Know your wood

Most people have never seen these side by side. Here they are.

We don't stain or color anything. What you see is the tree. Here's what our go-to woods actually look like, so you can pick with your eyes instead of a name.

Walnut

Our default. Chocolate brown with occasional purple and gold streaks; grain ranges from straight to wild. Darkens slightly with oil, lightens slowly in sun. The one that makes black gear look expensive.

White oak

Pale straw to light tan, with the distinctive ray fleck when quartersawn. Harder than walnut. Reads Scandinavian: lighter, quieter. Ages toward amber.

Maple

Nearly white, tight grain, very hard. The cleanest, most modern look. Shows the instrument's color instead of competing with it. Yellows gently over years.

Baltic birch

Not a hardwood; a plywood with many thin, void free layers. We use it when a piece needs to be stiffer or lighter than solid wood allows. The striped edge is the tell. Some people order it for that.

Limited editions

Wenge (near black with fine straight grain, very heavy), rosewood (deep red brown to purple, oily, fragrant), and others as we find boards. Small runs, email list first, gone when they're gone.

Want a piece in something other than walnut? Ask before you order or leave a note at checkout.