We Found The Mother Lode of Brazilian Rosewood! 

If you're interested in owning a piece of wood from this story, go check out our new tonewood website! www.driftwoodguitars.com/tonewood

Great story! I actually welled up a bit when Christine commented, "...and I'm very happy that this furniture has found a new home in the hands of a very able luthier!" and "I'm very happy it is now finding a new purpose being reused as musical instruments and I can't wait to see what Chris will make of it!!" Here here!! What a lovely lady and a wonderful find!! All the best to you Chris and Matt - I can't wait to see what you guys do with this either!! 💜

It is perfectly fine re- purposing that furniture! You should make a line of guitars called "Christine " with a special design

In the early 80s my brother built a house. He put in some nice hardwood a few years later. He picked out some Rosewood. The guy said you are lucky , you won't be able to get this stuff soon. He bought the last of this guys Brazilian rosewood..... yep. 3/4 inch 4 inch wide. All through his house. I had walked on it for years not realizing what it was. I gave him a real good idea what I all was worth.. he just chuckles... some very beautiful figuring too..

Today is my birthday and this video is one of the best gift I received today. Not only a wonderful story of Chris and Matt’s journey buying their gorgeous Brazilian rosewood but also knowing that I have found a reliable source to buy these spectacular wood. I’m currently making my first StewMac ukulele kit in my 7’x8’ plastic shed and my goal is to go up to building guitars and keep making them until I feel comfortable enough to make them out of BR and when it comes to my first BR set it’s gonna be from Driftwood (if still available). I’ll come back and keep this comment posted.

That’s so awesome. It’s so cool that you found that wood and can breathe new life into it.

Dang. Only a 10 sec clip of the wood. Was waiting to see it all

I am amazed at the reverence that you have for the craftsmanship that went into the source for your material. You two are a class act!

What an incredible story. Awesome job ya'll :D

Really like the video. You are giving this wood a second chance to be appreciated by sooooooooo many more people.

I think your entire plan is fantastic. It's pretty clear that there are very few people interested in the furniture, and Caroline sounded thrilled with the intended purpose for it. The transformation into countless guitar sides and backs is a spectacular repurposing of the wood, and your plan to make some of the materials available to other luthiers incredibly gracious, regardless the asking price. Great story!

This is a fascinating story, and how incredible to come upon such a great supply of wood for years and years to come. It's always a bit sad to destroy the old furniture, but it's not a waste, and I really appreciate that. As tempting as it would be to grab some of the wood, I'm way too amateur in building acoustic guitars to spend those dollars for the wood. Maybe someday I'll be good enough... Maybe. Anyway thanks for sharing this fascinating story.

Great storytelling on this one y’all! Stellar intro & loved the map animation. Glad you both survived Cracker Barrel and lived to tell the tale ;)

You lucky dog you. Just send some of that up my way. Good luck guys. Best tonewood in the world.

can't wait to see the beautiful stuff you make with that!

OK - Matt, sorry to hear about the pedalboard and cables. I'd be happy to help out on that as miniscule way to pay back some of the entertainment you guys provide me! Chris - congrats on the rosewood!

Could you make a video showing us the wood? I feel like we didn’t get enough shots of the furniture itself.

EXCELLENT vid man! I actually emailed you not long ago about possibly getting some of your woods. I am glad you are willing to share! Thanks fellas!

Heck yeah I'm so happy for y'all

When I went to college 1000 years ago (actually 1970) a friend cut up a huge old black walnut bed (circa 1840) into parts for a single bed for his apartment. He dimensioned all the parts for the new bed so that they could be resawed into guitar backs and sides.

This really a life changing moment for driftwood guitars and a great story behind it all! Can’t wait to see the creations!

What a great concept and well considered and appreciated. So cool of you guys to go this route. Makes me excited for future projects. Thank you…

What an Awesome story!! Congrats ! I know that beautiful Rosewood will turn into some Glorious Guitars !!

I'm a 74 year old guitarist, born and raised in Jersey City,NJ.

what a lady. and what a great story...

"Were you ever in a situation where you know the deal is good but you don't have money?" Dude, this is a story of my entire guitar collection 😂

Such an awesome story. You got me looking online for Rosewood Furniture now. I'll have to get some of that from you for my guitar building. I just repurposed an old table for guitar bodies.

i think this is awesome, hearing Cristine's story, the memories she has, respecting the craftmanship of the furniturure maker like you guys do, re using wood and create wonderfull guitars that give people joy. looking foreward to see some of them :)

I love you guys energy and all your content. My new favoritechannel by miles! Cheers from Sweden!

