Madagascar Rosewood | TNAG Tonewood Review with Lindsay Straw

Madagascar rosewood, or Dalbergia Baronii, is another rosewood that is well-loved for its complex and luscious tone, oft compared to Brazilian rosewood. From single 0s to dreadnoughts, we're big fans of guitars made with this visually and tonally beautiful wood, especially when it's been ethically sourced. Learn a bit more about it today in our latest Tonewood Review!
Scripted and performed by ‪@LindsayStraw‬. Filmed and edited by Thien Phan.
For a luthier's perspective, don't miss Tom Sands' Mad Rose video!
• Madagascar Rosewood, M...
Learn more about the guitars played in this video:
Tippin Forte: thenorthamericanguitar.com/pr...
Collings D2 MR A: thenorthamericanguitar.com/pr...
Ryan Nightingale: thenorthamericanguitar.com/pr...
Lowden F-35c: thenorthamericanguitar.com/pr...
#acousticguitar #madagascarrosewood

[@alastair6356]

Nice playing lyndsay , I love the sound of the big Dreadnought rosewood D2h guitar. 🤩👍

[@jez6345789]

A great wood and a lovely round-up thanks Lindsay

[@aum3.146]

Great videos. Thanks.

[@TheGrasspond]

Excellent!!!

[@brownsfan7753]

Love this!!

[@TheHenkka65]

Nice! The brazilian Rosewood is a very 'flammable' wood. Lights up very easily. Indeed, the Madagascar rosewood is quite close.

[@caniwim12]

Very interesting, thanks for that review

[@TheNorthAmericanGuitar]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@carloszulu2651]

Reports of dwindling supplies make me glad I had my custom Madrose guitar (Redwood top) built 7 years ago. Excellent guitar for fingerpicking.

[@Andy_Classic]

I really want a Madrose guitar. It's just hard to save up that kind of money but damn there is nothing like it!

[@aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa790]

The Indian Rosewood actually sounds like Indian Instruments, like the sitar. I can hear a little bit of that in there. I had no idea that the very wood of an instrument could change the sounds so dramatically. That the very sounds of a culture aren't just from the shape of an instrument, but from the local species of trees as well.

[@timbucker]

Great video! I own a D28AA with Madi and what I've found is the pick makes a big difference getting the old Martin tone. IE, I can get closer to the Brazilian sound (bright/clear with deep lows) using a thinner/pointer pick and playing a little closer to the middle of the sound hole than what I would typically use with a Brazilian guitar, which would be a fatter/rounder pick closer to the bridge. Current pick is a Primetone .88 and loving the tone with Nanoweb 80/20 strings.

[@dgarner23]

WhA?

[@OfficialDPTheRealDeal]

I’ve found that a medium pick is better on my D28A ‘41. But I feel like a thinner pick kills the life out of the frequencies and this is coming from some young ears! (25 yr old)

[@BreadLightPray_EWFMgtr]

☑ One of my favorite Rosewoods for sure ❗ Mahogany is still my favorite b/s tonewood❗ I have discovered the more rare the esthetic cut of the wood the better they sound ; but maybe that is just the builder's putting their best work into the the more visually pleasingly cuts 🙂

[@duspar1]

I feel the same. I have a hard time getting away from Mahogany; I’m always looking for something similar and go back to the real deal! There’s no substitute! However, Madagascar Rosewood is the only rosewood for me! I like the tonality and the roar more that all of the others, except that I tend to like Panama and Amazon rosewoods. I like case-to-case all the others, but they have to be in context with they what their ingredients are, their builders, and they way they come out. Chances are high that if I had one of the others built, for example, it wouldn’t be the thing that I like about it. Exception, I could probably get some Honduran Rosewood built right for me. Madagascar rosewood, though, is sophisticated and intense, and the sort of “EQ” or whatever is very rarely not what I’d be looking for. I listen to as many examples as I can.

[@TheNorthAmericanGuitar]

We love good old mahogany, too! As fun as it is to talk about different woods, much of it really does just come down to the builder's technique and skill.

[@duspar1]

@@TheNorthAmericanGuitar Very true, and it’s always a treat to hear a skilled luthier’s example of mahogany. Without the skill or the desire for the best outcome, it can come out sort of bland and unbalanced, but even the lame examples have some excellent qualities to be found in them. It’s a strange way it convinces you to compensate in your playing or your writing that winds up surprising you, being both critical in its feedback and improving your focus at the same time. When you get it, it gives it in spades. But sorry, this is a Madagascar party 😅

[@SillyMoustache]

Beautiful playing by Lindsay and a good demo of "madrose". Some time ago I visited a luthier who had a good stock, but advised me that he couln't in conscience use it once he'd found out how it had been "collected" from the Island. After that, I decided that I would not want to own a Madrose guitar despite its sound and figure. I'd alreasdy decided that I didn't want to own a Brazilian rosewood guitar due to the CITES limitations. Therefore I will continue to cherish my East Indian rosewood guitars. Personal choice.

[@zeeb0w]

i’m so lucky to own a lowden s35 12 fret alpine spruce/madrose. it’s lovely, beautiful articulation. sustain and a warm tight bass. bought it after playing a similarly spec’d one at NAMM 2020 - and it was completed on my bday! what a coincidence!

[@TheNorthAmericanGuitar]

Lucky you! We're loving the 12-fret F-35 Mad rose we have in right now. It's also very articulate, and powerful.

[@zvonimirtosic6171]

All rosewoods on steel string guitars are very tricky woods. Between the two, MadRose guitar sounds more complex & open than the BrazRose guitar. It allows more mids. BrazRose is perhaps good on classical / nylon string guitars played in Spanish tuning, that are played bass line (lows) and melody line (highs) at the same time. That suits BrazRose tonal scooping, which also enhances "perceived projection" of quieter instruments. But on steel string guitars, which are producing more harmonics more quickly, it creates too much echo, rumble, boom, reverb then multiplied frequencies that congest the tonal picture.

[@andreioprisan7146]

Dalbergia Spruceana, Dalbergia maritima, and Dalbergia Baronii are all named madagascar rosewood, perhaps the only chance is to made some tree farms for all wonderfull rosewoods, same for Dalbergia retusa,Dalbergia Stevensonii and Dalbergia Spruceana, for Dalbergia nigra I understand it is forbiden to made tree farm outside of Brazilia...Perhaps we try to follow indian guvernment policy for rosewoods, after 100 years looks a good example to manage valourus tree species, talk with Bob Taylor and other people that love guitars.

[@alexwoolridge94aw]

Personally I think Brazilian Rosewood is just overhyped because that was what Martin used way back when. I've got a Gibson with a Brazilian board. when I play it I don't think about how the Brazilian Rosewood makes the guitar sound so good lol. My Custom Shop Martin HD28 has beautiful Indian Rosewood and that guitar sounds really good. In a blind test I doubt I could tell madi from Brazilian or indian

[@OfficialDPTheRealDeal]

There’s maybe a tad more bass and highs with Brazilian but not 48k difference, I would say Madagascar is the closet thing you can get to that Brazilian sound! For much less