Korina

A light African hardwood, also called limba, used for solid bodies and necks and closely associated with late-1950s designs.

It is notably light, which makes a large, heavily routed body comfortable, and it is typically described as having a warm, open midrange and a soft top end. Both the plain and the distinctly striped, black-streaked variety are used, the striped form being chosen for visible instruments rather than painted ones. Its reputation rests largely on a handful of historic instruments built during a shortage of the usual mahogany.

Example: a reissue of a 1958 flying-V design in korina weighs far less than the same shape in mahogany, which is a large part of why it sounds and feels different.

Korina

See also