A number of replies on this thread, and I thank you gentlemen. I'll try to come back to all in this one message.
Yup, it is prunus - I goofed. And I used the plural "genera" instead of "genus". I still don't remember the classifications of taxonomy, but when one comes to wood one needs only genus and species, which leads me to believe that trees/woods are an Order (I always remember that order is subordinate to class by the phrase "order in the class" that I heard so often in elementary school). I bought the Luthier's Guild book on Lutherie Woods and Steel String Guitars (they combine the topics in one book, although I have no interest in the latter). It doesn't mention Plumwood. The only Prunus mentioned is Cherry, Prunus serotina in the US - and P. avium and P. padus in Europe - all are P. spp. I have to assume that one of them is locally called plumwood. Peaches, plums and apricots are mentioned in the category, but without the Latin species name. I may have been unclear as to my use of the cherry, I'm not using it for the pegs - I mentioned that D. vanE. had suggested it as a peg wood. And for someone who recommended against exotic woods for a first try at making a lute, he is right - I'm using the cherry for the ribs. It is just that the supplier from which I got it has the name Exotic Woods. Being in New Jersey he wants to distinguish himself from Home Depot or scrub pine. For those with comments on cherry for pegs, I wouldn't consider it - I'm making mine of cocobolo just because I have it. The question yet to be answered is what should I use for the peg box, given the cocobolo pegs. I'm looking at quartersawn hard maple for the neck, my local (70 miles away) supplier makes blanks for guitars in Eastern Flamed Maple, Hard Maple, Mahogony, Hard Curly Maple and East Indian Rosewood. And the HM and Mah can be quartersawn. The blanks can be of a thickness and width for a lute neck (they aren't strictly guitar blank. So what I have planned is to use cherry for the ribs, walnut for the spacers and mahogany for the neck block. Those woods I already have, I drove the three hour round trip to the vendor to get them. Not so much to get the woods as to meet the warehouseman/woodcutter. I now know Bill, and if I call the store and ask for him all I have to do is say "remember that guy with the lute". Bill is a south Jersey woodsman, and they are a special breed. They are a bit like the old down easterners - they will help if you ask them just right. I got the walnut for the spacers as it was ready, and easier to bend than the ebony, and Bill agreed that with a bit of stain it would make a nice contrast to the cherry. Politics are not evil when making a friend of the guy that is going to cut your wood. The rest of the plan is Englemann spruce for the soundboard, I could get the Swiss/German that is better, but why risk the more expensive wood on a first try. So the remaining decision is the wood for the pegbox (nut, fingerboard and bridge I have covered). I'd guess that the hard maple would match with the cocobolo pegs, and then I wouldn't have to do a veneer to match the neck to the pegbox. I'm not looking to make a beautiful instrument, in the sense of a museum piece, just one that plays well. Any comments will be appreciated. Best, Jon To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
