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Rosewood: Indian vs. Madagascar vs. Brazilian


Killa J

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How much difference is there tonally between the different rosewoods? There's obviously a huge price difference. I'm asking because I haven't really found a guitar that I want, so I might be having one built for me. Is it worth paying a brazilian extra dollars for the Brazilian rosewood? I know really high-end guitars usually have it, but is it just for show?

 

Also, when you pay for higher grade woods, is it just how good it looks? Meaning master grade spruce looks nicer but doesn't sound nicer than standard grade spruce? Sorry for asking a lot of questions, but I might be spending a good bit of money, and I don't want to waste money on things that just make the guitar look better.

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Mahogany does generally give a "drier" sound than RW.

 

Good Brazilian gives a little more brilliance on the top end than EIR. Madagascar, Zircote, Cocobolo are usually somewhere in the middle. Koa has a bright top end sheen like Bz. These are all generalizations, of course. No absolutes, as so much of the guitar's sound depends on a number of other variables, too.

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Mahogany does generally give a "drier" sound than RW.


Good Brazilian gives a little more brilliance on the top end than EIR. Madagascar, Zircote, Cocobolo are usually somewhere in the middle. Koa has a bright top end sheen like Bz. These are all generalizations, of course. No absolutes, as so much of the guitar's sound depends on a number of other variables, too.

 

 

In your opinion, would it be worth paying more to upgrade the rosewood? For exampe, two guitars built exactly the same, but one with Indian and one with Brazilian... would the one w/ Brazilian be worth $2000 more to you? I'm guessing the anwser would be no for me. I doubt I would be able to tell which species was which unless I was told.

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In your opinion, would it be worth paying more to upgrade the rosewood? For exampe, two guitars built exactly the same, but one with Indian and one with Brazilian... would the one w/ Brazilian be worth $2000 more to you? I'm guessing the anwser would be no for me. I doubt I would be able to tell which species was which unless I was told.

 

 

If I had the money and really was gunning for Brazilian, I would. In most cases, no. You probably wouldn't notice any difference.

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I wouldn't use Brazilian rosewood because of it's scarcity and because it's covered under the CITES treaty. I care more about an endangered species than a slight tonal difference in a guitar.


 

 

+1

 

I honestly don't think I could discern any tonal difference between Brazilian and Indian rosewood, but I am sure we could all discern a difference between a world with a functioning ecosystem and one with a broken ecosystem.

 

 

 

As I understand things, the Indian rosewood used in guitar production is likely to be obtained from a sustainable source. There may be some old Brazilian rosewood sitting around , but if it was the really good stuff then someone would probably have used it already. Much better to use some good Indian rosewood than some junk scraps of Brazilian.

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+1


I honestly don't think I could discern any tonal difference between Brazilian and Indian rosewood

 

I agree...I think the whole Brazilian rosewood thing is just a scam to lure the cork sniffers in....I doubt anyone on this board could tell the difference if they were blindfolded.:lol:

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Isn't it funny: when Braz RW was in aboundance, EIRW was the one to have. Now that Braz RW is endangered that's the one to have.

 

They say Braz RW have a higher resonance factor than EIRW.

 

I'm quite betaken by the diff between EIRW and Madagascar for bridge and fretboard. The Madagascar species is far brighter, where-as the EI is more middy.

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when exactly was this?

 

 

I don't know about "more desirable" but Richard Smith's Fender - The Sound Heard 'Round the World, states that EIRW Kingman model guitars were more expensive than the same model in Brazilian.

 

EIRW sounds fine to me. And I dig the nice straight geometric-like grain.

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In your opinion, would it be worth paying more to upgrade the rosewood? For exampe, two guitars built exactly the same, but one with Indian and one with Brazilian... would the one w/ Brazilian be worth $2000 more to you?

 

 

I just had a classical guitar made, and it was $1K to upgrade to Brazilian RW. The wood was salvaged from a 100 year old barn. It was worth it to me, the extra brightness can help in a classical guitar, and I love the aesthetic.

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Oh man...that couldn't be farther from the truth.
:lol:

 

Yeah, I'm pretty sure being a hippy and a Nascar fan are mutually exclusive. I don't think there's a less environmentally friendly sport in the world.

 

So let's throw Brazilian out of the running. I can't afford the upgrade anyway, so I was really just asking about it for curiosity. The same building offers a Madagascar rosewood model that's about $600 more than the Indian rosewood version. It also has some other minor upgrades (flamed maple binding, ivory instead of bone for the nut and saddle, etc.), so the extra cost isn't just for the type of wood. I like the look of the Madagascar better than the Indian, and their website says it's the closest sounding wood to Brazilian. I think I can live with that upgrade cost. It's still mostly just looks, but I really like how the flamed maple binding looks. Plus, it keeps me from wanting to upgrade the nut and saddle later on.

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I have guitars in all three rosewoods and by different builders. I like them all (and koa and mahogany too - I'm weak willed). For the price of the $600 for MadRose, you could probably get the top of your choice which be where I'd look. Adirondack Red Spruce and EIR can be a great combo and I really like my Euro Spruce and MadRose for more fingerstyle. nothing wrong with a great piece of Sitka either.

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You're getting a custom made, hand built guitar here. It's gonna be a Hoss no matter what it's made of. Balancing top bracing to enhance bass, mids, trebs would have more effect than wood choice in the end. But outside of tonal characteristics, aesthetics are a part of the equation. Do what it takes to make it a joy to behold, hear and play for the rest of your life. And congratulations!

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