Indian Rosewood: Dalbergia Latifolia
Indian rosewood is the most commonly used rosewood these days. Widely grown Southeast Asia, it is readily renewable and available. In India, it is grown as a shade cover in coffee plantations, however the grain is wide, indicating fast growth and the color is gray-brownish. Luthiers prefer wild grown wood for its slower growth, better color and greater density, producing better sounding instruments. Indian rosewood is the most consistently colored and grained of instrument woods. It is an even, straight grained striped dark purplish-brown and light brown striped wood with occasional lovely highlights of orange, green, red, or black. The sound is dark, warm, and loud with good bass and mids.