonewood.  While it has been proven that Brazilian Rosewood will make a superb sounding guitar, there are many alternative, non-endangered tonewoods that can make equally great sounding guitars for a much lower cost.  Regardless, due to tradition and perception, Brazilian Rosewood continues to be a highly prized tonewood often carrying a premium of $1,000 to $3,000 per guitar.

Brazilian Rosewood is an aesthetically beautiful and interesting wood.  It is often highly figured and illustrates shades of purple, brown, black, and red.  In addition, it often shows black spider webbing that cross the annular rings.  It is known for its glass-like tap tone and complex and brilliant tonal properties.  It will produce a well-balanced guitar with strong projection, long sustain, and a rich tone.  It can be a bit more challenging for the luthier compared to other tonewoods.  Brazilian Rosewood is prone to warping and splitting, which requires a controlled humidity environment, and often exhibits worm holes that must be filled.

Comments:  Bubinga is becoming a very popular with custom builders.  While it is as hard as typical rosewoods, it has a much finer texture, possesses very small pores and exhibits interlocking grain.  While the fine texture and interlocking grain produce a spectacular sheen under finish, the grain can make bending difficult.  Bubinga exhibits a pinkish red coloration and a freshly sawn surface that oxidizes to a warm brownish red over time.  It is found with a great variety of figure including bee's wing, curly, wavy, and waterfall all of which give the wood a dazzling three-dimensional appearance.  As a tonewood, Bubinga demonstrates a rich, warm tone, bright midrange and even balance across the entire spectrum.  It is considered as one of  best values in tonewood today..

Comments:  Claro Walnut is a warm and rich looking wood.  It ranges in color from reddish brown, dark brown, gold, and black with occasional orange and purple shades.  Premium pieces contain magnificent curl and marble coloration. Tonally, Claro Walnut imparts a warm, rich, well-balanced sound.

Comments:  Cocobolo Rosewood is my favorite tonewood.  The densest and strongest of the rosewoods,  many feel Cocobolo Rosewood is the best substitute for  Brazilian Rosewood in terms of tonal qualities and beauty.  It has bold and distinctive coloring that ranges from yellow, red, and orange with black streaking, that becomes more stunning with age as it oxidizes to browns and reds.  Cocobolo often exhibits spectacular grain patterns that further enhances its beauty.  Cocobolo contains a high percentage of resins that result in good machining properties and an ultra-smooth finish.  Some builders develop allergies to the resinous saw dust created while building, which often prevents them from offering this amazing tonewood.  Like Brazilian Rosewood, Cocobolo is capable of producing a powerful guitar that is well-balanced, has strong projection, long sustain, and a rich tone.

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Comments:  Granadillo is a common wood used in South American guitar making, but is relatively new to North American guitar making.  It's a dense, heavy, straight-grained wood that occasionally exhibits some figure.  Granadillo is a non-porous wood that takes a high natural polish.  It exhibits calming shades of red, brown, and black that become darker and warmer with age.  Granadillo exhibits a bright tap tone and is often used as an alternative to rosewood.  It can create a well-balanced guitar with plenty of volume and a warm, rich tone..

Comments:  Hormigo is a Central American wood that is used for making Marimba keys. The Marimba is Guatemala's National Musical Instrument with ancient origins. The impressive tonal qualities of Hormigo lead to the nickname "the wood that sings." Hormigo is a strong, straight-granined wood that occasionally exhibits pronounced veining.

Comments:  Imbuya is becoming popular with guitar makers for its colorful appearance, tonal properties, and ease of working.  Imbuya is characterized by widely varying, eye-catching figure and grain pattern.  It produces a spicy, but pleasant odor on fresh cut surfaces that fade over time.   The colorful wood exhibits a variety of  shades of yellow, to greenish brown, to dark brown, and black.  It is a moderately dense and heavy wood.  Tonally, Imbuya is comparable to walnut.  It provides sparkling trebles and a warm midrange.

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Comments:  Indian Rosewood became popular when the availability of instrument grade Brazilian Rosewood declined.  It has proven to be an excellent tonewood both tonally and visually.  Today it is the most common and popular tonewood on higher end guitars.  It is readily available in excellent instrument grades.  Indian Rosewood is a straight grained wood that is exceptionally stable and easy to work.  It is lighter than most rosewoods and demonstrates beautiful shades of purple, red, brown, gold, and burgundy.  Tonally, Indian Rosewood exhibits the warm rich tones of most rosewoods.  It provides a powerful bass response balanced with sparkling trebles and clear midrange.

