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Author
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Topic: Brazilian Rosewood??
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Rick Garrett
Member From: Tyler, Texas
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posted 07 September 2003 05:24 PM
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On another guitar forum I noticed a particular guitar making company that builds some of their higher priced guitars with a Brazilian Rosewood neck. Supposed to be THE best tone quality wood on the plane according to them that are fortunate enough to be able to afford the high price. I was wondering is anybody out there has tried Brazilian Rosewood for a Steel Guitar? If its that well known for its tonal qualities it outta be killer for a Steel. Any opinions?Rick Garrett |
Damir Besic
Member From: La Vergne,TN
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posted 07 September 2003 05:46 PM
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couldn`t say,I have metal necks ,maybe if they were made out of brazilian aluminum they would sound better?...  ------------------
 [This message was edited by Damir Besic on 07 September 2003 at 05:47 PM.] |
HowardR
Member From: N.Y.C.,N.Y.
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posted 07 September 2003 06:33 PM
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Good one Damir....you get a rimshot |
Winnie Winston
Member From: Tawa, Wellington, NZ
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posted 07 September 2003 08:26 PM
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Braziliam Rosewood is getting hard to come by. Not sure if it is on the protected species list yet. Most guitar companies that use "rosewood" use the Indian variety that is a bit more purple in color.
As far as tone... Joe Kline onece built a PINE guitar for Jeff Newman (remeber the one Bobby Caldwell cut in half?) It sounded (for the five notes Jeff played on it) terrible.
Zane Beck built a few out of OAK that sounded great.
Noel Anstead uses GIDGEE on his Anapeg-- a very dense Australian wood, and the sustain is wonderful.
The denser the wood, the better the sustain (IMO) and the heavier the guitar...JW |
Bob Hoffnar
Member From: Brooklyn, NY
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posted 07 September 2003 08:45 PM
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Brazilian Rosewood is a protected species.
The violins of Cremona ( Stradivarius and Guanari)
I'm pretty sure were made out of Norway spruce. They sound pretty good.Bob |
Gary Walker
Member From: Morro Bay, CA
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posted 07 September 2003 08:45 PM
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It is my understanding that Rosewood from Brazil is not available except those that have had it before the cutting was stopped several years ago. If they have started cutting again, I haven't heard about it. I know there are wood sources that have stored it from the hey days and it isn't cheap. |
Earnest Bovine
Member From: Los Angeles CA USA
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posted 07 September 2003 09:04 PM
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Couldn't you plant a patch of Brazilian rosewood out on the back forty, and watch the money roll in? |
Roger Shackelton
Member From: Everett, Wa.
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posted 07 September 2003 09:57 PM
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How much would a guitar weigh, made of Lignum Vitae? |
Donny Hinson
Member From: Balto., Md. U.S.A.
