News

Sacha Rosewood by luthier Gustav Fredell!

More about Gustav and his sacha Guitars at the Acoustic Music Company

A sample of book matched sets for solid Body drop tops now in stock!

Monte Pittman playing his Bourgeois 12-fret acoustic during “Masterpiece” build with Sacha Rosewood back/sides.

The gorgeous back of the Bourgeois 12-Fret OM in “Sacha Rosewood” from Terra Tonewoods.

Collings New D1A using Spanish Cedar from Terra Tonewoods.

Our Red Mountain Spanish Cedar comes from Peru and are exclusively offered in acoustic sets by Terra Tonewoods. It is dense and solid and has all the qualities of traditional Spanish Cedar but, unlike it’s cousin, this cedar specie does not ooozz sap from it’s pores. We found this high elevation species a dream to work with.

Spectacular color, quality and stability. Collings Guitars, they understand great wood!

Terra Tonewoods, we are out sourcing for you!

D1A for sale: GRYPHON

Check it out!

Lance Peck marking out back and side sets on Spanish Cedar in Peru.

“Terra Tonewoods (terratonewoods.com) is a company that specializes in sourcing a variety of responsibly harvested woods from Peru. In some cases, these woods come from forests that the Peruvian government has designated to be cleared for mining or agriculture. In other instances, Terra sources its materials from sustainably managed forests. Some of the species the company offers include familiar woods like mahogany and members of the rosewood family, but there are also types such as Peruvian walnut, ishpingo, higuerilla, and moena, that, while not yet well known, are beautiful and exceptional sounding. “I started working with [Terra Tonewoods’] Lance and Belinda Peck as they were local to me and had some amazing wood that was never considered for guitars,” says California luthier Mike Baranik (baranikguitars.com). “I made some guitars out of these woods, and we have now partnered up to help get the woods into the hands of luthiers.” Baranik’s partnership in Terra Tonewoods has helped get individual builders such as Michael Greenfield and Michi Matsuda, as well as larger companies like Bourgeois and Collings, using the woods.”

To read the full article click here.

This article also appears in Acoustic Guitar, August 2012

Peru. Quinilla dry forest plot at Picota, Área de Conservación Municipal de Pïcota.  We found crude roads leading to illegal lumbering plots where many recently fell Quinillas (Manilkara bidentata) were discovered.

Photo: Lance Peck, owner of Terra Tonewoods, with Rainer Schulte at one such site inside the conservation area. Photo by Belinda Peck.

Quinilla Dry Forest

NEW Collings OM2HA in Sacha Rosewood from Terra Tonewoods!

http://www.themusicemporium.com/system/html/om2hasasha_750_7-597dd6f5.jpg

Not content to let the dwindling supply of exotic rosewoods diminsh their capacity to make great guitars, our friends at Collings have introduced a limited number of instruments made with Sacha Rosewood back & sides. This South American tonewood offers plenty of punch in the low end, but with less darkness than Brazilian (think Cocobolo). Lots of chime and sparkle in the high end, and a round, warm midrange make this an exceptional fingerstyle guitar; but it handles a pick just fine and sounds punchy and crisp tackling fiddle tunes.

Brilliant job Michael Greenfield! See his new G4.2 DADGAD

A word from Michael too:
“It shipped last week. Some of my best work to date. A special thanx to Mike Baranik and Terra Tonewoods for the fantastic customer service and the spectacular set of spalted Peruvian Manchinga this guitar is made of.”

Model G4.2 http://www.greenfieldguitars.com/gg2.aspx?class=GG&section=64&storyid=132#

The new generation of tonewoods is not to be found in the commercial lumberyards.

The forests of Peru are basically unexplored for new musical species. Here Lance Peck, owner of Terra Tonewoods, in Peru looking through a standing stack of fresh cut lumber. This wood was probably cut for local domestic use and without proper permits. This unidentified wood may be a new species of Dalbergia, also known as “Rosewood”, which is a species that is very popular and important in the building of musical stringed instruments such as the acoustic guitar, harp guitar, mandolin, and the ukulele.