Why are guitars with rosewood fretboards so prevalent?
- Thread starter Xeromus
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Pierre
Stratologist
Re: Why are guitars with rosewood fretboards so prevalent?
Cheaper than ebony, and it's got the dark look. Maple = bright, rosewood = dark. If you put in more money you get ebony which is darker! Dun dun
At least that's how I see it. If it's not the reason then it'd probably be because of its tonal proprieties.
Cheaper than ebony, and it's got the dark look. Maple = bright, rosewood = dark. If you put in more money you get ebony which is darker! Dun dun
At least that's how I see it. If it's not the reason then it'd probably be because of its tonal proprieties.
Jeff_H
Dean Hardtail Fanologist
Re: Why are guitars with rosewood fretboards so prevalent?
Electric guitars tend to have very prominent highs. Rosewood helps to tame that brightness. Also, it was traditionally used on Acoustic guitars and Jazz boxes, so it was just sort of a natural evolution to the electric from there. It also requires no finish, which is one or two less steps than a maple neck.
Electric guitars tend to have very prominent highs. Rosewood helps to tame that brightness. Also, it was traditionally used on Acoustic guitars and Jazz boxes, so it was just sort of a natural evolution to the electric from there. It also requires no finish, which is one or two less steps than a maple neck.
fatigueofheart
New member
Re: Why are guitars with rosewood fretboards so prevalent?
ebony is hard to work with as it's very brittle while maple fretboards takes too much work to finish and if left unfinished, it gets dirty very quickly.
ebony is hard to work with as it's very brittle while maple fretboards takes too much work to finish and if left unfinished, it gets dirty very quickly.
JacksonMIA
Lemur-buckerologist
Re: Why are guitars with rosewood fretboards so prevalent?
I think price and durability are the main reasons for rosewood. But that's just my take on it.
Light. Though that could also mean that the guitar isn't heavy. English is confusing, even to native speakers.Pierre said:
I think price and durability are the main reasons for rosewood. But that's just my take on it.
SwedeNuck
New member
Re: Why are guitars with rosewood fretboards so prevalent?
a nicely finished maple is my second choice for a fretboard wood, next to ebony. I like to get good attack from the fingers so they suffice. Not to say I don't like rosewood fretboards, I actually like them a large amount, they just seem to be a middle ground for me between shredderiffic(ebony) and vintage bendalicious(maple). It's meaty, counteracts a maple neck well, and requires a lot less attention than the other two popular options.
a nicely finished maple is my second choice for a fretboard wood, next to ebony. I like to get good attack from the fingers so they suffice. Not to say I don't like rosewood fretboards, I actually like them a large amount, they just seem to be a middle ground for me between shredderiffic(ebony) and vintage bendalicious(maple). It's meaty, counteracts a maple neck well, and requires a lot less attention than the other two popular options.
That90'sGuy
DyzaBoyzologist
Re: Why are guitars with rosewood fretboards so prevalent?
I originally thought I was an all maple neck kinda guy, but through time I've come to really appreciate that subtle top end smoothness that rosewood fretboards provide. Rosewood fretboards sound great with maple and mahogany necks and tons of different body woods: alder, poplar, basswood, maple, mahogany just to name a few. I'm strange in that I just never understood ebony fretboards. Just too bright for my taste (it seems easier to add brightness to a darker tone than to make a bright guitar darker).
I originally thought I was an all maple neck kinda guy, but through time I've come to really appreciate that subtle top end smoothness that rosewood fretboards provide. Rosewood fretboards sound great with maple and mahogany necks and tons of different body woods: alder, poplar, basswood, maple, mahogany just to name a few. I'm strange in that I just never understood ebony fretboards. Just too bright for my taste (it seems easier to add brightness to a darker tone than to make a bright guitar darker).
Zerberus
Baron Von Shred
Re: Why are guitars with rosewood fretboards so prevalent?
Sorry to say this, but many you are making statements based on assumption... That´s good sometimes.... but, this isn´t one of those times, we´re talking about history here, and history is facts, not speculation
So: Why Rosewood (LOL, in 4000 characters or less, this should be interesting)
The forerunner of the guitar was the Lute....Lutes usually had one piece necks (commonly alder or oak) and were strung with pigs-gut or cat-gut, and VERY many lutes developed warping problems over the years. At some point in time it was discovered that making the fretboard from a separate slab added strength, and essentially solved this issue.
By the time the first spanish luthiers were making the first classical guitars, most european nations had become "seaworthy"..... On expeditions to south america, the Spaniards discovered ebony, rosewood, mahogany and other exotic woods, and of course brought them back to spain.
Luthiers started experimenting with these materials as soon as the supply bacame steady (until then the materials were for the royals only), and quickly fell in love with Ebony as a fretboard wood.. It´s fine, smoothe texture made playing near effortless on the then ultralow frets (frets were also made of gut wrapped around the neck for the first 200 years or so, btw...), and it´s tone was the perfect combination of snap, crackle, pop and grumble for the guitars.....Over in Mid-Europe (Mittenwald, Markneukirchen, both in Modern Germany...), these materials still weren´t known of, but it was discovered that Maple was also a wonderful wood for fretboards due to it´s rigidity, but it needed a finish....Ash was also very common, and Walnut wasn´t too rare, either....