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posted 08 September 2003 03:02 AM
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A few steels have been made of rosewood, and I do not recall there was anything exceptional about the sound. Rosewood has similar properties to other other woods used more popularly for steel guitar (maple, ash, oak, etc.), except that it's quite heavy (heavier than oak). Since we don't like really heavy steels anymore, you don't see it used very often. It's pretty resistant to warping, a quality necessary for straight guitar necks, but of lesser importance in steels. It was long used for acoustic guitar bodies for its beautiful grain, and its strength in thin sections.To my knowledge, Brazilian rosewood is now pretty rare, and is still on the "protected species' list. Honduras and Indonesian varieties are still normally available, though. |
Rick Garrett
Member From: Tyler, Texas
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posted 08 September 2003 03:13 AM
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They mentioned on the other forum I frequent that Brazilian Rosewood is on the endangered list alright. I recently bought one of the Paul Reed Smith guitars (regular electric 6 string) and its got an Indian Rosewood neck. This guitar has the most ridiculous sustain I've ever seen on a guitar. Thats what made me think it would be great for steel. They claim that the Brazilians have even better sustain than the Indian Rosewood variety. PRS has a good bit of that Brazilian wood stock piled for their REALLY high end guitars and I bet it would make one more fine steel. Bet you would also need a fork lift to tote it around with. Im talking sustaing for days yall. Rick Garrett[This message was edited by Rick GM on 08 September 2003 at 03:14 AM.] |
David Mason
Member From: Cambridge, MD, USA
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posted 08 September 2003 06:39 AM
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I think that this topic has been semi-covered in the sustain vs. tone threads. I had a Travis Bean six string for a while that had a solid aluminum neck through body. It would sustain like crazy, but it didn't sound "right" for rock and roll - the low notes sounded like a grand piano, and the high notes sounded like a dentist drill. There have been numerous experiments using dense woods like walnut and maple for solid guitar bodies, and the consensus is that they sound shrill. |
Rick Garrett
Member From: Tyler, Texas
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posted 08 September 2003 09:14 AM
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Hey David, Thanks for that post concerning dense woods and the tones they produce. My PRS 6 string has an Indian Rosewood neck. Dont know how dense it is as compared to Brazilian but the tone is as incredible as the sustain and I do alot of blues and Rock stuff. I guess by now the topics been beaten to death but I couldn't help but wonder if anyone had ever tried Brazilian wood for a steel. Good luck and best of licks to ya!!
Rick Garrett
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Donny Hinson
Member From: Balto., Md. U.S.A.
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posted 08 September 2003 10:44 AM
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One more thing...Rosewood is very resinous, and sometimes "oily", in nature. Honduras rosewood is much prettier, grainwise, but has poor bending properties. It's also one of the heavier rosewoods (with Kingwood being the heaviest). As such, it's seldom used in acoustic guitar bodies. Indonesian rosewood has much better bending qualities, but is quite dark, and the grain is not nearly as well-defined. It's not quite as heavy, but is equally as hard to machine. It does glue well, though. Brazilian rosewood had the best of both, in qualities of bending and pretty grain, and that's why is was used so extensively in bygone days. Pau Ferro and Bocote have lately been used as a substitute for Brazilian rosewood. Pau Ferro requires a little stain for good appearance, but Bocote has a natural, wonderful grain. Lignum vitae is extremely heavy, and is not suitable for gluing. It's also very expensive. Those qualities kinda preclude it's use in musical instruments. It's principal use has always been propeller-shaft bearings and bushing blocks in the shipbuilding trade. |
Rick Collins
Member From: Claremont , CA USA
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posted 08 September 2003 10:56 AM
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There is a wood called ironwood (no kidding), also called hornbeam wood. I believe that it has the highest specific gravity of any wood.I have a cross section of a limb of ironwood about five inches in diameter and three inches thick; which I bought at souvenir shop in the redwood forest in northern California. It is very heavy and very hard; but I don't know how plentyful it is. I would bet that rock maple is about the best wood for a steel guitar. It would seem that it's specific gravity is lowest of the very hard woods. Rick |
Gary Walker
Member From: Morro Bay, CA
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posted 08 September 2003 12:27 PM
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I had heard that Tom Bradshaw had some Ironwood and asked a builder to build a steel out of it and they dulled so many blades trying to form it and it weighed a ton. Don't know whatever became of the rest of the story. |
Terry Edwards
Member From: Layton, UT
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posted 08 September 2003 03:36 PM
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OK, I'm confused.You guys all said in a previous thread that black mica was the best! ------------------
Terry Edwards
Fessy D-10; Nash 1000
