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Hey,

I was at my local lumber yard and they have some beautiful rosewood for sale that they reclaimed from a think a fireplace hearth. I was considering making a solid body strat style (Oil Finish) guitar out of it.

What's is the natural tone of Rosewood in a solid body and any suggestions on the neck pairing?

I like classic 80s Rock. I am always looking for VH 1 tone. Most of my guitars are mahogany, alder or ash.

Rick

solid rosewood? it will be a very heavy guitar, unless you chamber it like swiss cheese, which would then be a waste of rosewood...
regarding tone: distorted rock, especially '80s stuff, has absolutely nothing to do with the materials that the guitars are made of, and everything to do with silicon chips.
and, if "VH 1" refers to the rock band Van Halen, well, Eddie didn't use rosewood guitars either...

Built a solid rosewood (body and neck) Telecaster for a client in the 80's.
It was as heavy as two Jazz basses....
Sounded DARK!

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

I built a rosewood guitar: http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10123&t=32501&start=0&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=cocobolo

More specifically cocobolo, which is a type of rosweood.

Right off the bat, don't use oil. It won't sink in. Luckily you really shouldn't have to, as rosewoods are naturally very oily, which means you can burnish it and the wood practically finishes itself. It's a very nice look.

They are correct when they said heavy. My guitar is quite heavy, although it isn't so bad that you'd never want to play it. Although if you already really don't like heavy guitars, I wouldn't suggest it.

As far as tone, my guitar sounds really good. Excellent for metal but it also sounds really nice clean. It also stays in tune forever.

What dimensions are you working with? I'm sure you could get some nice guitar tops as well as plenty of fretboards out of it with some resawing. Might really be worth it even if you paid someone to do it.

Pics?

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http://www.tinyhouseandland.com

Got any pics?

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http://www.tinyhouseandland.com

If it's a particularly beautiful piece of wood I wouldn't think twice about this.

I'd resaw it into two or more facings and glue them to a much lighter body wood like alder or mahogany.

The beauty of rosewood times 3 guitars minus 4 lbs each.

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I read Emerson on the can. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...true...but a consistent reading of Emerson has its uses nevertheless.

StuMusic

Got any pics?[/quote]

Regretfully, no. My shop was so busy back in the day, I often didn't photograph builds, repairs, refinishes, etc. I have a ton of pix from back then, but it's only a fraction of what passed through my shop.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

Regretfully, no. My shop was so busy back in the day, I often didn't photograph builds, repairs, refinishes, etc. I have a ton of pix from back then, but it's only a fraction of what passed through my shop.[/quote]

Hey if you care to, I'd love to see some of the pics you do have. I'm building a home with my wife in Arkansas soon and I am most certainly building a workspace, so I'd love to get some ideas and such. We're building it all from the ground up.

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http://www.tinyhouseandland.com

I don't remember ever seeing a pic from Chris Pyle now that you mention it?

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"Talking about music is like dancing over architecture".
See the most insane first guitar build: http://www.virgilguitar.com
http://www.youtube.com/VirgilGuitar

The reason probably being,
1-he would have to find the pictures in the boxes,
wherever they are,
2-go through them all,
3- scan them,
then he could post them.
Way before the digital age.
Am I right Chris?

You are SO on the money I should send you a prize, or something.
For the newbies around here... I closed Six String Fever on March 30th, 1990.
I've been doing repair stuff and a little building since then, of course - but that's back when I had the shop in the music store and really made my bones.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

Don't waste wood, please.

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Francis Richer, Montréal
Les Guitares F&M Guitars

Been lurking for a while now but three posts in this thread prompted me to come out of the shadows. For the guys that mentioned these:






Can you give me an example of what wouldn't be a waste of salvaged and re-purposed lumber? Clearly it started out as something else and is now being used again in another form. How is that wasteful? I'd say that's less wasteful than other means of acquiring rosewood.

I say to the OP: Your wood. Use it how you want. It will make a fine instrument regardless if some of it ends up as sawdust.

Better to whom? That's a subjective statement and you can't say his use of it isn't better for him. And as for the sound...there's so much more pointing to rosewood being excessively bright than the opposite. Playing style, pickups, amps, effects, and the list goes on as to what a guitar can sound like one way or the other.


Perhaps, but again, this isn't your call to say his use of it is wrong. It's just wrong for you and maybe a few others. There are far more wasteful things happening daily than some guy using a salvaged piece of wood for a guitar.


One or three guitars is irrelevant. It was an already used piece and can be given a new life as (potentially) a great guitar. Also, why should he care if someone else needs a larger chunk? I don't care what someone else wants or thinks if I buy a certain piece of wood. I have a use for it, too. It is for sale to the first person that lays the cash on the counter. Shouldn't have to be screened for your use of it.


OK now that one is a little weird but I'm not going to judge the dude for his use of it since it was his. He bought and paid for it and can make toothpicks out of it for all I care. Point is - not everyone is always going to agree on the end use of these kinds of consumable goods. True they are getting harder to source but I'd rather see this end up as a guitar that has the potential to last many decades bringing the people that own and or play it great joy.

And thanks for the welcome. I really liked your video on the neck sawing. Going to put that technique to good use on a nice piece of Honduran rosewood I just bought.

Hey Everyone,

Thanks for the replies. I reached out because I was honestly looking for feedback and based on information posted, I will split the wood in 1/2 and use it for a few carve tops and flat tops. I will likely use either alder or basswood for the base, something to brighten the tone.

Ernie Ball made a special run of the Axis Super Sport with Rosewood tops and Rosewood neck. I played it and it sounded great IMO.


The wood is gorgeous but I also want a great sounding instrument as well.

Rick

Hello Rick,

Here's a video...the rosewood is at 3:00 minutes.
http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2012/Feb/Rig_Rundown_Wilcos_Nels_Cline.aspx

I realize I'm late to the conversation here, but this should give some idea as to what one might see for weight were they to build a Rosewood solid body:

http://www.warmoth.com/Pages/ClassicSho ... dy&core=34

And I'm surprised nobody mentioned George Harrison's Rosewood Tele.

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David Morris

Personally, I would use a nice chunk of rosewood to make fingerboards, or tops, etc. You'll get way more use out of it! But it's your wood, and no one can tell you what to do with it.

Sounds like it would also make a sweet coffee table...

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Mike Hoenerhoff
Elderly Instruments

Supposedly there is a solid rosewood piano floating in the drink somewhere inside the Costa Concordia....

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

SINKER ROSEWOOD??? That would make some killer marijuana pipes!! Chris, what was the link for that guy again? Gotta give him the top off!

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http://www.CostaGuitars.com
PMoMC

Rosewood necks can help get a ringing bell-like les Paul tone. Paul Reed Smith makes them, he plays one personally. I'm from Kalamazoo; the long time baddest old jazz cat in town had a guitar that Gibson made custom for him with an extremely dense neck.
If I was to make a rosewood body I would try to make it the same weight as my favorite electric guitar design, not the same size.

This is a rabbit trail, but I'll chime in anyway. Rosewood is my favorite neck material. I like the sound, but I LOVE the feel. It's perfect.

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David Morris

Yummy.