Hay guys, I wish I would have known you were looking for Brazilian Rosewood. I have a garage attic full of the stuff I inherited 35 years ago that had sat in a barn for 100 years(crazy story). We had the movers haul it to (maybe I souldn't say) when we moved in 2004 when I finally realized what it was. So glad for your find. Well done!!!

Love you guys… the more you share…. Thanks!

Great video Chris & Matt

What an incredible story. Regardless of how you feel about the label, you have become a true “content creator “…in a good way.

Holy cow. Congrats! I can't afford it at all right now... but I really want of your acoustics. Beautiful work 👍✨

Very, very cool stuff guys!

What a great story! Glad to see that you're now providing tonewood. I just bought some Ziricote a month or so ago, and would have happily bought one of your pieces instead. I did pick up a bridge blank, though -- I'll love the fact that it will be connected to this story and this history.

Thank you for this video. It has inspired me to no end. You guys are incredible people.

Really good guys, your videos are a joy to watch ✌🏼

Wow what an amazing story

Great story guys. Congrats on your purchase. Can't wait to see the builds that come oujt of this ourchase. Am heading over to your website now to see the tonewoods.

Wow, that was quite the saga! It great that the wood found its way to you, and that Christina is happy knowing that it will be used to make fine guitars, etc. Gains easily won, don't give us the emotional connection that can be as valuable as the object gained. Those pieces of wood will be reborn, yet carry the story of their long journey to where they will ultimately flower into something wonderful. I'm looking forward to seeing their transformation. Thanks

Was hoping for the grand reveal at the end showing the wood. 😮. Think what you’re doing is great, recycling and being good stewards of these natural materials.

I’ve been waiting for this vid.

I WANT IN!!!! Now that I’ve watched the entire video…. What an important story to tell. And it’s just as import to pass this story along to the owner of the instruments that will be created. I will be playing this during the rest of my lifetime, however, my son will one day be the custodian of this story, and this guitar, long after Brazilian rosewood will be gone.

where is the wood cutting vid.......?

Would really have liked to have seen some close-up shots of the wood. I hope you are making a video showing the inventory of wood and how you plan to cut it to get the maximum yield for instruments.

Thankyou for putting out this video it is a very good one and very educational. Can’t wait to see what you build with it. As far as the people that are upset about it. There’s nothing you can do about those people. Music is a beautiful beautiful thing and brings so much joy. What you’re doing with it would will bring more joy into this world than a bedroom set any day of the week. God bless you guys and your future endeavors. I’ll be watching

Great story ! Very interesting ! Yes ! Use recycled wood. I regularly check out the thrift shops I once found a solid acacia cabinet at a thrift store for $ 25.00. The top was 2 x 4 ft. and 1.5 in. thick. Another time I bought a live edge walnut bench for $25.00. The top itself was 18 in x 4 ft. and 4 in. thick. We had a clean sweep in our community and someone threw out 8 large boards of exotic wood (cocobolo, purpleheart , and Ziricote). They left it by the road to be picked up in the clean sweep so it was FREE ! I often find some nice maple wood at thrift shops If you look around, there is a lot of it out there. Be Well, DZ

Thank you for doing your part to save the planet.

Great story! Do you have any photo's of the furniture you could share with us?

As we move forward, protecting the Old Growth forests are going to be paramount. That said, I LOVE old wood, and guitars! Reclaiming lumber is the way to go! There’s so much old wood out there. Refining it into beautiful instruments brings joy 🤩

I can’t think of a more nobler use of old furniture than making them into quality musical instruments. Instead of one person or one family enjoying the wood that barely anyone will see, it’ll be pride and joy of many people and many hours of use. Much better use than furniture.

Awesome use for the furniture.. Great find..

I’m half way through and have to comment. True friendship is the ability to poke the others wounds to help heal them

From the moment she said jacarandá, I could tell she lived here in Brazil. But being married to someone in the Brizola administration was a whole new level. She's practically a carioca.

I would love to see more of the wood. Using furniture made from Brazilian RW is a terrific use of the resource.

Just found this channel so amazing. Thank you guys and looking forward to watching all your content and learning more about guitar construction.

Drinking game, every time New York is said instead of New Jersey, someone takes a shot.

pics of the furniture would have been cool!!

