Scientific name: Dalbergia latifolia
Origin: East India
Other names: East Indian Rosewood, Palosanto de India
Average density: 52lbs/ft3 – 830kg/m3
Uses: Guitar back and sides, headplates, bridges, fingerboards, pegheads, turnery
The colour ranges from red to light brown with golden streaks, but often presents various shades of purple which eventually oxidize to brown. It glues and finishes well, is easy to work with tools and bends well by hand or machine. It has a distinct, rose-like scent when being worked and is very durable and resistant to termite attack. The grading depends on the narrowness of the grain and color uniformity. East Indian Rosewood has been used extensively on acoustic and classical guitars since the mid-1960s as a lighter, not so dense, but more stable substitute for the now-endangered Brazilian Rosewood.