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- Part 1: Countless Untold Secrets
- Part 2: New Jacaranda
- Part 3: The Rare Rosewoods Working Behind the Scenes of New Jacaranda
- Part 4: Post-Rosewood
From the pinnacle of rosewoods, Jacaranda, to the relatively affordable Indian rosewood that is now mainstream—
Used by Martin and various other high-end guitar manufacturers!
In this installment, we’ll introduce the premium rosewoods known as “New Jacaranda”—which have emerged as a replacement for Jacaranda—from renowned brands both in Japan and abroad! Brazilian rosewood (commonly known as Jacaranda; hereafter referred to simply as Jacaranda), the pinnacle of
rosewood, and Indian rosewood, which is currently the mainstream choice and relatively affordable.As covered in Vol. 1, while Jacaranda possesses excellent sound characteristics, its use has become extremely difficult due to soaring prices and the depletion of stockpiles. The much-talked-about high-end rosewood varieties known as “New Jacaranda,” which have emerged as alternatives to Jacaranda, are now being adopted by renowned brands both in Japan and abroad for their high-end guitars.
Martin currently stores its stock of Brazilian rosewood and Madagascar rosewood in separate locations,
reportedly because mixing them would make it impossible to distinguish between them. This is because Madagascar rosewood has the grain pattern most similar to Brazilian rosewood among all rosewood alternatives.
In terms of tone, it produces a sound closest to that of Brazilian rosewood, offering a response rivaling Brazilian rosewood, along with a wide dynamic range, well-defined low-end, and clear high-end projection. Although it was
initially used as a substitute, logging by illegal gangs led the Madagascan government to ban logging in protected areas in 2000, and regulations under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) were also implemented, making it difficult to obtain.
It is used in Martin’s premium models, which recreate the pre-war specifications from the Jacaranda era, as well as in high-end models from other luxury brands.- Martin D-45
- The Martin D-45 is the brand’s flagship model.
In recent years, various reissues, custom models, and limited editions have been released.
Martin actively incorporates Madagascar rosewood into its top-tier models. It plays a crucial role in crafting high-quality instruments—it’s no wonder this model is considered the “top-tier model in the current lineup.”
- This is a 2012 D-45 Madagascar Anaheim. It is a limited-edition model, with only 20 units available for sale in Japan, announced at the 2012 Anaheim Guitar Show.
- The fact that the word “Madagascar” is included in the model name speaks to the value of Madagascar rosewood.
With its vertical logo, snowflake inlays, and WEVERLY open-back tuners, the exterior exudes a sense of luxury, faithfully recreating the vintage specifications.
The two-piece back makes generous use of Madagascar rosewood. This guitar offers a variety of visual textures, ranging from a fine, dense grain with a straight flow to a more undulating grain pattern. The
sides feature distinct black resin lines reminiscent of Brazilian rosewood. The ultra-high-density grain produces an attack and tonal range that are distinctly different from Indian rosewood.
- Greven Vintage D
- Many renowned workshops, primarily based overseas—such as Collings and Bourgeios—are currently active in crafting high-end Martin-style guitars.
Among them, Greven Guitars, led by master luthier John Greven, is particularly renowned for its pre-war Martin-style instruments.In addition to using Brazilian rosewood for its
top-of-the-line models, the company employs Madagascar rosewood, Honduran rosewood, and various hard-to-find varieties of Brazilian rosewood to produce guitars with an ideal sound.
- This is the 2007 “The Oshio D Vintage.”
- It is a rare model that combines the specifications of Greven’s popular “Vintage D” model with those of Kotaro Oshio’s signature model, “The Oshio D.” High-quality Madagascar rosewood is used to reproduce
the “rich, resonant sound” characteristic of vintage guitars, resulting in a sound with substantial power and weight.
Compared to Jacaranda, most Madagascar rosewood specimens have a whitish-brown hue, but this particular specimen features a distinctive grain with strong reddish tones and faint black lines. It also exhibits a color similar to that of Honduran rosewood.
As with Jacaranda, it’s clear that each specimen has its own unique character.
Honduran rosewood is so widely regarded as the quintessential “New Jacaranda” that it’s often referred to by that name. Compared to Madagascar rosewood, it has a stronger reddish-brown hue and a more uniform appearance, with fewer of the exotic resin-infused grain patterns found in Brazilian rosewood.It certainly has a drier sound than
Indian rosewood, and in terms of both dynamic range and definition, it possesses acoustic characteristics that make it a worthy substitute for Jacaranda.
Although it bears the name “Honduras,” it actually originates from Belize, a country located at the base of the Yucatán Peninsula, across the Gulf of Honduras.
In addition to guitars, it is used in high-end furniture, pianos, and xylophones, but it is currently difficult to obtain due to restrictions under the Washington Convention. Some luthiers even claim that its acoustic properties surpass those of Jacaranda.
While Madagascar rosewood is widely used by overseas brands such as Martin, Honduran rosewood is frequently favored by independent workshops in Japan. It is commonly referred to as “Hond Rose.”- HEADWAY
- Diviser Co., Ltd., which operates a factory in Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture.Led by master luthier Yasuo Momose, the company currently operates various brands, including momose, Bacchus, and HEADWAY.
HEADWAY, an acoustic guitar brand, suspended production in the 1980s after a fire destroyed its factory, but rebuilt its acoustic guitar production line in 1999.
Today, in addition to Indian rosewood, the company utilizes many rare woods, including New Jacaranda, to create a diverse lineup of models with rich tonal character.
- The HO Series is a popular line from HEADWAY. Unlike the 000-type HF Series, these are OM-type models with a longer scale.
- This is the HO-450, a limited-edition, high-grade model manufactured in 2003.It features dense Honduran rosewood.
Compared to other types of rosewood, it has a reddish hue. While it doesn’t produce as much resin as woods like Jacaranda or Madagascar rosewood, it still displays a rich, undulating grain pattern despite its dense texture, and its excellent response and tonal range deliver a sound befitting New Jacaranda. The luster of the finish also differs from that of Indian rosewood, giving it an appearance similar to Madagascar rosewood.
- Terry’s Terry
- Terry Nakamoto, whose real name is Terumi Nakamoto, was with Yamaha during the early days of the Japanese acoustic guitar industry and introduced numerous folk guitars to the world, including the FG series. High-end FG models crafted by Terry Nakamoto are now traded at high prices.
He has since launched his own brand, “Terry’s Terry,” and despite being high-end guitars, it is so popular that waiting several years for an order is commonplace. The brand has earned a reputation as Japan’s premier acoustic guitar. While he
occasionally uses materials like Brazilian rosewood, he is also known for his preference for Honduran rosewood in his standard models.
- This is the TJ-100, T’sT’s flagship model from 1996. It features outstanding sound across the entire frequency range, with unparalleled volume and harmonics.
- Unusually for Honduran rosewood, this instrument has a deep color and a blurred grain pattern, giving it the appearance of a darker Indian rosewood.
At first glance, it may not seem typical of Honduran rosewood, but many of the Honduran rosewood pieces used by T’sT have this type of grain. It may be that when selecting wood capable of producing T’sT’s unique, overwhelming harmonic richness, the resulting pieces naturally take on this appearance.
Afterword
In this article, we’ve introduced not only Martin’s models but also the rosewood used in various high-end models both domestically and internationally!
From top-tier manufacturers to independent workshops, New Jacaranda is being widely adopted in high-end models!
New Jacaranda is no longer merely a substitute—each variety has its own value and is highly prized!
Riding this wave, various leguminous rosewood species have been appearing one after another in recent years…! To be continued...