Scientific name: Dalbergia cearensis
Origin: Brazil (occasionally from Mexico)
Other names: Palo Violeta
Average density: 75lbs/ft3 – 1200kg/m3
Uses: Guitar back and sides, fingerboards, bridges
The heartwood is dark purplish or reddish brown with darker black streaks. Sapwood is a pale yellow. The grain is usually straight, occasionally interlocked, with a fine uniform texture and a high natural luster. It tends to be difficult to work with, due to its high density and has a moderate blunting effect on cutters. Can be difficult to glue due to natural oils and high density. Turns very well and takes a high polish. Considered a true rosewood in the Dalbergia genus, Kingwood is among the densest, and probably strongest, of all the rosewoods. It is extremely stiff, strong, and stable.
In terms of its history, Kingwood supposedly got its name from several French kings (Louis XIV and Louis XV) that preferred the wood for their fine furniture. For guitar building, it has all of the sound characteristics you would expect from a tropical hardwood.