Whats makes crackwood addictive...for you

[László]

Do you have a hygrometer inside your PRS cases? With the humidipaks, my humidity has measured up to 55% with a single in the case. Unless an entire brand of (admittedly cheap) hygrometers is inaccurate, then the humidipaks have quite a large upward variance from their stated humidity level.

Most inexpensive digital hygrometers are inaccurate. I have had one in my case, and mine read 40-50% but who knows how accurate it was?

By coincidence, I have two sitting out in the humidified room I’m in right now. One reads 32% and one reads 38%. They happen to be sitting about 3 feet apart!

They can’t both be right...

After reading your post, I checked the Taylor website, because Taylor is so well-known for preaching proper humidity levels; they say the “ideal” humidity range is 45-55%, but 40-60% is acceptable. So at 55% your guitar is hardly at risk, it’s in the sweet spot. Note that in the article they recommend the D’Addario packs:

https://blog.taylorguitars.com/using-a-guitar-humidifier-and-other-guitar-humidity-tips

The bottom line on my beloved PS acoustic guitar is that with the three humidipaks, the top neither swells nor sinks. The frets don’t sprout. Everything plays like the day it arrived over 4 years ago. I’d much rather have my guitar be at 55% in its case than even 32-38% in my humidified room, because even the upper range of 38% is below the acceptable level.

 

[Tosca]

Incoming crackwood alert!!!

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Incoming crackwood alert!!!

That you?!?

 

[László]

Incoming crackwood alert!!!

Nice!!

 

[Tosca]

That you?!?

Let's see...five knobs, and three toggle switches, with a crackwood neck and a backplate half the size of Rhode Island...yup...that's me.

 

[bodia]

Let's see...five knobs, and three toggle switches, with a crackwood neck and a backplate half the size of Rhode Island...yup...that's me.

Ok, I don't care how far away I am when I'm out east in the fall. I gotta check that out!

 

[veinbuster]

Ok, I don't care how far away I am when I'm out east in the fall. I gotta check that out!

Only a couple of hours from Experience if I recall correctly.

 

[gush]

Did prs use Brazilian rosewood boards on CEs? Could a 97 ce have it?

My 97 ce22 is a beater but there is something about that guitar that I love. I could never bring myself to sell it, just feels and sounds good.

The rosewood looks different than any of my other prs guitars. I'm sure it isn't Brazilian rosewood but if it is that would make sense to me.

This guitar has crack in the neck pocket but it has to be finish only because it is ridiculously stable and I beat the piss out of the trem.

 

[AP515]

Did prs use Brazilian rosewood boards on CEs? Could a 97 ce have it?

PRS did not put BRW on any CE's. Some people think they did, but I was told by email from them that they did not.

 

[gush]

PRS did not put BRW on any CE's. Some people think they did, but I was told by email from them that they did not.

That's good to know. Iv'e seen a few early CEs listed for sale that claim brazzy boards.

 

[dmatthews]

My two fav guitars are my P22 and McCarty. They both have IRW necks and boards.
All I can say is that crackwood is amazing and I'm spoiled rotten.

 

[11top]

Incoming crackwood alert!!!

Crackwood: Both the neck and the top could be labeled as such.

Nice looking!

 

[Guitpicky]

Do you have a hygrometer inside your PRS cases? With the humidipaks, my humidity has measured up to 55% with a single in the case. Unless an entire brand of (admittedly cheap) hygrometers is inaccurate, then the humidipaks have quite a large upward variance from their stated humidity level.

The 49% Humidipaks from Boveda state a range of 45%-55% so nothing unusual there. Anywhere between 40% and 60% is well within your guitar's comfort zone at room temperature. Don't let clever marketing terrorize you

I try to strike a happy medium with the humidity thing. I have have very nice quitars that I'm not about to let get ruined by being careless, but I'm also not about to ruin the joy of ownership by being obsessively anal about it. You don't actually need a hygrometer at all, much less in the case. It's not rocket science, if it's too wet or dry for your comfort it's too wet or dry for your guitar.

In winter when I start to get itchy and begin ripping visible sparks off my cats while petting them, I throw in the humidipaks. I don't need to know exactly what the relative humidity is in each case because I know it's good enough. My guitars are comfortable and so am I not having to constantly look over my shoulder worrying about whether they're at 45% or 54%. All a hygrometer in the case does is give you something to worry about that's not worth worrying about.

Or, if you're really OCD and just have to be that obsessed about something your guitar isn't, then get one of those fancy "smart" hygrometers that monitors case humidity in 3 different locations, with a downloadable app that sends emergency text alerts whenever there is a half percent variance in any of them. If you're at work make sure you have the diarrhea excuse ready at a moments notice because your boss is likely to be about as worried over that inconsequential change in environmental statistics as your guitar is

 

[strat63]

Hey guys,

I was recently playing my 408 and I noticed that the addictive-ness for me is more about feel than sound. I am in love with the smoothness of the fretboard. I have never felt a fretboard like that with any other type of wood...ebony is smooth too but its more of a matte/dry feeling type of smooth and then theres maple, but both are totally different to what I'm feeling out of the Brazilian rosewood board.

What are your thoughts?

I love the feel and the sound of solid rosewood necks. Not everyone seems to like the sound of them but it sure works for me. Notes all over the neck seem to decay into beautiful feed back even at low volumes. Maybe I've just been lucky and the right woods were placed together. Who knows?

 

[ViperDoc]

I really like the feel of a rosewood neck. I do find my Brazilians feel a bit different than the Indian and the Cocobolo. I like them all, but with a gun to my head I would put the Braz first. The Cocobolo is far and away the prettiest though.

As noted above, they sustain really well. The earthy tone I get from them suits me well.

I don’t really notice a difference in feel on the fretboard though. I mostly play with a fairly light touch these days so the string doesn’t often make contact with the board. For fingerboards alone, I really like ebony and African Blackwood.

Examples: Braz

Indian

Cocobolo

"Dragon 2000". Jaw. FLOOR.

 

[ViperDoc]

Incoming crackwood alert!!!

CRACKWOOD PS. JAW. BASEMENT!!!

 

[Matte82]

Fwiw I put an all rosewood neck on a strat style guitar recently. Man oh man do I love the way it feels. Just so smooth. Can’t really say what it did to the tone, because I hadn’t played the guitar that much before I changed it. I just knew I didn’t like the thin neck that was on there. So I was shopping for a thicker neck when I found the rosewood one. Price was right and figured why not. My lesson from that is, from now on my guitars will have thick necks and will be as bare feeling as possible. No more gloss for me. I’m sure this was some cheap rosewood also. Can’t imagine what a nice East Indian or even Brazilian one would feel like. Hopefully one day I’ll know.

 

[László]

from now on my guitars will have thick necks and will be as bare feeling as possible. No more gloss for me.

The weird thing (compared to most here) is that I prefer gloss necks. The only non-gloss neck I bonded with was Rosewood, however, if I ever did another Rosewood neck, it’d have to be PS, ‘cause I’d want it finished in gloss lacquer.

 

[Casi1]

The weird thing (compared to most here) is that I prefer gloss necks. The only non-gloss neck I bonded with was Rosewood, however, if I ever did another Rosewood neck, it’d have to be PS, ‘cause I’d want it finished in gloss lacquer.

You'd put gloss over a Rosewood neck?

 

[László]

You'd put gloss over a Rosewood neck?

Yup.