Ok here is my take. I started in Antique furniture restorations in 1979 for Whintethore, the Met, the ROM and others. I have had the great honor to even repair a Thomas Affleck Chair from liberty hall PA that was made in 1778 according to their ledgers. I further became a Mastered Cabinet & Chair maker for another 20 years working with the Silverstein families of Canada and the USA. I furthered my carrier as a shipwright working in Fort lauderdale for Broward marine. I then also became a woodwork repair technician on Lurssen giga yachts ranging from Kismite 1 @ 221 ft to Paul Allen's Octopus at 416 feet worth 350 million USD. In my opinion the only BZ Rosewood furniture that will ever maintain value is the pieces from the Federal period. I personally feel Victorian furniture made of BZ Rosewood was just a waste of wood. Most do not know but all the way back to Stratavarious all bows are made of Pau ferro, and billions of so called BZ fretboards are actually Jacaranda Parado. I have made many electric guitars but have been a repair technician on call for violins, violas, and cellos. I on occasions rarely now still do Marquetry repairs and lifts to louis the 16th kIngwood furniture. Now that my skill set is there for the trolls to see my opinion is valid; I say cut it up and use it very wisely.

What a coincidence. Several years ago, I ate at a Cracker Barrel in Phoenix, and ended up with food poisoning. I know I've gotten great food from there in the past, but ever since that particular visit, I haven't gone back. I guess subconsciously I just don't want to chance it.

Hello from Seattle. You two are so impressive. Love the story telling. Maybe one day, I can afford a Driftwood Guitar........they are such beautiful instruments. Thank you.

Great story very well told!!!

Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. My ex-wife's Aunt passed away suddenly in NE Ark and we lived in S Cent WI. We drove straight through to get there and made it. My ex was very close to her Aunt and sang at her service. We then drove, or I actually drove down I-40 to NW Ark for the burial in NW Ark, a several hourvtrip.. notvthst far but etc that time I had been working third shift for several years, so for me mid day and afternoon was the middle of the night. Got there, she slept a good part of the way and ended up being fine to drive us a good chunk of the way into MO on the way home. The scary part was getting through the Ozarks and coming across a part of Arm's elk herd on the side of the road in the White River valley. There was a bull elk standing in the ditch. His head was at my eye level in the front seat of her Ranger pick-up and he had 3-4ft of antlers on his head. My prayers for him staying in the ditch were answered and we made it home. You gotta do what you gotta do when you have no choice.

SO WHERE CAN WE SEE THE FURNITURE?

Oh wow!!! This is just awesome.

I have an Ikea bedroom set if you guys want a road trip to Maryland. :)

Christine was super cool!

Great story! Can't wait to see the guitars. I'm not in the US, so it would be impossibly complicated for me to ever get one, but I'll enjoy seeing the builds.

I think this is fantastic! I think it's a much better use for the wood to make instruments isntead of what's basically something utilitarian. It doesn't matter what the furniture is made from, but it really matters what the instruments are made from

Hey, are you guys going to do that 3,000 year old guitar? Just curious...

Sung in the style of Country Roads... "Concrete Road talked me home to a place I belong, Jersey City, Bayonne momma, take me home Concrete Road."

Hearing Christine was like getting a report of Brazilian history. She mentions (Leonel) Brizola administration, he was a Governor in Rio de Janeiro from 83 to 87 and 91 to 94, he was a left-wing politician and did a great job on public education. I can see she had some emotional connection to the furniture and at the same time mixed feelings due to her marriage issues. Really enjoyed you guys bringing the history of this wood that was not just a live being once, but carries a historical and family history. I hope she does not hate Brazilians after her marriage, I know some of us can be real a@#$%les, but fortunatelly not all :)

Has there been any update on this? This is a great story, would love to see you using the wood in the workshop.

Great story. A new life for special wood.

I'm a historian and a historic preservationist. People think that everything old and pretty is historic and that someone (not them) should preserve it forever, no matter what it costs (again, no impact on them). B***S***. Once someone cleans out their parents house after they pass they lose that notion. Considering Christine's history with this and what you intend to do with it I think this is a spectacular outcome. There will be great things that come of this that I probably can't afford. But maybe.....

I think before I would chop it up is to have it appraised first. Then if it’s worth substantially more than you paid for it figure how many guitars it would take to match that. May not be worth chopping up. There is always deals out there you found that one and I’m sure you’ll find more.

