The wood for #20

These are the pieces for my #20, which is scheduled to be built autumn 2012. The top is finest grade (and taptone) red cedar. This cedar is cut from reclaimed logs, old dead trees off the forest floor north of Vancouver. The back and sides are Macassar ebony (from Sulawesi island, Indonesia). The recipient is crazy about collecting instruments. He has an old cello, about 100 years old, so much played that the fingerboard was all worn out and needed replacement. The luthier gave it back to the owner who in turn gave it me, “maybe I could use it for something”. Instantly I thought it would do great for a 3-piece headplate on his commission. The wood is quite striped, perhaps it is even Asian rather than African ebony so it will match the back perfectly. Just to keep with the ancient theme, I might use some of my 100y old Jamaican mahogany for the neck!