Mountain Mahogany

Cercocarpus ledifolius. Janka Hardness: 14,230 N

Mountain Mahogany is a truly spectacular wood for fine instrument fittings, boasting a similar density and sonic profile to Gaboon Ebony. But unlike Ebony or Rosewood, which often contain wood toxins and allergens, Mountain Mahogany is free of any such characteristics. The wood produces a pleasant rose fragrance and a natural brown luster when carved and visually resembles the beautifully aged historic Hill & Sons boxwood fittings. While boxwood requires harsh treatment processes or decades of oxidation to achieve the dark brown appearance that classical musicians have come to expect in their instrument fittings, Mountain Mahogany is immediately ready for presentation, able to bypass the use of any staining, chemical dyes, Ammonia fuming, or horse urine used by luthiers across the globe. This slow-growing member of the Rosaceae (rose family) is found in high altitudes in the western United States, growing at a relative rate of just 1” diameter every 75 years. As we select logs averaging 10-16" diameter, we estimate that our wood is roughly averages 750-1200 years old. Although it is not a CITES or IUCN protected species, we are proud to source our Mountain Mahogany as dead standing to preserve the natural order of its ecosystem, both out of respect for this natural resource and the hundreds of years that it takes for the tree to mature.

Uses: Tailpieces, Pegs, Chinrests, Endpin, Guitar Rosettes, Guitar Back Plates and Ribs, Saddles, Nuts, Guitar Bridges

A variety of Hellweg & Cloutier tailpieces in Mountain Mahogany