Macassar Ebony

Origin: Indonesia

Used On: Limited Editions, Custom Guitars

Another dense hardwood, Macassar boasts a lot of presence and is typically clear and loud with a broad dynamic range. It seems to be a wood that is uniquely responsive to different playing styles. It has a strong bass and lower mids; clear and transparent highs that respond like an accelerator pedal as you move your right hand closer to the bridge and dig in a bit; and a slightly scooped midrange.

Macassar likes to be played hard, and tends to take a slightly longer period of playing time to open up. When it's used with a softer top wood like cedar or redwood, it makes a balanced instrument. When topped with Adirondack spruce it becomes an all-out cannon. Some players tend to pull more brightness out of the wood; others, like Bob Taylor, tap into its darker side.

"To me, Macassar has a great 'low-fi,' old Gibson vibe," Bob says. "It's dark, it's dense, it's heavy. It's killer for a very manly, old school strum. We put a super clear 'finishing salt' on its tonal flavor using our style of construction to brighten it up, but to my ear the tonal beauty of this wood is the low-fi vibe. I love the sound. I bought one."

Goes Well With: Old-school strummers and players with a heavy picking hand who like a thick old school sound; players who struggle to get enough brightness and articulation from traditional woods.