About the WOOD

Texas is privileged to have an amazing diversity of tree species. Most of these trees yield incredible sounding woods for use in the construction of stringed instruments. Some of theses woods are familiar and some not-so-familiar.

Using a wealth of knowledge garnered from the use of traditional woods, Cardinal has been able to make other non-traditional woods available for use in musical instrument with spectacular results... and they're right here in our own backyard, literally!

Here's a list of what we usually have in stock, and a brief tonal description that references some classic tone woods and sounds. We have others, but they depend on availability.

  • Mesquite

    The star of Texas woods. Highly figured, stable with a clear bell-like tone. We use it for bodies, necks and fretboards. WE LOVE IT!!

  • Pecan

    Varies widely in figure, but consistent in tone. Think walnut but brighter. Good for necks and bodies.

  • Texas Walnut

    Lots of this in Texas. Ours in Austin is Texas walnut, and features a little more figure than Black walnut. We like it for necks and bodies and sometimes fretboards.

  • Eastern Red Cedar

    Actually it's a juniper, but most know it as cedar. Stable, warm and airy sounding. Bodies only and truly unique. Relatively lightweight.

  • Loblolly Pine

    Plentiful here in central Texas. Sounds a lot like swamp ash to us, but a little more attenuated in the highs. Makes a great body, and we like it Formica covered as well.

  • Antique Pine*

    Most of our stock is 100+ years-old. It's almost all longleaf pine that has a great spank to it. Truly unique sounding and it has a great straight grain. Or go crazy with the "nail hole" look. This is an up -charge wood. Bodies only. Varies in weight.

  • Bois d'Arc

    Also known as osage orange. Used by the Osage nation to make bows. Brilliant yellow nice balanced highs with some snap in the lows. A very special wood used for bodies, necks and fretboards.

  • Texas Ebony*

    Amazing figure, super dense (like ebony maybe?!) and very stable. We treat as a tropical ebony substitute with very similar results. Necks and fretboards, but maybe bodies. This is an up-charge wood.

  • American Persimmon*

    This includes the Eastern and Texas variety. It's in the same genus as the tropical ebonies (Diospyros sp.). Not as consistent in its color as the commonly used ebonies, but it has a great figure and similar tonal qualities to some of the tropical ebonies. Fretboards and tops only at the moment. This is an up-charge wood.

  • American Elm

    An underrated wood. Sounds like maple, but warmer in the highs. This is an amazing tone wood and looks incredible. We use this and Cedar Elm for bodies and tops only.

  • Spalted Pecan*

    Spalted version retains the sonic characterisitics of standard pecan, but looks amazing. We like to use it for bodies. This is an up-charge wood.

  • Figured Mesquite*

    Intensely figured Mesquite doesn't come along very often. Not only is it beautiful, but it sounds great! This is an up-charge wood.

Here's a short list of other native Texas woods that we will use as availability allows:

  • Sycamore
  • Texas Ash
  • Huisache
  • Black Cherry
  • Escarpment Cherry
  • Cypress (lots of this around Austin)
  • White Oak
  • Box Elder (stay tuned for details on this, it's amazing looking, but we need to do some tonal evaluations)
  • Cedar Elm

There's more, so stay tuned!!