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Collings Forum:

http://collingsforum.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/74760485/m/9170025356

Lance Peck, co-owner Terra Tonewoods, in the Peruvian rainforest sourcing new tone woods. July 2012

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.

Here is a blog thread posted July 6th on CollingsGuitars blog about their new D2HA with Sacha Rosewood.

“Had the opportunity to visit Artisan Guitars today and witness another step in the evolution of Collings’ rosewood dreadnaught build process.

The somewhat blonde in color cousin of madagascar rosewood was a delight to play, and if this guitar is a prototype of sorts if you will experiment by Collings, then there will be many of these instruments to come. The standard neck and 1 11/16 nut width of this guitar was very comfortable, even in my 6’6 hands, which again, demonstrates that not all nut widths/neck shape combinations are created equal, and in the end you just have to play the guitars for yourself. That being said, for a guy who prefers the D18GE/Merrill C18/Martin D18 Authentic chunky baseball neck shapes, this guitar fit the bill anyway, and was a fast playing joy all the way up the neck.

Let’s discuss this business of tone with the sacha rosewood. Huge, controlled chunks of punch await the player. CONTROLLED..PRECISE..POWERFUL..BRUISE YOUR STERNUM PUNCH, PEOPLE. Yep, this is one for the ages, and even in what I see as an experiment by Collings (Bill, Ellie, W.T., Adam, correct me if I’m wrong)this one is pushing the punch and precise, articulated, in your face out front tone and volume to the next level. As usual, the balance is all there, and the craftsmanship is flawless, maybe better than in the past, if that’s possible. A piece of coffee table art with strings. Think Robert Bowlin Six String Soliloquy album with just a tad more of everything..punch (did I really use that word again? Yes, I did), power, balanced pop with each note, again, laying the sternum to waste.”

To read the full thread history copy this link to your browser:

http://collingsforum.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/74760485/m/8140014156?r=8140014156#8140014156

Sacha Rosewood from Terra Tonewoods.
“Collings D2HA Adirondack Spruce and Sacha Rosewood “.

Artisan Guitars wrote:
“Played in tandem with another D2HA with standard Indian Rosewood back and sides, the contrast is striking. While both are wonderfully defined in the trebles, with a crisp defined bass note, the mid-range on the Sacha dreadnought was crystal clear, and almost dripping in resonance.”

Sacha Rosewood gets HIGH PRAISE!
We gotta hand it to Artisan Guitars for their very well written critique on the new Collings D2HA featuring Sacha Rosewood (Higuerilla) from Terra Tonewoods.

For the full read go to http://artisanguitars.com/collings-d2ha-adirondack-spruce-and-sacha-rosewood/

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.

Manchinga has an interesting spalt-like figure on a light-tan to grayish-tan field. The grain of this unusual wood ranges from a fine-grained texture that is similar to a light-colored mahogany, to smooth fields of tan or grey-tan. Manchinga has small pores and is a medium weight wood that weights 47 pounds per cubic foot. It has moderate flexibility which helps this wood to deliver a medium to bright tone when used for backboards and rims.

Cachimbo is a small-pore hardwood of a medium tan color. Weighing approximately 39 pounds per cubic, Cachimbo is a relatively stiff wood with similar tonal and structural properties to red maple. Cachimbo lends itself to those instruments where tonal brightness is more important than elaborate figure or grain.

Higuerilla is a richly colored hardwood ranging from light coffee to mid orange brown with dark brown stripes. When book matched, Higuerilla presents a strong and colorful linear figure for backboards. Higuerilla weighs 45 pounds per cubic foot and has moderate stiffness similar to Koa. When used for backboard and ribs, Higuerilla imparts a generally bright tone with good clarity. The long open pores will require moderate filling prior to finishing.

Our highest grade Higuerilla is called “Sacha Rosewood”. This tropical hardwood from Peru is not a rosewood species but closely resembles a rosewood in color, density, and lutherie quality.