05/09/2021
A recently published article, pinned by TSM.
Granadillo is a wood which arrived into the broader purview of guitar builders a little over a decade ago, when Gibson started incorporating its use as a fretboard in certain Les Paul models, as well as other Gibson guitar lines. Since this happened during a period when the legendary guitar manufacturer was experimenting with rosewood-alternative boards -- including the dreaded 'composite' fretboards; a major PR disaster, at the time -- many people assumed that this was just an extension of that corporate quest.
While that element was most certainly a factor, the fact that the US Govt had raided their facilities a year after Gibson incurred massive wood losses due to flooding (including a huge depletion of fretboard wood) left their corporate heads looking for fast, accessible solutions to raw material needs. Thus, Granadillo quickly transitioned from being a pleasant tonewood of a 'virtually unknown' status, outside of its indigenous Central American regions, to a worldwide curiosity. As more people came to understand its value as a worthy, dimensionally stable tonewood, a demand was created in the US exotic wood market where one, essentially, did not exist, prior.
With regard to that (US) market, there are many exotic wood experts who believe "Granadillo," "Macacauba" and "Hormigo" to be a different name for the same wood. Conversely, the Central American wood industry categorizes these three woods as entirely different species -- with Macacauba and Hormigo being harder and heavier than Granadillo.
From the varieties of each we've handled over the last eight years, we found Hormigo to possess a decidedly more golden brown appearance. Figuring seems to be more common in Hormigo than the other two, although it's still rare. (... as is the case with many of the Central American exotics.)
Red and purple secondary hues are not unusual to observe in both Granadillo and Macacauba -- with Granadillo typically having basic brown tones in the light-medium to medium-dark range, where as Macacauba is generally lighter in color. Over time, the secondary colors will mute: eventually fading to all brown tones, as the overall appearance of the wood darkens with continued UV-ray exposure and increased oxidation.
Many luthiers undoubtedly had a first instinct to reject Granadillo: thinking it to be unworthy of 'Les Paul' status, or a reflection of Gibson's desperation for raw materials at the time. Loads of guitarists and luthiers, alike, could never accept the notion of any guitar bearing the Gibson logo not having either rosewood or ebony as its fingerboard. (I was one of those guitarists, and have been a part of such conversations.)
Disgruntled players leads to disappointed retail sellers. Indeed, it was a turbulent time for Gibson.
Gibson had actually begun experimenting with rosewood substitutes, prior to that period: not far along into this new millennium. Granadillo certainly suffered as a result of many people's natural prejudices, and a general reluctance to embrace what was viewed by most as a wholesale change to some of Gibson's flagship models. (... including the ES-335, SG, and many others, in addition to the different Les Paul varieties.)
Years later, many luthiers have set those prejudices aside. Granadillo is actually as stable a wood as Brazilian Rosewood, and possesses similar sonic response and resonance, as well as weight and hardness. (... but a decidedly different texture, as the accompanying photo clearly bears out.)
The Granadillo fretboard blank pictured has some of the most radical aesthetics -- grains and color -- we've ever seen in the species. In all candidness, most Granadillo you see is fairly forgettable in terms of appearance. This particular piece is anything but that. :)
