Anyone hear of canary wood?

[Rosewood99]

There is a builder I'm looking into who uses canary wood for b/s paired with mahogany.

In the seven years I've been on the forum I've never hears canary wood mentioned. Anyone know what the general tone is?

[rcoolz]

I. Bet it really sings out....SORRY couldn't resist!
Seriously...been here since 2002 and never heard it mentioned...

[The Bard Rocks]

First, I heard that canary wood was not a particularly good tonewood. Later on, I heard just the opposite. I have worked with it (furniture) and can attest that it works wonderfully and looks superb., with purples, reds, yellows, browns, and tans that tame down to mostly brown and tans as it ages.

[jaybones]

Isn't this the type of wood miners used to take down the mines with them?

When the guitar stopped sounding alive, they knew the mine was filling with gas and to get out.

[Rosewood99]

Does this mean if I ask about rosewood I'll get a bunch of jokes about roses?

[jim1960]

From Tonewood Data Source:
Canarywood Centrolobium ochroxylon - several species, known by many common names
H=4, M=3.8, B=2.7, S=4, O=3.7, T=3.5
A heavy South American wood (note: I have seen a single reference to it as African) with a Janka hardness of 1520 (note: I have read a variety of figures for this, from 1030 to 1800). It is a legume. Can be wildly colored, pale yellow-orange to darker reds and browns, even some purples, in streaks. The sapwood is pale yellow. With age, the colors darken and become less spectacular. Usually but not always straight-grained, with a fine natural luster and a uniform texture. Resistance to insects and decay is good. Canarywood works well and is one of the nicest I have personally handled. Watch for tear-out when planing the wilder-grained specimens. When you work some species, you will notice a distinct scent. The dust causes problems with skin irritation or coughing with some people.

Edwinson Guitar has built a couple and loves the wood. "I found it to be beautiful, and tone-ful as well, with a loud, ringing, metallic tap tone, what I would call a Rosewood vibe, and excellent machining, bending, and gluing properties... The only problem I had with Canary was in trying to re-saw sets from a highly figured slab-sawn plank that wasn't well seasoned. It warped like crazy, even as I was pushing it through the saw. I had to abandon it halfway through the second cut. So I decided to stick with quarter-to-rift sawn boards, and they came out exceptionally well- totally stable and fine. ..I'll tell you what: Were I given a choice between using Pernambuco or quarter-sawn Canary, I would probably pick the Canary. Some Canary wood is very similar in appearance to the extremely rare and exotic Tulipwood, with the deep yellows, oranges, and reds; but most often with straight-grain figure."

David Norton found a report that said it was dense and non-porous "with a bright ringing tap tone and surprising sustain... lustrous chatoyance in the figure. This wood bends, works and finishes very nicely and remains dimensionally stable in service." Some pore filling is needed, not too much. It can also be used for necks.

It may have exceptional clarity in sound, strong fundamentals, and loud, with a rounder bass and overtones which are obvious.

[DenverSteve]

Like others, I've not heard of it either. I would never have a build done out of anything I wasn't certain about.

I saw some at the local hardware shop but I don't think it's very popular, it was going cheep...

[Silurian]

Sounds like a nice tonewood. Light as a feather. I bet they'll fly off the shelves.

[FrankHudson]

No experience with it as back and sides wood on an acoustic. I do have a neck made from it on an electric. Like a rosewood neck it doesn't need a finish (and mine is bare), and it's much lighter than the rosewood necks I've handled.

Intriguing to hear about it on back and sides....

[tadol]

Reading thru the posts above, it's pretty clear everyone isn't talking the same species - the name is a little generic, and I've seen a couple different materials called canary wood - at least I assume they were different, cause they sure looked different, although fresh cut they had a mostly bright yellow color -

It really boils down to the builder - if you trust them and like their work, and the guitars they've made with it, it's probably good -

[Rosewood99]

Originally Posted by tadol

Reading thru the posts above, it's pretty clear everyone isn't talking the same species - the name is a little generic, and I've seen a couple different materials called canary wood - at least I assume they were different, cause they sure looked different, although fresh cut they had a mostly bright yellow color -

It really boils down to the builder - if you trust them and like their work, and the guitars they've made with it, it's probably good -

Reading through the posts I mostly have found lame jokes.

I don't know enough about the builder so I'll most likely pass. My post was more out of curiosity.

[Kittoon]

I'd forget about it. Canary wood is strictly for the Byrds.

[Kittoon]

Just ask David Crosby..

[Rosewood99]

Originally Posted by Kittoon

I'd forget about it. Canary wood is strictly for the Byrds.

It would be nice to get some more actual responses instead of tired jokes.

Does your rosewood guitar have thorns?

For those who are interested, I did some searching on the build forum and apparently Edwinson guitars has used Canary wood before.
To quote:
"I have built three guitars with Canary, including this one, which is in the lacquer process right now. Canary is an excellent acoustic guitar wood in all respects, and has a pronounced rosewood vibe. It has a strong, sustaining, "metallic" tap tone, like the better rosewoods, and it bends, cuts, sands, glues and machines like a dream.
Occasionally, you can find planks of Canary that have beautiful figure and dramatic color--yellows, oranges, reds, browns. Most of it is kind of plain, and looks a lot like Pernambuco.
Canary is also fairly cost-effective if you buy lumber instead of prepared sets. Although, I've never seen it offered by tonewood dealers. I highly recommend trying it if you can find some."