Comments:  Jacaranda is a common name used/misused throughout the timber industry for a variety of types of wood. The Jacaranda pictured below is a type of Rosewood grown in Indonesia. Its appearance and physical properties are between Brazilian Rosewood and Indian Rosewood. The wood exhibits beautiful shades of purple, gold, and brown. Tonally, it provides the warm rich tones of most rosewoods with a powerful bass and clear midrange and treble.

Comments:  Exclusive to the Hawaiian islands, Koa is a gorgeous golden brown wood with dark streaks and a luminous, golden sheen.  Premier sets exhibit a curly or flamed figure that adds to its beauty.  Originally used in the manufacture of ukuleles, Koa has become very popular on higher end guitars.  Tonally, Koa is a well-balanced wood with a warm and open tone.  Koa can also be used as a top wood for that authentic Hawaiian sound.

Comments:  Leopardwood is a straight-grained wood that is pink to reddish-brown in color. On quartersawn lumber, a dramatic ray pattern is exposed. It is a relatively dense wood that imparts a rich, warm tone, clear midrange and crisp treble..

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Comments:  There are several varieties of Madagascar Rosewood.  The most commonly used in guitar building is Voamboana (Dalbergia baronii).  It is a stunning wood with brilliant deep colors of red-orange, reddish brown, and dark brown.  It often demonstrates intense black line patterns similar to Brazilian Rosewood.  It is easy to work and has a sweet smell.  Tonally, Madagascar Rosewood demonstrates a bright, well-defined tap tone with long sustain.   It is relatively dense and heavy, but lighter than Brazilian Rosewood.  Guitars made from Madagascar Rosewood are well-balanced with a lively responsive.

Comments:  Monkey Pod is a beautiful wood exhibiting golden amber and chocolate brown colors. It is similar to Black Walnut in figure and character.

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Comments:  Palo Escrito is a relatively light rosewood with the tone and workability comparable to Indian Rosewood.  It shows attractive shades of red and golden brown, and is often figured.  Palo Escrito is considered a premier tonewood in Mexico due to its even and lively tone.

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Comments:  Pau Ferro's contrasting bands of brown, gold, yellow and black give the wood a beautiful and warm appearance.  Normally a straight grained wood, Pau Ferro does occasionally exhibit interesting figure.  It is a non-porous wood which results in a very nice finish.  Heavier that Indian Rosewood, Pau Ferro has a nice tap tone and is tonally similar to Indian Rosewood.

Comments: Purpleheart is a dense and straight-grained wood that is characterized by a brilliant purple color that deepens with age.  As a tonewood, Purpleheart provides a warm bass, bright midrange and clear trebles

Comments: Tasmanian Red Myrtle is not technically a member of the Myrtle family. It exhibits deep rich colors of red, pink, and orange occasionally with curly figuring. Tasmanian Red Myrtle is becoming a highly sought after tonewood for its wide tonal range and warm overtones.

Comments:  Sapele is a member of the same family (Meliaceae) that includes mahagony.  Sapele also shares the warm, rich, woody mahagony tone.  Premium Sapele sets show a broad range of extraordinary figuration that gives it a three-dimensional appearance.  This figuration includes quilted, pommele, striped, fiddleback, blistered, wavey, and birdseye.  Sapele has a lustrous appearance with shades of reddish brown.

Comments: Shedua is characterized by golden-brown to dark brown heartwood with dark gray to black streaks.  It is a straight-grained wood that occasionally exhibits a beautiful wavy figure. Tonally, it combines the warmth and depth of the Rosewoods with the sparkling trebles of maple.

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Comments:  Zebrawood gets its name from the boldly colored alternating bands of golden yellow, pale yellow-brown, and dark brown.  The prominent striped appearance gives Zebrawood an attractive and distinctive look.  Tonally, Zebrawood is comparable to Indian Rosewood and produces warm, rich tones with abundant power..

Comments:  Ziricote has a unique and stunning appearance.  It displays what is called a "landscape figure" that is unmatched in tonewoods.  The shades of brown and gray are enahnced by pronouned black streaks/spider webbing.  Ziricote is denser than most rosewoods and sands to a high luster.  Tonally, Ziricote's density leads to high sustain and powerful projection