An Indian Rosewood Alternative

Uses

It’s wood is often used for making fingerboards for electric guitars and basses. It has a similar feel and similar tonal attributes to rosewood but is near 1000 points softer on the janka hardness scale on average or more than all of the commonly traded species of rosewood except for Sisso and Amazonian rosewood. It also ranks lower in density of 5-10lbs per cubic foot compared to common rosewoods (roughly 54lbs/cf compared to 60-66lbs/cf). Though it does have a negligibly higher crushing strength and modulus of rupture than a few species of rosewood. Pau Ferro is lighter colored having more tans and light browns contrasting darker areas of its figure. The wood may also be used for flooring, fancy furniture, and handgun grips. It is also known by the names morado, palo santo, caviuna, Brazilian ironwood, and Bolivian rosewood, though it is not actually rosewood.

In guitar making, pau ferro is mainly used for fingerboards and bridges. Some luthiers also use it for the back and sides of acoustic guitars. The Brazilian guitar company Giannini uses laminated pau ferro in many of their classical guitars. Although similar in many ways to rosewood, pau ferro has slightly different qualities: Its coloration ranges from coffee brown to yellow brown and purple. The tonal characteristics are said to be between rosewood and ebony, with a slightly "snappier" sound, being "slightly brighter than rosewood but with the same depth and warmth".