daveq Posted January 9, 2004 Report Posted January 9, 2004 When I first heard of the ban, I thought it was something that wouldn't really affect supply for quite a while. From what I have seen, it does appear to be dropping off quite fast. I'm a little confused about the issue of importing it. I first thought that it was OK to import as long as it was not recently cut - in other words "stump" wood is acceptable. I was talking with someone today who thought that all brazilian rosewood is banned for import - no matter when it was cut. That would leave the wood that was in the country when the treaty took effect. I bought some recently from Warmoth but it does not have the radius that I want. It comes with a 10" radius which is OK but a little too tight for playing quick (at least for me). I was considering re-sanding it but I have a feeling I'll just screw it up. Does anyone know where I might be able to find a piece? I know Gilmer has some but I can't afford a $100 min. since I have all of the wood I need for a while. If anyone is interested the treaty info is at CITES. dave Quote
GuitarMaestro Posted January 9, 2004 Report Posted January 9, 2004 Sorry a question and no answer dave....What is your expirience with Brazilian Rosewood? Is it really that great or is just sought after because it is rare? Quote
Digideus Posted January 9, 2004 Report Posted January 9, 2004 I never understood why they used rosewood on guitar necks. maybe its just me, but I prefer Ebony anyway. Anyway, if the species is rare, I think its only fair to preserve the remaining ones and repopulate the species for future generations. Guitar builders have environmental concerns as well! Quote
daveq Posted January 10, 2004 Author Report Posted January 10, 2004 I have built one with Braz. rosewood. I like the appearance and feel of it. I doubt very seriously that the tonal properties are much better than any other. I know PRS has created a new model that has the entire neck built out of it. They must have a decent stock pile? Anyway, I don't give a crap about PRS, just popped into mind when someone asked about why it is sought after. Supposedly, Gallery may be selling some - I'm waiting to hear. Every other place I have tried (beside Warmoth that only sells 10" radius) is out and will be for good. There's Gilmer but I can't spend $100 just to get a fretboard. I like ebony also but I don't like the way it contaminates maple necks when sanding. It's easy enough to deal with but it's the one property of ebony that I wish didn't exist. Thanks anyway - I'll wait to see what happens with Gallery. Dave Quote
Page_Master Posted January 10, 2004 Report Posted January 10, 2004 well pretty much most of all guitars made these days are made from machines and with rosewood fretboards. now we will leave out which is better: rosewood or ebony. but anyways, i read somewhere that ebony tends to break up when you machine it, it is a very brittle wood. this doesn't happen with rosewood. Quote
Lex Luthier Posted January 10, 2004 Report Posted January 10, 2004 i read somewhere that ebony tends to break up when you machine it, it is a very brittle wood. Yes it is, but it's still nice to use as a fingerboard wood - it's my favorite. Quote
Guitarfrenzy Posted January 10, 2004 Report Posted January 10, 2004 I too like the feel of ebony fretboards, and tend to want to build guitars with ebony fretboards most the time. I have an old Gibson J-45 Banner Year guitar that was my dads, and it plays like a charm and sounds unreal. It has a Brazilian Rosewood neck on it, but not sure how much it has to do with the sweet tone. I just know that it's probably more of a rarity so it's the same old supply and demand theory. Matt Quote
skibum5545 Posted January 20, 2004 Report Posted January 20, 2004 I think the law is that you can't cut the tree down, but you can use it for lumber if you can prove it fell due to natural causes. skibum5545 Quote
soapbarstrat Posted January 20, 2004 Report Posted January 20, 2004 I've heard people that visited Brazil say they saw shipping pallets made out of Brazilian rosewood. Mahogany will be on the CITES list before long. I can't believe so many people build jigs with real nice mahogany. Quote
Lex Luthier Posted January 20, 2004 Report Posted January 20, 2004 Mahogany will be on the CITES list before long. I can't believe so many people build jigs with real nice mahogany. I use MDF for jigs. Quote
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