"Granadillo" fingerboard (NMC)

[multidon]

This is a project classical guitar I am working on. Not related to mandolins but I think the luthiers on this forum are the best in the business and I always get great advice. It is a "Garcia" MIJ, and the label is like nothing I've ever seen because it lists all the various woods used and the country of origin. Well in the case of the fingerboard it is listed as from Africa, which is funny because that is the only item in which a continent is listed rather than a specific country. Anyway it is listed as "Granadillo" which I have never heard of. I am familiar with "Grenadillo" which I believe to be a type of ebony which is used to make clarinets. But this "Granadillo" wood does not look dense and tight like ebony, more open pore looking like rosewood. I believe it to be undyed, it does not have a prominent grain and it is very, very dark brown almost black in color. Is anyone familiar with this wood? Also, the fingerboard has some significant finger wear divots on the wood of frets 1-4. The frets are still pretty decent (nylon strings after all) and the divots don't seem to affect playability yet. The guitar would be for my own use. Is it possible to fill those divots with some sort of filler material to level them out? Or is my only option to pull the frets, plane the board, and refret? If that is the the only option I may just leave it alone. But I am curious about the wood. Thanks in advance to the luthier community here!

Some additional information before someone suggests I just google it, already did that. My fingerboard wood does not sound like the species I found. LMI used to carry it but that granadillo is much redder than mine and the description says that granadillo has a closed structure and grows in Central/South America. My label clearly says Africa for origin if you can believe it and my wood has an open pore structure somewhat like rosewood.

[Joe Mendel]

I've built several octave mandolins and ukes from granadillo (back and sides and headstock veneer), it's a lot like rosewood and should make a really nice fingerboards. As far as I know granadillo is from Central America. I have another octave underway using it and several sets left that vary from reddish to dark chocolate brown, it's one of my favorite woods.
I have heard the name grenadillo, but have no information about it.


Here's the listing from Hibdon Hardwood's site;

Common Name:
Granadillo
Other Common Names:
Coyote, Guayacan

Botanical Name:
Platymiscium spp.

Family:
Leguminosae

Mature Tree Height, Diameter:
80 ft , 2 - 3 1/2 ft

Weight @ 12% M/C:
55 - 73 lbs./ft.3

Working Properties:
Not difficult to work, finishes smoothly, and takes a high polish.

Growing Regions:
Southern Mexico to the Brazilian Amazon region, and Trinidad.

General Characteristics:
Granadillo comes in red, black or brown colors. The black is much like Morado -- a dark brown, usually distinctly striped, grain straight, texture mostly medium to fine. The red is much like Honduras Rosewood -- a reddish-brown, grain frequently irregular, prone to show figure, texture mostly medium to fine.

Uses:
Cabinetry, turnery, musical instruments, billiard cues.

Acceptable Substitutes:

References:
"Tropical Timbers of the World", USDA Handbook #607, Sept. 1984, p. 135

Discussion:
Often used as a substitute for Honduras Rosewood it has very similar properties. Even the fragrant odor.

[Marty Jacobson]

I have heard "Granadillo" (grenadillo?) refer to African Blackwood (used for oboes, clarinets, etc.). I was given some by Harry Vas Dias, the baroque oboe maker, when I was a kid. I cut the tip of my thumb off trying to cut it... but that's another story (I was fifteen...).

I've also heard "Granadillo" refer a rosewood-like wood also called Macacaube, Macacauba, or Macawood. Actually looks a lot like Gonçalo Alves, red with black streaks, but lighter and more porous than Gonçalo. I bought a piece of it the size of a door, and it flew out of the back of my pickup truck on the highway. Shattered into a million pieces. I foolishly collected them all. (That time, I was eighteen...)

[billhay4]

So which one of the million pieces was that cool guitar made of, Martin?
Bill

[multidon]

Martin I believe you are right. It seems the true "Granadillo" grows in Latin America, not Africa. I bet the label designation is a corruption of "Grenadilla" which would make it African Blackwood, which is a Dalbergia. That would explain the open pore similarity to other types of rosewood. Based on my own research plus the answers I got here that's my story and I am sticking to it. Wood names are so annoying. There are so many trade names and colloquial names for the same thing. It makes things get really fuzzy.

I am still curious what folks think I should do with the finger wear divots. Leave them alone? Try to fill them with something? Pull frets and plane the board? Cosmetics aren't important just playability. These MIJ Garcias are all laminate and not rare, valuable, or collectable unless you are interested in the history of them (the importer tried to pass them off as Spanish made. They were sued. Mine is labeled MIJ so post lawsuit. They were sold through guitar teachers. Story supposedly at least one university level guitar professor lost his job over the situation.) It sounds WAY better than it has a right to. The back and sides are a really attractive flame maple (although a laminate) and the label says the maple was sourced in India. What? I didn't even know maples grew in India!

[Joe Mendel]

Don, there are a couple of ways you can deal with the divots if they really bother you. The best way is to find matching wood, then remove the frets where the divots are, cut slots (use the method of your choice) from fret slot to fret slot, with the edges of the slots directly under where the strings lay over the FB and inlay the new wood & re-install the frets. If the new wood matches well, the repair can be almost invisible. Another way, which is not approved of by some folks, is to use suitably colored sawdust and superglue to fill the divots. Since this is not an collectible guitar that might be a reasonable way to do it. It's not a perfect repair & will probably be shiny-er than the rest of the FB, but it will last a long time.

[whistler]

It seems that 'granadillo', 'grenadillo' and 'grenadilla' are all names loosely applied to various dense, dark coloured, tropical hardwoods, including African blackwood Dalbergia melanoxylon, cocobolo Dalbergia retusa and a carribean species Brya ebenus (cited on Wikipedia as being one of the species traded as 'cocuswood' - also know as 'Jamaica ebony', 'American ebony' and 'green ebony').

A granadilla, of course, is a passionfruit - no relation.

[Tom Haywood]

I just saw a '69 Martin D28 that a friend bought in Nashville last week. The guitar appears to have had some repairs that are well done. Fret board divots were filled and colored with something that is real obvious under a decent light. I was taught that fingernail divots generally don't affect the sound or playability, so leave them alone. But then, I really don't like to see them.

[slausonm]

I have heard "Granadillo" (grenadillo?) refer to African Blackwood (used for oboes, clarinets, etc.)...
I've also heard "Granadillo" refer a rosewood-like wood...

Oboes and clarinets are made of grenadilla wood, or that is what it was called in repair school and most of the repair manuals on band instrument repair I own. It wasn't until recently that I learned of granadillo wood when trying o finds rosewood type materials for my mandolin project.