Castelo Boxwood
Our choice for Boxwood, Castelo Boxwood, is actually not a new wood, but one nevertheless that we believe deserves attention for chinrests. Along with this choice, we were able to formulate a colorization process that is more health-conscious than the traditional methods.
Castelo Boxwood comes from South America and, while unrelated to European Boxwood, shares many of the visual and tonal characteristics of its old-world cousin. Castelo brought several advantages, though, that made it a compelling choice.
True European Boxwood, while not endangered, is rare on the market, and also grows too narrow to accommodate the taller WAVE sizes, leaving it an unsuitable option.
Castelo Boxwood, on the other hand, is much more plentiful, being not listed on the CITES or IUCN organizations' Endangered Species lists, grows to a larger diameter, and is
a close substitute for the original in terms of color and grain.
Also, while considered a less-favored choice for pegs because of its softness, Castelo Boxwood is wonderfully suited for chinrests, due to its lighter weight while retaining a similar look to the European variety.
Its sound is also surprising: with a direct, clear tone, Castelo Boxwood can bring a refreshing focus and clarity to the instrument's timbre.
Achieving the desired color presented us with a challenge: raw Boxwood is actually a light yellow color, and the traditional method to achieve the familiar brown involves a hazardous process of burning the wood with Nitric acid and Ammonia fumes, which can be quite dangerous to the worker. Avoiding that, we use a safer method of heat-blushing the wood with diluted Iron Nitrate and then applying a food-safe wood stain. The result is a luxurious brownish-red with orange and yellow tints that is truly spectacular.
Vintage Hill & Sons chinrests. Used with kind permission by Eric Benning, Benning Violins, Studio City, CA
Our color
Boxwood fittings come in a wide variety of colors and shades, from light yellow to dark brown, and we have chosen a distinctive hue based on the colorations of the vintage Hill boxwood chinrests.
With a rich burnt umber base and lighter overtones, it is a color with true depth and complexity that will enhance any instrument.
Boxwood fittings come in a wide variety of colors and shades, from light yellow to dark brown, and we have chosen a distinctive hue based on the colorations of the vintage Hill boxwood chinrests.
With a rich burnt umber base and lighter overtones, it is a color with true depth and complexity that will enhance any instrument.
Check out our video about our new woods.
We would be thrilled for you to try this beautiful addition, and remember that with our Buy One Try Four option you get up to four different models to try for a one-month trial with the purchase of only one. With a generous refund policy and videochat support, trying the WAVE couldn't be easier. Order at the store here, and we look forward to getting a set to you right away.
We would be thrilled for you to try this beautiful addition, and remember that with our Buy One Try Four option you get up to four different models to try for a one-month trial with the purchase of only one. With a generous refund policy and videochat support, trying the WAVE couldn't be easier. Order at the store here, and we look forward to getting a set to you right away.