Dark Indian Rosewood

[V-P]

Just curious, is there any difference in sound between the different types of indian rosewood?
I'm thinking that there might be a difference in density between the lighter and darker shades....?

 

[Cagey]

For what it's worth, the C.F. Martin Co., who I'd say are a fairly authoritative source on tone quality, did some studies that found there was little or no difference in sound between Indian and Brazilian rosewood. The large difference in price has more to do with politics than anything else. I know that's not the same as comparing different varieties of Indian rosewood, I'm just putting it out there.

It should also be noted that the mechanical response of different tonewoods is much more pronounced in acoustic guitars than it is in electrics. Even where it can be perceived, it's often mitigated by the use of laminations. Any time you sandwich materials, you change any resonance qualities the individual woods had, usually dramatically diminishing them. You have to go to extremes to have wood species affect a solid body guitar's tone.

 

[Strat Avenger]

You have to go to extremes to have wood species affect a solid body guitar's tone.

Then why does an ash-bodied electric guitar sound so much brighter than alder or mahogany when the same hardware and pickups are being used?
(Or is that considered going to extremes?)

 

[Cagey]

Just so. You've gone to extremes.

 

[V-P]

Well... I also tend to go to extremes and I guess that's the reason I asked...  :laughing7:

 

[Justinginn]

Also, it's two different guitars (unless you've tried the same hardware, pickups, amp setting, speaker, effects setting, string gague, setup, etc. with the different tonewoods). Who's to say you didn't get a very warm-sounding piece of mahogany and a very bright sounding piece of ash? It's generally held that wood varies more within its own species than from species to species so while there is a difference (for example, a maple neck always has this special sound to me), it's a lot less than we usually think (blame the hypists) and probably much more felt by the player than heard anywhere else. Not to mention that a tiny turn on your amp's treble knob, or mid knob or whatever would have a bigger difference anyway.

*End most repeated rant on forum*