Indian laurel

A dense South Asian hardwood, usually Terminalia elliptica and sold in the trade simply as laurel, used as an inexpensive substitute for rosewood on fingerboards.

It is hard enough to take string wear, finishes to a smooth dark surface and behaves similarly to rosewood in feel, though the colour is more variable and can be lighter or more streaked. Its advantage is supply: it does not carry the same trade paperwork as the rosewood species, so it is now common on imported instruments. Tonally it sits close to rosewood, warm and even, and any difference is small compared with the effect of the frets and setup.

Example: a mid-priced import with an Indian laurel board gives the warm, comfortable feel players expect from rosewood at a lower cost.

typical use: Fretboards, as a low-cost rosewood substitute.

Indian laurel

See also