Only the rich can afford cocobolo

[DennisG]

I'm a huge fan of cocobolo, and thought I'd check to see what current prices are like -- so I went to my local dealer and looked at guitars from a top-notch maker that often uses unusual or hard-to-find tone woods.  For reference, I checked the price of a model with Sitka and EIR.  Thinking it was pricy, but within reach, I contacted the company to spec the identical guitar, but with Adi and cocobolo.  I almost plotzed when the spec came back $5000 more than the Sitka/EIR guitar.

It isn't just this one luthier either.  Every guitar maker is adding on an enormous upcharge for cocobolo, which has priced me right out of the market.  So, just wondering ... are other tone woods becoming impossibly expensive?

[Frettingflyer]

I am so sorry to hear that, my Coco GC custom, bought used is just a phenomenal instrument that I can not do justice to but boy does it sing. I don’t take it out of the house because I could never afford to replace it. I believe the reason Taylor doesn’t make Coco guitars anymore is because people were dying harvesting it do to gang involvement. I just wish there was another more available wood that does what the Cocobolo does.

[Strumming Fool]

Yeah, the days of tonewoods like Cocobolo, Madagascar rosewood and Macassar ebony are behind us and certainly out of my financial reach. On the other hand, Taylor appears to have adapted to this new reality with woods like Ovangkol, Blackwood, Shamel Ash, among others to provide other alternatives that can result in great-sounding guitars. I also like the way they have raised the level of maple from a  "niche" guitar wood to a go-to tonewood. Anyway, I'm trying not to look back on those good old exotic wood days, and move on....

[Edward]

Long ago, I sold a gorgeous 2013 Spring Ltd which was euro spruce and macassar: amazing tone that was deep, rich, and beautiful!  Far more than visually stunning, it had a voice that was like no other Taylor, and unquestionably filled a sonic niche that I did not have.  And by today's standards, on the rarer and more costly side.

I miss it at times (like now with all this talk! ), but remind myself not to regret that sale.  It was fabulous for the time, a splendid instrument for a season, and I am fortunate to have experienced it for the time I did.  But ultimately, we change and move on.  At the time, it was not a "fit" for me, and as so often the case I needed to balance out the gear which I really needed/wanted against that which fulfilled the occasional itch.  So yeah, I miss it on occasion.  But I can't regret what I was able to enjoy.  This, and I see the beauties on the wall and can only be unspeakably thankful for the awesomeness that is at mere arm's reach.

If you can swing the "dream guit" now, great!  But there is no shortage of "awesome" now, within our grasp. Look forward, all!  Just sayin

Edward

[Earl]

I can relate, having recently sold a truly nice 2006 koa/spruce GS to a friend (who still thinks I was crazy to part with it).  I sat next to him at a jam last night, and that guitar sounded GOOD, especially in his hands.  It is already in his will for his son, a local pro player.  Taylor simply cannot get great flamed koa like that one anymore.  They can source plenty enough koa, but it is much plainer than even ten years ago.  It is unfortunate that these exotic guitar woods are becoming endangered and in short supply.  Even more unfortunate that they are being poached and exploited in damaging, unsustainable ways.  Enjoy them while you have them! 

There was a time when most instruments were built with locally sourced woods because transportation was a limiting factor.  You did not see much koa in Scandinavia for example.  Adirondak (red) spruce was used by Martin since it grew all around them - until it was used heavily for WWII for airplane parts.  Furniture in Hawaii a century ago was built from koa and mango, because that is what they had on hand.  I have personally sat on benches in hotel lobbies made from gorgeous 3" thick koa slabs and wondered silently about how many guitars that simple bench could make?

[SoCalSurf]

Taylor simply cannot get great flamed koa like that one anymore.  They can source plenty enough koa, but it is much plainer than even ten years ago.  It is unfortunate that these exotic guitar woods are becoming endangered and in short supply.  Even more unfortunate that they are being poached and exploited in damaging, unsustainable ways.  Enjoy them while you have them!

I agree with most of your points but visited the Taylor factor and they seemed to have a lot of amazing wood sets available. Granted, these were likely for custom models. But my 2019 K24ce (standard, run-of-the-mill) had one of the nicest koa sets I've ever seen.

All in agreement with the endangered woods being in short supply. But I believe Taylor will continue to find amazing wood for their instruments.

[Edward]

... Taylor simply cannot get great flamed koa like that one anymore.  They can source plenty enough koa, but it is much plainer than even ten years ago.  It is unfortunate that these exotic guitar woods are becoming endangered and in short supply.  Even more unfortunate that they are being poached and exploited in damaging, unsustainable ways.  Enjoy them while you have them! 

Yeah, I hear ya, Earl! 
Sure, Taylor has the fine woods still in the stash, but I have no doubt that the truly select pieces are few, and reserved for the uber-special builds. It's a point of economics and low supply, to be sure, not to mention an historical short-sightedness for what was ignored as a scarce commodity (so big Kudos to Bob and Kurt their Cameroon project!).  FWIW, my two "guits in the will" (yeah, literal ), are a couple of RTs: one a 12er with flamed b/s and the other with quilted b/s and Engelmann top.  No shortage of maple, this we know.  But this grade of maple is off the charts.  And Engelmann not only is getting hard to source (witness how few are built by anyone, and Taylor's use of lutz from when Engel was readily available) but this guitar has an evenness and silking that is nothing short of stellar!  As I had intimated in my previous post, I enjoy these, and my others incl. the electrics, with as much gusto as humility as they are far finer instruments than my meagre skills can attest.  But that ain't stoppin me from rockin them hard as much as loving the heck out of em!  Heck, already had to do a refret on a few of them.  By the time the kids get em, they'll prob be due for another, LOL!

Play on, and enjoy the ride, all!

Edward

[horax]

i've alwasy loved and coveted a cocobollo guitar...especially one by Taylor.
I've never been able to afford one, but I did get a custom pen made in cocobollo....it was $70.00 and has a guitar neck for a clip. It's really cool and people love it.

I hope taht maybe someday I can afford one for retirement in 20 years, but I doubt that will be top on my list when that time comes.
 
Taylor has brought in other woods that are really quite cool. I've become quite fond of my AD17e with Ovangkol back and sides. I had a GS Mini with OVnagkol and fell in love with the tone and look. My AD has a different look because they died the wood to be darker and less orange. It soujnds amazing!

One thing that I wasn't sure about that I've really fallen for is the eucapytus fretboard and bridge.  Who'd have thunk it?  I'm an ebony fan all the way, but the eucalyptus is amazing and someday might be looked at as an exotic type of wood.

I'm impressed with Taylor and their commitment to keeping sustainable woods in the rotation..plus, we are learning that other woods besides the standards are as pretty and rich sounding as the classsics.