| African Rosewood, also known as Bubinga, comes | | | | the Ivory Coast, Ghana, southern Nigeria and Gabon. |
| from the Ivory Coast, Gabon and Cameroons. | | | | Ovangkol timber heartwood is yellow brown to deep |
| Bubinga is bright and rich, varying greatly in colour | | | | chocolate brown with gray black stripes . Ovangkol |
| from pinks, oranges, reds and dark browns. The | | | | timber grain is interlocked and the texture is |
| heartwood can be rose-coloured with red-purple | | | | moderately coarse. Tonally, Ovangkol back and sides |
| veins and darker purple stripes. African Rosewood | | | | sits between strong Rosewood and the highs of |
| timber has interlocking grain, is harder and heavier | | | | Maple. |
| than Brazilian Rosewood, and has a medium-fine | | | | Padouk is a deep coloured timber also known as |
| texture. Bubinga's pinkish mauve cast will oxidize to a | | | | Pterocarpus Soyauxii, Mbe, Mbil, Mututi, Ngula and |
| brownish-red over time. African Rosewood can be | | | | Bosulu. Padauk or Padouk is found in Central and |
| plain or mottled. | | | | tropical West Africa, extending from south-western |
| There are many Mahogany species in Africa. One | | | | Nigeria to Zaire. The timber is bright orange or almost |
| used in acoustic guitar making is known as Khaya | | | | crimson and as guitar tonewood has good, straight |
| Mahogany. Khaya Mahogany is found in tropical Africa | | | | grain, slightly harder and heavier than Indian |
| and Madagascar. Khaya Mahogany is light pink to | | | | Rosewood, with fine to medium texture. Padouk |
| medium brown to red brown in colour. Khaya | | | | timber oxidizes to a darker, rich purple-brown over |
| Mahogany is superior in strength to Sapele Mahogany, | | | | time. Padauk guitars have a strong tone. |
| another African Mahogany used in acoustic guitar | | | | Wenge is a deep dark chocolate brown timber found |
| building. It has a moderately coarse texture which is | | | | in Zaire, Cameroon and Gabon, Africa. Millettia |
| sometimes interlocked, sometimes straight. | | | | Laurentii tonewood is brown with evenly spaced, fine |
| Interlocked grain produces a striped figure on | | | | black veins and dark and light brown bands. Wenge |
| quartersawn surfaces (best for guitars). Like most | | | | acoustic guitar back and sides timber has a tight |
| Mahogany species Khaya Mahogany guitars are warm | | | | straight grain, across the entire width and a coarse |
| and clear with good balance. | | | | texture. Wenge guitar tonewood is heavier than East |
| The other Mahogany familiar to luthiers is Sapele | | | | Indian and Brazilian Rosewood and like most African |
| Mahogany. Entandrophragma Cylindricum is found in | | | | timbers a Wenge guitar has a nice strong tone. |
| West, Central and East African rain forests, the | | | | Zebrawood is named for it's intense stripes. |
| Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Uganda, Zaire | | | | Microberlinia Brazzavillensis is found in Africa, Gabon |
| and Tanzania. Sapele Mahogany timber has salmon | | | | and Cameroons. Zebrawood timber has bold colours |
| pink heartwood and pale yellow sapwood. The pink | | | | evenly striped overall with gold-tan, yellows and dark |
| heartwood can change to red brown with age. | | | | browns. The timber has coarse to very coarse grain |
| Sapele Mahogany wood has close texture with | | | | texture, and is similar in density to East Indian |
| interlocking grain which changes in direction and can | | | | Rosewood. Tonally Zebrawood has the same |
| be regularly striped. Also it can have large irregular | | | | resonance as East Indian Rosewood. |
| pores, interspersed with bands of small pores. Wavy | | | | The cream of the African timbers for acoustic guitar |
| grain produces very intense fiddleback or mottled | | | | building is African Blackwood, which is actually a |
| figures making the appearance very 3D. Sapele | | | | Rosewood. Dalbergia Melanoxylon is purplish black to |
| Mahogany tonewood is heavier than other African | | | | dark brown with black streaks. African Blackwood |
| Mahogany, but not as strong. | | | | timber has a fine grain and polishes well and is said by |
| Ovangkol is relatively new to acoustic guitar building. | | | | some to be better than Brazilian Rosewood. African |
| Guibourtia Ehie, also known as Mozambique, Shedua, | | | | Blackwood tonewood has excellent response, and |
| Amazoue and Amazakoue is found in West Africa, | | | | the taptone is fantastic. |