Urban Iron Bark?

[Kinda Old]

These new 500 series guitars are beautiful and sound great in the demos but I'd bet a dollar to a donut that most folks (not all) paying this much for a guitar are interested in knowing what species of wood the guitar is made of. Please forgive if it's only me.
I realize that Martin uses the description "select hardwood" for their necks but most people know it's either Mahogany or Spanish Cedar. Taylor should just say that they use "various urban trees that make good sounding guitars" instead of deceitful Madison Avenue (like) tricks.
I believe Taylor's intentions are admirable but please just be straight with us about the wood before we lay out our hard earned cash.

BTY, if there is an actual tree called "Urban Iron Bark", disregard this post.

[rmp]

their web site says this

Urban Wood, Fresh Sound

Formerly the home of our mahogany models, the 500 Series now boasts back and sides of Urban Ironbark, an all-new tonewood sourced from our always-growing urban wood initiative. As a back and side wood, Urban Ironbark yields a bold, rich and sweet voice that's sure to impress players of all styles, giving these guitars piano-like clarity with a smooth character that amplifies each player's unique touch. We've paired the Urban Ironbark with torrefied spruce tops for an extra seasoned tone, adding up to a supremely balanced sound that performs exceptionally well on stage or in the studio. Players will also find the mahogany/torrefied spruce Builder's Edition 517 here, a Grand Pacific model with enhanced comfort features and aesthetics. If you're looking for a guitar with a totally original, unexpected musical personality, look no further than the 500 Series.


I guess I agree with your standing that they don't specifically say what species of trees are used.

Most consumers probably wouldn't care, or maybe a lot of people don't even know how woods characteristic play a role in how an acoustic sounds when played.

[The Bard Rocks]

I am into trees and have never heard of such a species. It is presented in such a way that leads one to assume this is a species.

[sinistral]

Old railroad ties, telephone poles, picnic tables and park benches.

[Sadie-f]

Wikipedia says that's a eucalyptus variety growing in eastern Australia.

Disregarding as requested.

[Dave Hicks]

Originally Posted by Sadie-f

Wikipedia says that's a eucalyptus variety growing in eastern Australia.

Disregarding as requested.

There are plenty of eucalyptus trees growing wild (escapes) or planted in California.

Will your new Taylor smell like Vaporub?




D.H.

[rmp]

Originally Posted by Dave Hicks

There are plenty of eucalyptus trees growing wild (escapes) or planted in California.

Will your new Taylor smell like Vaporub?




D.H.

ouh! That's gotta beat the pants off the aroma of cedar and hog right?

and surely comes in handy during cold and flu season
!LOL!

[cyclistbrian]

It took a two word search "iron bark" for Google to return all anyone short of a botanist needs to know about Iron bark. But that's not as much fun as raging against the machine.

[musicman1951]

"Otherwise known as red ironbark (Eucalyptus sideroxylon) this hard, dense timber has previously been used in the railroad and construction industries."

I'm also sorry to report the death of the phrase "dollars to donuts" as the price of a donut often exceeds $1.

[Osage]

Red Ironbark (Eucalyptus sideroxylon) is native to Australia but was brought to California in the 1850's and planted extensively in the state. If you live in Southern or Central California, you've seen the trees. When I lives there we had them all around us and everyone called them Eucalyptus.

[Kinda Old]

Originally Posted by Dave Hicks

There are plenty of eucalyptus trees growing wild (escapes) or planted in California.

Will your new Taylor smell like Vaporub?




D.H.

Soundhole sniffing, a new therapeutic aid for the sinuses!

[CASD57]

InStead of judging by what you hear on YOUTube and reading, I think you need to go out and play one... before you do it's a ***/u/me or to be verbally correct..assumption but that didn't fit the ***/u/me lol

But lets assume it's a lesser wood, How long do you think the Taylor's hype would keep it selling? at $3000ish.

Maybe that's why they switched woods to Walnut with the AD17 ? I like my original ovangkol model, what Walnut guitars I have played/owned was a Gibson J15 and it was too dry for me.. So I would not be looking for a new AD17

[Kinda Old]

Originally Posted by Sadie-f

Wikipedia says that's a eucalyptus variety growing in eastern Australia.

Disregarding as requested.

Ironwood Wikipedia: Ironwood is a common name for many woods or plants that have a reputation for hardness, or specifically a wood density that is heavier than water (approximately 1000 kg/m3, or 62 pounds per cubic foot), although usage of the name ironwood in English may or may not indicate a tree that yields such heavy wood.

Maybe it can be what ever you want it to be. Kind of like "Wikipedia"

[RP]

Originally Posted by Kinda Old

Ironwood Wikipedia: Ironwood is a common name for many woods or plants that have a reputation for hardness, or specifically a wood density that is heavier than water (approximately 1000 kg/m3, or 62 pounds per cubic foot), although usage of the name ironwood in English may or may not indicate a tree that yields such heavy wood.

Maybe it can be what ever you want it to be. Kind of like "Wikipedia"

Ironwood is actually Ostrya virginiana, a member of the Birch family. Not the same thing as Eucalyptus sideroxylon. I know, people don't like using genus/species to name flora, but it clears the confusion often caused by the use of common names...

[Treenewt]

I'm not a Taylor guy, buy any measure, but ad-speak aside, I like what they're doing here. We've long bemoaned the decline of responsibly sourced traditional tone woods on this forum, and here one of (if not the largest) American manufacturer is trying to use locally-sourced woods that would just wind up as mulch otherwise. I applaud them for the initiative they've shown in doing this, especially with a higher-end part of their line as opposed to the 300 and below.