Woods & Inlay

Sample Wood Selection
Shown below is a selection of wood samples photographed from wood we have in stock. These photos are of surfaced wood that has not been dyed or finished in any way. In some cases, color may not be exact due to the lighting conditions during the photography. The table below is only a small representation of the woods that are available. Our wood selection is changing all the time and we have no problem ordering other types of wood that you suggest. This wood selection is only intended as a tool to help you get started deciding the kinds of wood you are interested in.

	Flame or Tiger Maple This wood is typically found on the tops of Les Paul electric guitars and on the backs of arch top guitars and other traditional stringed instruments. It adds brightness to you instrument's sound.
	Quilted Maple This maple is found on contemporary electric guitar and electric bass tops. When the quilts get real dense, it is sometime referred to as "popcorn maple". It sounds about the same as flame maple.
	Wild Maple This maple is a combination of burls, quilts, and flames all mixed up. It sometimes includes a little spalt. This is the wood that was used for the top of the Manta 5-String Hollow body instrument. OUT OF STOCK UNTIL JULY 05
	Walnut This dark walnut looks wonderful and has a great tone. It is not terribly dense, so it really doesn't weigh down the instrument as you might expect. It makes a great choice for a hollow body instrument.
	Crotch Walnut We only have a sample of this in stock but can get more at a somewhat premium cost. This wood makes spectacular bass guitar tops and backs.	Coming Soon
	Spruce This is the typical spruce that you see on most flat top acoustic guitars. The 4-String Manta Hollow body bass has a spruce top made from a billet similar to the wood shown here. We think that spruce makes an excellent hollow body bass top. It gives the instrument a lot of resonance, lighter weight, and an interesting acoustic look.
	Bubinga Bubinga is a very dense wood that works well for necks. The 4-String Manta Hollow body bass has a bubinga neck.
	Padauk African Padauk is increasingly used in acoustic guitar sides and backs. We have used it primarily for necks and accents. When finished, it has a very deep dark red color that is gorgeous. Tonally, it seems to add a mid-range presence.
	Purpleheart We started out using purpleheart just for accent trim but later experimented with using it for body tops/backs, and necks. We may also start making purpleheart fretboards. purpleheart is a very hard wood that is difficult to machine. It seems to add brightness to an instrument's character.
	Rainier Maple This is a darker reddish brown maple that the local sawyers call Rainier Maple, obviously owing its name to Mount Rainier, which is less than 50 miles from here.
	Cedar This particular wood is supposed to be a type of cedar. We came across it in a local wood store and they really couldn't identify it precisely. We only have a few boards, but it would make for a nice subtle appearance.

Although there are literally thousands of possibilities, here are a few other popular species you may be interested in:
Buckeye Burl, Sitka Spruce with Bear claw, Hawaiian Koa, Oregon Myrtle, Bloodwood, Zebra Wood, Australian Lace wood, Swamp Ash

Not shown are: Mahogany and Hard Rock Maple, which we frequently use.

We use the following woods for fret boards: Ebony, Pau Ferro, Rosewood, Maple, and Purpleheart.

Inlay Selection

We are now featuring the L.A. Kidwell trapazoidal block inlay. Samples of the trapazoidal inlay are shown below. If you have something special in mind, L.A. Kidwell works directly with a supplier of pre-cut inlay and can provide custom inlay.

White Mother of Pearl and Abalone V-block (add $200.00)	Red Heart (add $260)	Abalone (add $ 200.00)