Does anyone know the proper definitions of these? I looked in the dictionary, and all three are defined as “the wood of any of various trees of the genus Dalbergia,” cocus and cocobola, were both “especially” of the same species. One of them was also defined as the wood of the grenadilla tree. (sorry, my home dictionary doesn’t have all of the info)
I haven’t seen much of them, but to me cocus and cocobola don’t look much like rosewood.
Are they the wood of the same tree grown in different areas?
According to the Academic Press Dictionary of Science and Technology
cocobola Materials. an extremely hard and heavy wood having orange and red bands with dark streaks, obtained from the Dolbergia retusa tree of Central America; it is used for canes, knife handles, and inlaying. Botany. the tree itself.
According to wood-floors.com http://www.wood-floors.com/exotic_woods.htm
(the pic on this site looks a lot like my thin weasel in terms of color and grain)
Cocobola: Known as granadillo, grows along the pacific seaboard of Central America from Mexico to Panama. When freshly cut, the heartwood is an array of colors, from lemon-orange to deep rich red with variegated streaks. Grain varies from straight, to irregular and is sometimes wavy, with a fine, medium, uniform texture. Dries out slowly, with a tendency to check, and split, but is very stable in service. Has high mechanical strength in all categories.
(this page also has sections on two different kinds of rosewoods)
according to http://www.cekron.com/glossary.htm (a bagpipe maker)
Cocus was the premier choice of woodwind makers (including bagpipe makers) for hundreds of years. Its cost now prohibits popular use. Initially yellowish green to brownish olive in color, it reddens and darkens with age and handling. It is found in Jamaica and Cuba. Its botanical name is Brya ebenus, and is also called Jamaican ebony.
And, if I may impose my own personal curiousity here, is there any difference in the durability of these? I’ve often wondered if one is less likely to split than the others.
Part of my own hesitation in purchasing the wooden whistles (besides the price) is the risk of seeing my investment unravel. I live in an area that ranges from very humid to very dry, and have always wondered…
Chas,
I haven’t found any information on Cocus. Aren’t Cocobolo and Rosewood the ones with similar specs?
There have been some wood discussions on the Uilleann Pipe forum. Here are some URL’s that give descriptions of the various species in this post.
I have a small arsenal of Uilleann Pipe chanters:
one Cocobolo chanter in D
one Blackwood chanter in D
one Australian hardwood chanter in D
one Ebony chanter in C
one Rosewood chanter in B
The least to most responsive wood comparison seems to be the Cocobolo, then Rosewood, Blackwood, Ebony and the Australian hardwood
Taking into consideration they were made by different pipemakers of similar designs, my D chanters all use the same reed with little or no adjustments when switching from one to the other. The Cocobolo chanter is much quieter.
Jeferson,
Wooden mouth blown instruments generally have no humidity problems when properly cared for. You can always use a few drops of bore oil 3-4 times a year… or follow your instrument makers suggestions.
Chas… Cocobolo & Rosewood look similar, it’s the Cocus wood that’s different. From the pictures, it has a lighter yellowish color.
Interesting note about Cocobolo splitting, I thought it was one of the more stable woods. One pipemaker I deal with, mentioned he had Cocobolo survive his dishwasher treatment. I’m wondering if he’s been making wooden soup spoons from the stuff.
[ This Message was edited by: Tony on 2002-01-16 08:11 ]
Thenks for your responses. I did a little more digging in the library this morning, and the info I had gotten yesterday was a bit imcomplete. Cocobola is as I had posted yesterday, Dalbergia, esp. retusa; Rosewood is also Dalbergia, of a few other species depending on origin (Brazilian, Honduran, etc.). Grenadilla, however, seems to be all over the place, being cocus (Brye ebeniss as someone had posted), cocobola, and trees from a few other genera.