Quilted Sapele Once in a lifetime find

Recently I was lucky to come across a once in a lifetime find. many years again when I was a partner in Ryder basses our workshop was next door to a general Joinery workshop. Allan the owner had a job that required making hardwood handrails that were suitable for painting. As is quite customary in the UK Sapele is quite commonly used in this setting. Heaven knows why as it really is more than just another mahogany substitute. It really can be quite beautiful and very suitable as a luthier's material if one can get through the images in one's mind of bland ribbon striped veneered 1970's doors. Several manufacturers are regularly using it as neck material now genuine mahogany gets rarer and now elevated well on the CITES list. Its certainly capable as a replacement wood with good colour. Any ways Allan receives his Sapele from a large (one of the largest in Europe)timber supplier in the UK. In the parcel of wood is a board of amazingly quilted Sapele you are ever likely to see. However on the day this was delivered, He's under pressure to get the job out so he proceeds to cut up the board to make handrail.Unfortunately neither myself or my brother are around to rescue it. Allan was aware we would be interested but was only able to rescue some small off cuts  which he gave to my brother and I. I continue to make end grafts and sound hole rosettes from this stock for my guitars. As you can imagine i recently found a quite exceptional board for sale in the North of England,quite the most beautiful board you are ever likely to see.
         
The chap who was selling the board was a cabinet maker who is setting up in business and required funds for machinery etc,. His Grand father had purchase the wood plus several other boards in the 1980's. Unfortunately the chap passed away have never used the wood, leaving it to his Grand son. This particular board is rift sawn but is quite unusual for quilted figure in that the figure shows really well. The gentleman who sold the board to me has retained a fully flat sawn piece of quilted perfection as good as any Quilted Western Red Maple I have ever seen. His intention is to make that special project when the time is right. Below is a photograph of a prepared guitar set which is reasonably accurate for colour.

My intention is to cut the remained of the wood which is figured equally as well as this set keeping obviously the majority but selling the remainder with a a price of £200.00 sterling per set to help with the costs of buying and processing the material etc. The sets are cut with a M42 blade equipped band saw to the highest standard. I can be contacted on a.ryderguitars@gmail.com and my twitter name which is @ryderguitars if you are interested. Alternatively, I can make that special guitar for you from this stock with the specification of your choice of top woods etc.