Jim,
Great work as always 
Care to share your source for that veneer?
I'd like to look into it a bit.
Thanks
Check out thouge on ebay. But you won't find this batch of rosewood as I bought their entire stock.
Also, be aware that thouge only offers raw veneers. You have to do all the splicing yourself and unless you have a veneer press, it is very difficult to apply with good results that will hold up over time.
Where rosewood is concerned, most people think of classic Brazilian rosewood. But it is rare and VERY expensive as there is a logging ban and it is no longer legal to harvest rosewood in Brazil. I have tried to purchase it for HT3's in the past and could never get enough from the same log.
This batch is Santos rosewood. Other similar veneers include kingwood.
Rosewoods come in many flavors and vary greatly in color and grain pattern depending on where the tree grew. Nigerian rosewood and Bolivian rosewood are more common but their colors are quite different. Bubinga and Mexican Cocobolo are also true rosewoods but look totally different.
Many speaker manufacturers offering "rosewood" finishes are using common woods with cathedral grain patterns and then dyeing them red. It isn't rosewood at all and doesn't even look close, but it fools many consumers.
And, of course, there is always "Italian rosewood." When you see the word "Italian" in the veneer name, it is usually manufactured veneer made of dyed reconstituted wood fibers. Next to a real veneer, they don't stack up. But on their own, they can look quite real. The untrained might never know that they are looking at a manufactured veneer. The tip off is that they are a little too perfect and the grain patterns repeat.
- Jim
