Rosewood vs. Ebony board tone?

[bowo]

Hi guys. I'm just curious, how does a custom 24 with ebony board sounds like? I really like that jet black look, but how does it tonally compare to rosewood?

 

[yankeebulldog]

I find it adds brightness as you would expect since it's harder and doesn't dampen as much high end. I've actually found it to be more pronounced in PRS than other brands though I'm sure it varies by guitar or model. I didn't care for the tone of my ebony boarded SC58 AP when compared to similar rosewood guitars. That being said, the right pickups or amp settings can help to offset that. If you use a lot of gain, it does help to clear up the mud.

 

[maxtuna26]

Ebony is generally said to be brighter than rosewood. Also the colour is almost black, which is not always the case for rosewood. Feel-wise, ebony is smoother than rosewood, as there's less wood grains/pores for you to drag your fingers on. Just my 2 cents here, my guess is that it'll sound like a halfway house between a mahogany neck CU24 and maple neck CU24.

 

[VHTStark]

Hi guys. I'm just curious, how does a custom 24 with ebony board sounds like? I really like that jet black look, but how does it tonally compare to rosewood?

With an ebony board, notes will take on a more immediate and percussive quality. The effect is one you can both hear and feel. I actually find a maple board to impart the most audible "brightness" IMO. With ebony I find it is brighter but the most noticeable effect is in the quick attack it gives to notes. I find a rosewood board imparts a warmer, smoother quality to notes and is more forgiving. I encourage you to try both out if you can, because these are only opinions. One person's "clinical" is another's "precise" and one person's "warm" is another's "muddy." You get the idea.

 

[László]

Yes. Ebony can feel a little faster, too.

 

[Rider1260]

Ebony is a MUST for all Gibson guitars !!!
I can imagine it would be anything less than great on a PRS

 

[Tag]

I have basically the same guitar with both ebony and rosewood, and love them both equally. The ebony DOES give a quicker attack and is less forgiving to play, but it looks unreal, and the clarity in the notes cant be beat. It also has a very cool midrange bark that I LOVE.

 

[László]

That's such a beautiful guitar, Tag.

 

[andy474x]

I love ebony boards! Smooth like maple, but no gloss finish to get sticky when it's humid or your hands get sweaty.

 

[megaboogie]

I love both but I am more of a rosewood player as I like the softer feel.