Curly Redwood is one of Northern California most unique species. The logs can be GIGANTIC. Dinosaur proportions ! Some of the trees still living today are over 2,000 years old. They are protected and only fallen specimens can be harvested. As you can imagine, they have to be worked in their natural habitat because transporting them is practically speaking impossible. Huge 2 turbo propeller helicopters are often used to move pieces out of the habitat where the tree has fallen. During the Colonial times when logs were transported to the mills using rivers and water beds, it was common for large logs to be caught by the very current that was meant to bring them to destiny. The logs would get caught by the underlying mud and the logs were lost until our times when a sinker logs industry flourished. Mud creates a natural capsule that protects the wood core while giving it an amazing look and a terrific sound. I consider sinker logs to be among the BEST tonewoods on the planet. Less than 1% of sinker logs can be used in luthery, this is the reason why the wood is hard to come by and extremely expensive. The mixture with this beautifully figured Panama Cocobolo is PERFECT ! Cocobolo possesses the best qualities of the Rosewood family (Cocobolo is from the same family as Brazilian and Indian Rosewood). Very powerful with an amazing array of harmonics and unique sustain. The curly sinker Redwood adds a voice like no other: sweet yet clear and with a fabulous separation of voices. I merged all the parts using the best handmade marquetry and even used bronze tuners with Cocobolo buttons. The special cutaway elevates her to the highest levels of luthery making her a one in a million MASTERPIECE.