Comments on Brazilian is Good Wood

"Thicknessing"? Haven't heard that one before.

I want a paper guitar!

I think Brazilian rosewood gets the lions share of credit because so many classic, vintage guitars (especially martins) used it and sound awesome...but something to remember is that with age, a guitar's tones becomes better and this may have a lot to do with it. Nowadays, when one uses Brazilian rosewood they have to buy it from someone's private stash and that means paying a lot extra as compared to Indian rosewood. Usually people equate more expensive with better even though this may not always be true. It'd be interesting to do a blind test of two guitars which are the same model...one using Indian rosewood and the other Brazilian...I think there will definitely be a difference in tone but as to whether or not the Brazilian will sound better is up for grabs.

My friend, Ryan Vego, had a Sears guitar, I think. The case doubled as the amp. Man, that thing was light. It felt like it was made of paper. I think it was a Sears, I could be way wrong though. Did Sears make guitars?

At the family casa, there is a '68 Martin D35... brazillian rosewood, 3-peice back, no frills, no fancy inlay - just the best and most beautiful sounding guitar in the world.

That is what I have to share. Thanks Trent!

What an interesting article. Thanks for all the rosy info--Tante

"Some say that by making Brazilian rosewood endangered, CITES has done more harm than good."

I don't understand this statement; it seems patently absurd. Rather like saying that adding elephants to the list of endangered species did more harm than good because it forced piano makers to use something besides ivory for piano keys.

@6,

"CITES, intended to keep Dalbergia nigra (that's the botanical name for Brazilian rosewood) from extinction, but probably destined to assure that very fate. (Who besides governments wants to protect living things that are economically worthless because they are illegal to harvest.) It's still legal to use wood harvested before June 11, 1992, and a guitar with Brazilian rosewood parts can still be exported if the shipment is accompanied by documentation testifying to it's provenance (nearly impossible to obtain), but no living Brazilian rosewood trees may be harvested, none. What has happened to the price of Brazilian rosewood? You guessed it: it's soared."

Is the notion really absurd? By making the Brazilian rosewood illegal, people sought it out even more. There was a demand put it on it.

I don't think it's like the elephants. People weren't hunting the trees to extinction.

Trent@3: If it was one of the old Silvertones, it was probably a pine frame with slabs of Masonite for the top and back. Masonite is like densely compressed cardboard.

Interesting. I knew Hendrix would come back as a worm.

"I don't think it's like the elephants. People weren't hunting the trees to extinction."

Uhm...Yes....yes they were.