Jatoba

A dense, reddish tropical American hardwood from Hymenaea courbaril, also sold as Brazilian cherry.

It grows across tropical America and is harvested in volume for flooring, which keeps it inexpensive and available in wide boards. It is hard and stiff and takes a finish well, so it serves for fingerboards and for the occasional whole body. It is commonly described as bright and tough, with a dry, hard-edged voice over a firm bottom, closer to the dense African hardwoods than to the rosewoods. The practical problems are weight, a tendency to move while it dries, and a colour shift from orange-red towards dark brown, so a bare board looks quite different a year later.

Example: A jatoba fingerboard gives a hard, bright surface that resists fret wear almost as well as ebony for a fraction of the cost.

typical use: Fretboards, thin caps and budget bodies.

Jatoba

See also