I guess this question is for Kyle.
What does one look for in wood for the dou? What makes one wood better than another?
I would not be an expert. But a wood that accepts glue (has open pores), and does not warp (shrinkage overall and along vertical vs horizontal axis lines, causes twist). More density (which often means more weight) would affect the sound transmission and how gravity pulls, so the overall balance of the instrument like how the dou sits on your leg and counterbalances the sao. But still workable, to use hand tools (or nowadays, power tools). Oh, and resistant enough to bugs like termites; and seasoned/dried so you don’t find beetles boring through your hard work. Those would be my first ideas.
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