African Mahogany

Populated by gorillas, chimpanzees, elephants and a thousand different kinds of birds, the Congo Basin Forest—also home to 150 distinct ethnic groups who have lived in harmony with the land for 3,000 years—is a place of beguiling mystery and natural intrigue. Overshadowed only by the Amazon, it is also the world’s second largest rainforest. Breedlove owner Tom Bedell flew to the Congo, meeting with Congolaise Industrielle Des Bois S.A., in Pokola, to discuss the sustainable, selective methods adopted by the company in gathering the FSC-certified African mahogany and African ebony used in the Breedlove Organic Collection of all solid wood, earth-friendly guitars. Bedell was taken with the sheer power and beauty of the Congo, and thrilled to confirm that the careful harvest of fewer than two percent of the trees in any tiny section of the 7.3 hectare forest, visited in gaps of 30 years or more, actually helps the ecosphere heal itself. African mahogany, sometimes called khaya, supports the Performer and Signature Series with warm, midrangy tone and the familiar dry fundamental that has made it a favorite of guitarists for over a century. And all African mahogany Wildwoods offer the classic blues combination at a revolutionary price.