Brazilian rosewood fretboard?

turboblues

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This is the fretboard of my 1990 PRS Custom 24. So this ought to be Brazilian..
Ever saw such a light brown Brazilian board? My 1986 PRS has a very dark one (almost ebony in color).
 
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This is the fretboard of my 1990 PRS Custom 24. So this ought to be Brazilian..
Ever saw such a light brown Brazilian board? My 1986 PRS has a very dark one (almost ebony in color).

There is a range of variation in Brazilian from dark, almost ebony like, to light like the one shown above...
 
All you have to do is look at the back and sides of a Brazilian Rosewood guitar, and you'll see stunning variations in color.
 
Yes. But only because someone said it was BRW. I do not think ANYONE can determine the origin of rosewood visually. Or hear the origin of wood.

There are a few visual queues, but none are definitive. All of them can be confused because of the large variations in both Braz and IRW. One very good way is almost never done; sand off some and smell it. If it smells sweet it is BRW, but who's gonna sand there BRW? The best way I know of is to check the MODCAT or ask PRS if it's older than the MODCAT system.
 
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As has been said, there are huge variations in the colour of Brazilian rosewood. Yours certainly doesn't look like Indian rosewood, which is what it would be if it weren't Brazilian.
 
So here's a stupid question. I know about all the restrictions as far as BRW but I'm just wondering, what makes it so desirable compared to IRW? I've never had the good fortune to play a brazzy guitar, but IRW has always sounded great to my ears and looks fine to me. Possibly someone could enlighten me? :dontknow:
 
Well, it is generally referred to as the "Holy Grail" of tone woods, but I personally wonder how many can really tell the difference sonically. I don't think my ears are that good, and I have one of each. True, they are in different models, SE CU24 vs Paul's Guitar, so that wouldn't be much help. My real preference would be for an ebony board or a cocobolo one (rosewood family), but I base that more on visual appearance. I rely on my eyes to make up for what my tinnitus ears can't do.
 
So here's a stupid question. I know about all the restrictions as far as BRW but I'm just wondering, what makes it so desirable compared to IRW? I've never had the good fortune to play a brazzy guitar, but IRW has always sounded great to my ears and looks fine to me. Possibly someone could enlighten me? :dontknow:

I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, and maybe even if I'm right, but: The fascination with BRW is basically nostalgia. Acoustic guitar luthiers after the turn of the century were using rosewood for separate fretboards, and the primary wood source was Brazil. Move forward a couple decades, and think Martin pre-war guitars. They were/are considered by many to be the cream of the crop. Brazil contined to export rosewood, and it continued to to be used in guitars after WWII, including now electrics. The early Strats, Teles, Lesters, etc. were primarily BRW (if RW and not ebony or maple). We are all aware of the mojo of these iconic guitars. So history and mojo meet, we yearn for days gone by, and cherish the old school material (BRW) with a heightened subjective and economic value. The iconic status is well deserved in part (BRW has excellent acoustic properties, and is visually attractive), and nostalgic hype in part (IRW may be just as wonderfully acoustic and visually applealing). $0.02.
 
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