Once the guitar had made its "final transformation" to what to this day is a standard classical guitar (Although every maker has their nuances and some have mildly differeing desings..but the general principle is the same) it also became more widespread as an instrument, and demand increased..... Ebony was expensive, rosewood much cheaper and looked similar enough, while having a similar stability, so rosewood boards were "invented".... Luthiers also noticed that rosewood was easier to work with than ebony, making it easier to get guitars built a bit faster (although then typical build times were 6 months and they cost you almost everything you had, not really an issue)
At some point in time the german and Spanish guitars got "cross-bred" and the Flamenco guitar with it´s bright, plucky tone and cutting voice was born.... but that´s kind of a side topic.....
At some point steel strings were discovered, and truss rods invented to counteract, the stabililty of the exotic woods was no longer enough....
Soooo, Why do we still use Rosewood today? There are other materialy which are stronger or sound better or , or or...
Because it´s become traditional over the last few hundred years, it sounds nice and round (in fact, the natural oils attenuating the highs make for a better beginner instrument IMO, because mistakes aren´t quite as instantly apparent.) Oh, and of all the dark woods, it´s the cheapest.... in today´s economy, very possibly the main reason (maple is even cheaper, but not dark)
Sorry to say this, but many you are making statements based on assumption... That´s good sometimes.... but, this isn´t one of those times, we´re talking about history here, and history is facts, not speculation
So: Why Rosewood (LOL, in 4000 characters or less, this should be interesting)
The forerunner of the guitar was the Lute....Lutes usually had one piece necks (commonly alder or oak) and were strung with pigs-gut or cat-gut, and VERY many lutes developed warping problems over the years. At some point in time it was discovered that making the fretboard from a separate slab added strength, and essentially solved this issue.
By the time the first spanish luthiers were making the first classical guitars, most european nations had become "seaworthy"..... On expeditions to south america, the Spaniards discovered ebony, rosewood, mahogany and other exotic woods, and of course brought them back to spain.
Luthiers started experimenting with these materials as soon as the supply bacame steady (until then the materials were for the royals only), and quickly fell in love with Ebony as a fretboard wood.. It´s fine, smoothe texture made playing near effortless on the then ultralow frets (frets were also made of gut wrapped around the neck for the first 200 years or so, btw...), and it´s tone was the perfect combination of snap, crackle, pop and grumble for the guitars.....Over in Mid-Europe (Mittenwald, Markneukirchen, both in Modern Germany...), these materials still weren´t known of, but it was discovered that Maple was also a wonderful wood for fretboards due to it´s rigidity, but it needed a finish....Ash was also very common, and Walnut wasn´t too rare, either....
Once the guitar had made its "final transformation" to what to this day is a standard classical guitar (Although every maker has their nuances and some have mildly differeing desings..but the general principle is the same) it also became more widespread as an instrument, and demand increased..... Ebony was expensive, rosewood much cheaper and looked similar enough, while having a similar stability, so rosewood boards were "invented".... Luthiers also noticed that rosewood was easier to work with than ebony, making it easier to get guitars built a bit faster (although then typical build times were 6 months and they cost you almost everything you had, not really an issue)
At some point in time the german and Spanish guitars got "cross-bred" and the Flamenco guitar with it´s bright, plucky tone and cutting voice was born.... but that´s kind of a side topic.....
At some point steel strings were discovered, and truss rods invented to counteract, the stabililty of the exotic woods was no longer enough....
Soooo, Why do we still use Rosewood today? There are other materialy which are stronger or sound better or , or or...
Because it´s become traditional over the last few hundred years, it sounds nice and round (in fact, the natural oils attenuating the highs make for a better beginner instrument IMO, because mistakes aren´t quite as instantly apparent.) Oh, and of all the dark woods, it´s the cheapest.... in today´s economy, very possibly the main reason (maple is even cheaper, but not dark)
ratherdashing
Kablamminator
Re: Why are guitars with rosewood fretboards so prevalent?
Excellent post Zerb! Everything makes sense now.
Excellent post Zerb! Everything makes sense now.
PUCKBOY99
Irish Flagologist
Re: Why are guitars with rosewood fretboards so prevalent?
GOOD GOD ZERB!!!!!!
How 'bout "cause it's purty!!!!!
I actually dig maple, rosewood & ebony....I have no preference other than I like BirdsEye Maple necks & boards.
My Hamer is ebony....love it
My Tele is maple.....love it
My Goldtop, old Strat & newer Tele is rosewood.....LOVE 'EM.
My assumption is aesthetics + tonal characteristics + cost = a very prevalent neck!!!
GOOD GOD ZERB!!!!!!
How 'bout "cause it's purty!!!!!
I actually dig maple, rosewood & ebony....I have no preference other than I like BirdsEye Maple necks & boards.
My Hamer is ebony....love it
My Tele is maple.....love it
My Goldtop, old Strat & newer Tele is rosewood.....LOVE 'EM.
My assumption is aesthetics + tonal characteristics + cost = a very prevalent neck!!!
Pierre
Stratologist
Re: Why are guitars with rosewood fretboards so prevalent?
Woaaa that's a cool story, thanks Zerb!
It sucks to be a fingerboard snob. I have never played ebony but my Charvel model 4's neck is VERY dark (ebony dark) while still being rosewood, so now all the time I see a light rosewood I just can't stand it anymore
Woaaa that's a cool story, thanks Zerb!
It sucks to be a fingerboard snob. I have never played ebony but my Charvel model 4's neck is VERY dark (ebony dark) while still being rosewood, so now all the time I see a light rosewood I just can't stand it anymore