I have a dining set that I was thinking about selling designed by an architect (for his own house)in 1970. For a few years I've been saying to myself that when I finally let it go, if I can't sell it as a dining set that I would list it as Guitar lumber. The chairs are 45 pounds each and the table base is almost 100 pounds, so with 8 chairs the set weighs about 450 pounds. It's made out of flat boards, no curves or carvings. I have proof that the set was built by the architect's father back in 1970, so the wood is legal. When I bought the set in 2010 I spent $1500 just to ship it from Chicago to New Jersey. I still remember asking the guy for end grain shots of the chairs to make sure it wasn't plywood. Even back then I said "if I don't use the set I can alway sell it for guitar parts" When the set came to my place and we took the blanket off the first chair, I was like HOLY crap!!! The guys from the moving company said these were the heaviest dining chairs they had ever moved. I had the same feeling when I saw the dining set for sale, I knew I had better move fast before the guitar guys see this. Back in 2010 sales were soft everywhere, the housing and stock market crash was still on everyone's mind, and I had cash, so the guy worked with me on the price. I still spent big bucks though. It's so weird, I was just about to take pictures this week to list it and I saw your video. I'm not trying to sell it on here, I really want the set to survive and not get cut up for parts, I just thought it was funny that I went through the same thing 12 years ago. This is probably the tenth video I have watch of yours, and I think you have a great channel.

$2500 for a set of Jacaranda!! Wowzer! Glad I stuck away the 4 sets of Brazilian in my stash 35 years ago.

I have always wondered why antique furniture is not alot more discussed as a source of repurposing as woods for guitar building. Antique Doors, tables, stair treads. Contractors greatly need to know that this wood can be repurposed rather than antique woods going to a landfill. I have a bedroom suite made of solid cherry. I also have a bedroom suite made of solid black walnut. Great video guys. Great story.

This title made me SOOOO EXCITED

Nice going on this acquisition. I see you have a few BR bridge blanks. Will you have any finger boards as well?

YEAH! Plywood is for furniture! Make that Jacaranda sound, dude!

For some reason for this video I had the tune 'Movin' right along' from The Muppet Movie in my head. If you boys do another road trip, like to California, do it an old Studebaker.

OK, so as a furniture maker and resident of New Jersey, I have more than enough reason to be totally ticked off at you guys! But I’m not. Great story, and what a great adventure! Though the furniture is beautiful, it’s provenance apparently isn’t significant or those big auction houses would have shown interest. It’s not like you are slicing up a Townsend card table or a Seymour desk for the resulting lumber. In fact, I think there is something beautiful about the reincarnation of that rosewood. The only bad part is in kerf anxiety. I remember once working with am 8/4 slab of Gaboon Ebony that I had to slice into veneers for inlay banding. I would cringe knowing that for every piece I got from it, another was going into the dust collector. Can’t wait to see a guitar from this stuff. Now..l talk about provenance!

Did she have any issue with you destroying the furniture to make guitars or did she view that as an even better use of the wood? -P. Well I guess I hear her say she knows what it is going to be used for.

So what you're saying, she's singing a new song and so will her bedroom set! I like dark wood furniture but I like Brazilian Rosewood on guitars better. And Jersey is NOT New York. Ferrys left Jersey City for NY. You're from South Jersey? Bergen County here. Now much farther west and north. Thanks

Awsome story! Are the guitars made from this wood availlable?

I have a solid brazilian rosewood victorian era table with carved feet and 3/4 inch top that my mom bought at an auction in the 1980's. I don't think 3/4 inch is thick enough to risk making a carved back for a d'angelico replica. And doing a carve and tap tooning a back - like D'aquisto's apprentist did - sounds risky anyway. And would it have great tonal qualities against a carved spruce top? Anyway, i ain't planning on cutting it up. It is quite a mesmerizing piece of antique furniture as it is. But i have shopped unsuccessfully on line for other solid brazilian furniture and old piano that had brazilian sound boards.

wish I could afford one of your future guitars with that wood. Very Fortunate. I think from what I have seen, it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.

hope we get to see the cutting up of the furniture :)

Congratulations, i have a 50’s bedroom set made from mahogany. One day ill make a fine couple of guitars. 😎

What about, teak wood for a sound board or neck. Tons of teak wood furniture in America you might find on line affordable used. Teak might not be able to be used at all, but sure is the most water proof wood.

Did I miss where they showed the wood?

Now you know why some of us call it Crapper Barrel!

Great find.

Very entertaining clip 😁

I'm looking at my 30 year old solid mahogany TV cabinet in a whole new light 🤔

Wow, my dream! Wish I could afford that OM set…

I would love to see a finished guitar with this wood.