Padauk

The timber of the Pterocarpus genus, an African and Asian hardwood that is bright orange-red when cut and darkens to brown with exposure.

It is hard, dense and open-grained, and it machines and glues well enough to be used for fingerboards, tops and necks, though its colour change means a finished instrument looks quite different after a year in daylight. Tonally it is often described as bright and articulate with a strong presence, closer to maple than to rosewood. The dust can be an irritant and the wood has a tendency to splinter.

Example: a padauk fingerboard on a bold-coloured instrument looks striking when new and settles into an understated brown within a couple of years.

typical use: Fretboards, body tops and necks.

Padauk

See also