Addendum To Rosewood Vs. Mahogany

[Judy in Poway]

If anyone still cares, I had it verified by a luthier, that the Lachenal that was being so hotly discussed back in October (as to whether its ends were Rosewood as listed or Mahogany) is, indeed, made of Rosewood. The carved ends (with the fretwork) are not veneered but solid Rosewood mounted on a mahogany box. Thank you Juliette, it has found a good home! Judy

[Paul Read]

So it turns out everyone was right and noone was silly I guess that proves that rosewood wasn't restricted to the high quality models. I wonder if it would have been a special order on this model. Maybe the 'fake' rosewood finish was from a different period.

Edited November 21, 2006 by Paul Read

[Stephen Chambers]

The carved ends (with the fretwork) are not veneered but solid Rosewood mounted on a mahogany box.

Judy,

 

Strange as it may seem today, the use of solid mahogany, or rosewood, for the ends was commonly indicative of a cheap model as solid timber is structually weak for the job and such ends are very inclined to crack, warp and break up. Laminated wood is much stonger and more stable in this application.

 

But if the box the ends are mounted on is mahogany, the sides may well be painted to look like rosewood (like my Louis Lachenal 22-key Anglo #5681, labelled G. King), as they usually only veneered rosewood onto maple sides.