Microberlina Brazzavillensis

The back and sides of Clark's guitar are going to be Zebrawood (microberlina brazzavillensis), a very boldly striped hardwood from west Africa. Here's a picture of the back and sides of what will be Clark's guitar:


The back, top, and sides are all bookmatched pieces of wood i.e. when the wood is sawn, instead of sliding the second piece over on top of the first, the second piece is flipped over onto the top. When you then open the two pieces like a book, the grain of each piece matches the other from the outside in (or vice versa). This is important not only for appearance but also for structural reasons.

This is some very beautiful wood. I've never seen a guitar or anything for that matter made out of it. It is supposed to be about the same density, have the same workability and resonance as East Indian Rosewood, which is what the majority of guitars are made out of. And it cost about the same, so Clark is going to have a very distinctive looking guitar. I can't wait to see what it looks like under a finish.