Goncalo alves
A very dense South American hardwood, also sold as tigerwood for the dark banding in its grain.
It comes from Astronium trees in Brazil and neighbouring countries and is one of the hardest and heaviest commercial timbers, with an interlocked grain that produces strong dark stripes. Because it is so hard and polishes without any finish, it suits fingerboards, and its figure makes it popular for thin caps on basses and for decorative parts. It is commonly described as bright and articulate, nearer ebony or hard maple in voice than rosewood, with a clean and immediate attack. It is heavy, blunts tooling quickly, and the dust is a known irritant that needs extraction.
Example: A bass with a goncalo alves fingerboard has a hard, ringing surface that helps individual low notes stay defined.
typical use: Fretboards, thin body caps and decorative parts.
See also
Related
- PageTone wood
- PageBocote
- PageEbony
- PageAdirondack spruce
- PageAfrican blackwood
- PageAfrican mahogany
- PageAaron Dessner
- PageAce Frehley