African Blackwood

I’ve used African Blackwood for back and sides on a couple of Martin Simpson models, now I’ve used it on a New World guitar. Before it’s lacquered the grain is more visible; it’s easy to see it’s actually a rosewood rather than looking more like ebony as it does when lacquered and shiny.

Here it is ready for the spray-booth. Along with African Blackwood back and sides, it has the standard New World Madagascar rosewood neck and an Italian spruce soundboard.

African Blackwood made excellent MS models, but it doesn’t follow that it will be as successful on the smaller New World. I’ll find out in a few weeks when I string it up.