Sapele

A contemporary choice, sapele—from the same Meliaceae family as khaya and mahogany—has become an ever more popular option among discerning players, who love its unique look, richly beautiful with dancing iridescent pinks and browns, and its distinct, balanced tonal characteristics. A sustainable substitute for better-known Honduran mahogany, sapele, has, due to its increased density, an enchanting high frequency glimmer.

The Tonewood Certification Program

As demand on our world’s forests and environment grow, it is critical we build guitars using sustainable sourcing. At Breedlove we never use tonewood from clear-cut trees in any of our USA-made instruments. Additionally, we are very close to being clear-cut free on all of our overseas models - starting with The Organic Collection. This is our goal, and a work in progress. Traveling throughout the world, we go to the forests and work with local families and mills whenever possible, going to the source to make sure our instruments not only play and sound better, but allow us to feel better about the instruments we play and love.