Martin D-21; Flatiron F-5
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Graham
Member From: Whitby, Ontario, Canada
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posted 08 September 2003 03:40 PM
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My 1970 Fulawka has solid 3/4" Brazilian Rosewood aprons and a Brazilian Rosewood neck with a maple top. http://users.interlinks.net/rebel/1970fulawka.jpg ------------------
Rebel™
ICQ 614585
http://users.interlinks.net/rebel/steel/steel.html
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Stephen Gambrell
Member From: Ware Shoals, South Carolina, USA
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posted 08 September 2003 04:00 PM
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Brazilian rosewood IS on the endangered species list. I have a '55 Martin, it's Brazilian, and of course, it sounds great. I also have a Ricky Skaggs model built by Dana Bourgeois, that's Indian, and it sounds real good too. I don't think the origin of the wood matters, as much as the age. I have a friend in the exotic hardwood business, who tells me the problem is not the rarity of the Brazilian rosewood itself, but all the other stuff that has to be cut. I would not waste good Brazilian on ANY electric instrument----specially when we KNOW how good them maple guitars sound! |
D Schubert
Member From: Columbia, MO, USA
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posted 11 September 2003 06:29 AM
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The necks on my Sho-Bud fingertip look like Brazilian rosewood to me...and it is certainly a wonderful-sounding guitar, no matter what I plug it into...even though it's just one factor, it couldn't possibly HURT the sound... |
Jerry Tillman
Member From:
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posted 12 September 2003 02:47 AM
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I have a Telecaster made of rosewood,it is very heavy.The sound is hard and takes a lot of adjusting of the tone controls of the amps that I use.It is the worst sounding of all my Teles but it is very cool looking and has a Parsons-White B bender installed by Gene Parsons so I play it anyway.I think the finish and how it is applied has a lot to do with the sound of the different kinds of wood.Some woods need more filler or sealer coats than others.If somebody figures out what I,m talking about let me know,I,m confusing myself.Thanks lakeshrk. |
MARK GILES
Member From: HAMILTON, TEXAS
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posted 15 September 2003 05:06 PM
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Brazilian rosewood was put on the endangered species list some years ago. Since the U.S. signed the CITES treaty(I forget now what CITES stands for)It cannot be imported into the United States. However, there is still some Brazilian to be had. The trouble is,the amount of wood that it would take to build a steelguitar body would make somewhere around 2 to 3 acoustic guitars. Back and side sets of Brazilian rosewood go for around 750 to 1200 dollars per set. It "wood" be costly. Although it should sound good. Probably darker in tone than maple. Oh yea, Brazilian rosewood is still used in third world countries to build pallets, furniture, and souveniers. But being the "good guys", we can't build guitars with it. |
MARK GILES
Member From: HAMILTON, TEXAS
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posted 15 September 2003 05:11 PM
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Oh yea, I forgot. Cocobolo or Indian rosewood would be the next closest thing. Both being from the dalbergia family of trees.It is available and would make some beautiful steels. Sound is in the ear of the beholder. It would sound different than maple bodies but would probably be very pleasing to some. |
Mark Herrick
Member From: Los Angeles, CA
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posted 15 September 2003 05:54 PM
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Black Mica trees are also an endangered species... |
Herb Steiner
Member From: Cedar Valley, Travis County TX
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posted 15 September 2003 06:15 PM
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Mark Giles made a guitar cabinet for me out of cocobolo. It's not only the most beautiful steel guitar I've ever owned, it has a wonderfully rich, almost Sho-Buddy tone.Here's my Fessy that Mark built Also this... one happy steeler ------------------
Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association
[This message was edited by Herb Steiner on 15 September 2003 at 06:18 PM.]
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D Schubert
Member From: Columbia, MO, USA
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posted 15 September 2003 07:27 PM
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I guess that you all saw what George Harrison's rosewood Tele sold for last week...about $400,000... |
Jim Marconi
Member From: Richmond IL. / Summerland Key Fl. USA
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posted 15 September 2003 07:27 PM
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Tommy White had an Emmons that had a top made out of purple heart wood and I think it is also a very dence wood and the guitar sounded killer... and also was very beutifull..I think Tom told me that it was one of his favorates.
Regards
Jim |
chas smith
Member From: Encino, CA, USA
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posted 15 September 2003 07:34 PM
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I have 2 Sho-Bud Fingertips and a Permanent that have Rosewood aprons and necks with maple tops. The Permanent also has cabinet ends that are rosewood. |
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