Peghead Overlay Veneer
The peghead overlay is the face of your stringed instrument: the finishing touch of quality. Our veneers are large enough for guitar, banjo or mandolin. Classic or exotic, our high quailty veneers will help you define the final look of your custom instrument.
Ebony
Our Ebony (Diospyros crassiflora) comes from West Africa and tends to be more uniformly black than we have seen from other sources. However, most African ebony is not perfectly jet black, most boards have some visible grain and occasional streaks of greys and tans. We think these visual variations offer character and enhance the aesthetics of most guitars, but if you desire a perfectly dark, jet black appearance consider using our Black Fingerboard Stain to darken the board and create the desired visual effect.
Brazilian Rosewood
Act fast! We only have a limited amount of these Brazilian Rosewood (Dalbergia nigra) overlays. It's visually stunning, with shades of black to chocolate brown coloring. The striking black grainlines range from intense spider-webbing to long, elegant waves. With commercial logging restricted in the 1960s and CITES regulation in the 1990s, these blanks are disappearing rapidly.
Madagascar Rosewood
Madagascar Rosewood (Dalbergia baroni) is the closest commercially available substitute for Brazilian Rosewood (Dalbergia nigra). Our overlays range from ones with strong variegation, black ink lines and beautiful color contrast, to ones with a more uniform, brown, straight grained appearance. If you're looking for a perfect old-school rosewood appearance these are what you want.
Indian Rosewood
For decades, Indian Rosewood (Dalbergia latifolia) has been the go-to choice for boutique builders and major manufacturers because it's beautiful, extremely stable, and often much less expensive than more exotic rosewoods. In recent years, there have been wide swings in the quality of Indian Rosewood, but our team has procured sustainable sources of some of the darkest, most even and straight-grained Indian Rosewood available anywhere.
Cocobolo
Cocobolo (Dalbergia retusa) is another true rosewood, that provides a rich, custom look to any instrument. Freshly sanded Cocobolo often appears somewhere between orange and red, but over time it oxidizes nicely to a deep burgundy—almost black—color.
Granadillo
Since all rosewoods are now part of the CITES treaty and international export is prohibited, Granadillo (Platymiscium yucatanum) has been rising in popularity among European and North American builders. It is an extremely inexpensive, dense, non-porous wood that has a familiar "rosewood look" without being a true Dalbergia. Granadillo's color ranges between sandy and "brick" brown and it oxidizes over time to a warm dark brown patina.
Ovangkol
Ovangkol (Guibourtia ehie) has been used for years for acoustic guitar back and side sets, but more recently it has become a popular choice for other parts of the instrument. Similar in density to Indian Rosewood, Ovangkol is another suitable substitute for CITES restricted rosewoods. Most boards are light to medium brown with dark brown and black grain lines that have an exotic, refined look that makes it a great choice for custom guitar makers.
Padauk
Padauk (Pterocarpus soyauxii) is an opened grained wood that is easy to machine and glue, and offers an extremely beautiful, exotic look to your next custom build. This wood is extremely popular with high end electric guitar makers and its striking pink/red color and perfectly straight grain create a stunning visual effect.
Pau Ferro
In recent years Pau Ferro (Machaerium scleroxylon) has become more popular—especially with electric guitar builders—due to its exotic beauty, sustainability, and low cost—plus, it's non-porous surface makes finishing an absolute dream.