Bonzer!

This amber/golden wood is Narra (a pterocarpus species) from northern Australia and Southeast Asia. It is rarely seen here in the US and even more rare to be used for a musical instrument. The tap tone is very similar to rosewood varieties. I don’t have a ton of this wood, so I have used sparingly for the past 10 years. Besides it just doesn’t want to bend well and is eager to crack. This particular set exhibits classic bee’s wing figuring.

I decided to pair the back and sides with a vertical scratch Canadian Sitka Spruce top. The binding is curly Hawaiian Koa with back strip to match.

I’ve also used a curly Maple neck with Hawaiian Koa lamination for accent. This Maple is actually baked which accounts for the color –and it matched the back and sides too. The baking process is said to stabilize the wood in addition to adding color.