Electric travel guitar
Welcome to the Lapaxe™ Guitars wood page.
In this page we will list all the species we source locally within Indonesia ! All our wood sources are sustainable, our suppliers are all licensed traders and we are provided with supporting documents issued from the local offices from the ministry of forestry.
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The Sustainable Elegance of Indonesian Mahogany
In an era where sustainability is paramount and conscientious consumerism is on the rise, the choices we make extend far beyond mere functionality or aesthetics. They reflect our values, our commitment to the planet, and our appreciation for this wood species. We pride ourselves not only on our exquisite craftsmanship but also on our dedication to sustainable practices & environmental responsibility.
Mahogany has long been revered for its beauty, durability, and versatility. Its rich, reddish-brown hue and fine grain making it the perfect choice for our bodies and necks.
The Sustainability Factor
Indonesian Mahogany, scientifically known as Swietenia macrophylla, is renowned for its rapid growth rate and natural regeneration abilities. Unlike other woods that can take decades to mature, Indonesian Mahogany reaches harvestable size in a fraction of the time, making it a highly sustainable choice for furniture production.
Furthermore, the Indonesian government imposes strict regulations on the harvesting and exportation of mahogany to ensure the preservation of natural habitats and biodiversity. By adhering to these guidelines, we not only protect the integrity of the forests but also support local communities reliant on the timber industry for their livelihoods. We source all our Mahogany from 1 plantation in West Java close to our workshop. We naturally dry our woods for up to 1.5 years stack up with stickers in a ventilated place on our premises.
The wood we recently be cutting has moisture level not above 3%, its very stable and the quarter sewn pieces are excellent for using for our necks!!!
Rosewood for our fret boards.
Indonesian Rosewood locally known as Sonokeling, has an aesthetically appearance. It’s colour ranges from reddish-brown to purplish hues with streaks of Black and Golden Brown. Alongside Ironwood, Indonesian Rosewood ranks among the world’s hardest woods, with a remarkable hardness rating of 1100 pounds per square inch. This leads to outstanding resistance to dents, scratches, moisture decay and insect infestation thanks to its natural oily content.
Also grown at plantation mostly in East Java it makes for us a very desirable and popular for our fret boards and inlays for our instruments.
Ebony – Amara
Diospyros celebica , Also known as |Amara | Amara Ebony | Pink Ebony | Red Ebony
Amara Ebony and Macassar Ebony are of the exact same species (Diospyros Celebica), with the difference put forth being that Amara is exclusive to Indonesia. Amara is known for its deep chocolate browns with pink striping; the difference in its coloration and that of typical Macassar Ebony being attributed to the soil conditions here in Indonesia. Its grains are more likely to be wavy or irregular than straight, with a fine texture and nice natural luster.
Our experience yields a broader perspective, as we have found the wood sometimes with greens and reds, more similar to Malaysian Blackwood, at times with darker and more muted hues¬† and devoid of any pink shades. Pieces which more resemble Macassar have also contained gold – orange hues, in addition to pinks. It’s sap content is tan in color and, despite its density, it has good working properties.
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Black & White Ebony | Malabar Ebony | Pale Moon Ebony
More commonly known as “Pale Moon Ebony” to US guitar luthiers and aficionados, this Southeast Asian true Diospyros ebony is, without question, the world’s most difficult, perplexing exotic wood and at times, one of its most visually stunning. (It’s also one of its most sought-after.) The wood is known for the bold jet black ink lines which adorn its creamy, pale yellow base. Both the volume and pattern of its lines are unpredictable, varying greatly from piece to piece. Grains can be straight, wavy or irregular; its texture is fine, with a nice natural luster. Its hardness and density are quite moderate for an ebony.
After being harvested or re-sawn, the wood exhibits a strong tendency to self-destruct — often changing shape, cracking and checking — if not quickly coated in wax. Although it’s not currently viewed as endangered, the wood has always been in short supply in the US, despite an unquenchable demand from custom guitar builders and wood enthusiasts, alike. Other than the difficulties in drying, it has good working properties; it machines, turns, glues and finishes well.
Because of its noted self-destructive tendencies, the wood is coated in wax almost immediately after harvesting.
This wood is most always in short supply, while the demand remains constant.
