We have been fortunate enough to come across some premium quality Ziricote, which has been cut into book-matched back and sides acoustic guitar sets! Due to the high demand and limited quantity of this wood, we currently only have four sets left available in our online shop.

Ziricote does not carry the CITES restrictions that Brazilian Rosewood does, and is therefore more easily exported to international customers and luthiers. Stop by our online shop to check out prices and photos of each set!

>>> Go to Online Store

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MADEIRA will set up a table at this year’s NW Handmade Musical Instruments Exhibit in our home town, Portland, Oregon.
We will have limited number of Brazilian Rosewood and other tonewood for the exhibit.
Please come see us!

2010 NW Musical Instrument Exhibit
April 24th and 25th, 2010
Please mark your calendars for the next Northwest Musical Instrument Exhibit: Saturday and Sunday, April 24th and 25th, 2010. The Exhibit will again be held on the lovely campus of Marylhurst University near Portland, Oregon, featuring instrument makers and performers of the Pacific Northwest.
For more detail, please visit their website:
http://www.nwmusicalinstrumentshow.org/

We have a large amount of high quality Kingwood and Tulipwood available for volume purchase.

Tulipwood lumber

Kingwood turning square

Kingwood

Tulipwood

If you are interested in purchasing Tulipwood and Kingwood, please contact us.

© IUCN / Geoffroy Mauvais

We often read and hear about “premium” Madagascar Rosewood tonewood being substituted for Brazilian Rosewood.

We looked into purchasing Madagascar Rosewood, however, we decided  against it – primarily for ethical reasons.

A few words came to mind after our research: Civil war, armed gangs, organized crime, poverty, illegal logging from the natural reserves.

Madagascar Rosewood is as beautiful as Brazilian Rosewood; we have personally seen the samples and talked to people who are selling it. There is no doubt that Madagascar Rosewood will make a beautiful guitar at a lower cost.

From a strictly-business point of view, we would like to expand our tonewood offerings and could easily purchase Madagascar Rosewood safely from third-party brokers – even avoiding vicious gun-toting gangs. Recently, many such brokers have appeared, and are offering this wood as an “environmentally sound alternative”  in the market. However, we despise the fact that this “premium” grade Madagascar Rosewood most likely came from Marojejy and Masoala National Parks, two beautiful national parks, and UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These parks have been under siege in recent months, and we suspect that the high end “premium” grade lumber comes from beautiful living trees – cut down illegally by armed thugs.

We decided not to purchase or wholesale Madagascar Rosewood until we could find a morally responsible method.

In the future, we hope to find a way to import this wood using morally and environmentally culpable methods. But not now, not next month, not even next year…

News excerpts about illegal logging of Madagascar Rosewood:
World Heritage Rainforests in Madagascar threatened by illegal logging and trafficking of precious wood
http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/500
The illegal removal of Madagascar Rosewood out of northeastern Madagascar continues unabated…
http://www.marojejy.com/Breves_e.htm
http://www.afrol.com/articles/15348

National Geographic report:
http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/news/chiefeditor/2009/03/lemurs-threatened-by-madagascar-strife.html

‘Civil war looms’ in Madagascar
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7937264.stm