Our source is based in the Maluku Islands also known as the spice islands and we do get some from time to time specially at this time of the year after the dry season. !
Asian Striped Ebony | Makassar | Striped Ebony
Makassar Ebony is known for its typically striped appearance, with usual colors typically dominated by deep browns although green, yellow, burgundy, red, orange and even peach secondary colors can highlight more spectacular pieces. Sapwood can range from a dull tan to a light golden brown, or sometimes even a muted orange, peach or light pink. In addition to its constant demand with veneer mills, it is highly-prized by guitar luthiers. Its great density gives the wood tremendous resonance, making it ideally suited for acoustic guitar back-and-sides or fretboards.
Macassar Ebony is noted for its striped appearance, although finding long, consistent grain patterns can be difficult on longer pieces. Usually its stripes are fairly large and bold — often with twists and overlaps — although occasionally (more desirable) pieces with fine, tight-knit, consistent striping can be found.
Like many woods of comparable density, it can be difficult to work and hard on blades, but that is of little concern to those who have experience with this regal ebony species. Southeast Asia produces some astounding exotics; Makassar Ebony is, most certainly, one of its renowned, trademark species.
We still get Makassar quite easily for very reasonable price for our fret boards.
Sulawesi Ebony - Palu Ebony
Sulawesi ebony is a type of expensive wood from the ebony-Ebonian family ( Ebenaceae ). Its scientific name is Diospyros Celebica , which is derived from the word "Celebes" ( Sulawesi ), and is an endemic plant of the area (Palu, Central Sulawesi)
Description
Tree , straight and upright trunk with a height of up to 40 m . The diameter of the lower trunk can reach 1 m, often with large banir (board roots). The bark is grooved, peeling off in small pieces and is black-brown. The bark is light brown and the inside is yellowish white.
Single leaves , arranged alternately, elongated elliptical in shape, with pointed tips, the upper surface is shiny, like leather and dark green in color, the lower surface is hairy and gray-green in color.
The flowers are clustered in the leaf axils, white. The fruit is ovate, hairy and red and yellow to brown when dark. The whitish flesh of the fruit is often eaten by monkeys , squirrels or bats ; which thus acts as a seed dispersal agent . The seeds are shaped like an elongated wedge, blackish brown.
Results and uses
Sulawesi ebony profile, striped.
This tree produces very good quality wood. The color of the wood is dark brown, blackish, or black with reddish mottles. In international trade, Sulawesi ebony is known as Macassar ebony , Coromandel ebony , streaked ebony or also black ebony . Other names in Indonesia include Hitam wood, Toetandu, Sora, Lotong wood, and Maitong wood. Black wood is heavy with a specific gravity greater than that of water, so it cannot float.
Sulawesi ebony is mainly used for expensive furniture, carvings and sculptures, musical instruments.
Distribution and conservation
This species is only found on Sulawesi Island, in primary forests on clay , sand or rocky soil that has good drainage , with an altitude of up to 600 m above sea level . Naturally, Sulawesi ebony is found both in tropical rainforests and in deciduous forests .
This wood has been exported abroad since the 18th century. The main market is Japan.
Although becoming rather scarce we still get these fret boards on a regular bases.
Amboyna Burl
Amboyna is technically not a distinct species, but is the name of the burl wood from any of the Pterocarpus species. Most commonly this is Narra (Pterocarpus indicus), but burl sections of Burma Padauk (Pterocarpus macrocarpus) are also sold under the name Amboyna.
The name is derived from Ambon Island in Indonesia, where much of the figured wood is believed to have been initially exported.
Amboyna is among the most expensive and sought-after of all burls, and is frequently sold as veneer or as small turning/craft blanks. Some suppliers specify “Red Amboyna” for material with the typical rich reddish brown heartwood, or “Golden Amboyna” for pieces with lighter yellowish brown coloration. It’s not unusual for pieces to contain sharply contrasting yellowish sapwood.
Amboyna is commonly used for fine furniture, turned objects, electric guitar tops, knife/gun grips, and other small specialty wood items.
We still get this wood in steady supply at very good prices, some of the instruments on our shop features this wood, recently we have received blocks for full bodies that are drying now and will soon be machined.
