Rosewood neck (PRS)

moro · #1 05-15-2006, 01:28 PM

I went guitar shopping this weekend, looking at PRSes. I'd never played one before and I was pleasantly surprised when I picked up the first one I saw at GC. They're very comfortable, play wonderfully, and (it goes without saying) are beautiful guitars.

I played a bunch of them and while I think they're fantastic guitars, none of them really clicked with me. Mostly, I couldn't get past the painted necks. Though I will say that the ridiculous looking neck joint really isn't an issue. Upper fret access is pretty nice.

So I went to a local store where I thought I'd seen a PRS with an unfinished neck the other day. I asked them to see it and the guy went into a long spiel about the guitar (Eastern maple top instead of Western, which keeps the price down, blah blah). Then he goes away and says, "Let me get the price for you." (Not a good sign, as far as your wallet goes.)

The damned thing had a rosewood neck. It was unreal. It was the smoothest, sexiest feeling neck I've ever played on. And the notes just POP off this guitar. I never even plugged it in, and I was totally in love. Unfortunately, it's $3000, which is about $1000 more than I wanted to spend.

After going home and calming down a bit

if I was going to get a PRS, this probably isn't the one I want. It was a McCarty, with the "wide fat" neck profile, which has a very subtle V shape. I prefer the "wide thin" profile.

So my life's mission now is to get a guitar with a rosewood neck.

I really want a PRS but I might go for a parts guitar, since I've been wanting to do that anyway.

brothersnowgone · #2 05-15-2006, 01:40 PM

That's true eastern maple is about half the price of western. I'm going to be making a guitar soon with a rosewood neck, suprisingly I can get the materials for under $150 including the fretboard. I've never played an all rosewood neck, but I love rosewood fretboard's enough to know I'd love a rosewood neck all the more. I'd love to make an all rosewood guitar, but I can't touch a piece of Brazilian rosewood big enough for under $450 and unfortunately the prices are only going to go up because of the CITES II treaty. To export some you need to get permission from the Department of Fisheries.

moro · #3 05-15-2006, 02:51 PM

Hrm. I just checked Warmoth and an all rosewood neck is only $250ish. Surprisingly affordable.

Where are you getting your parts? Or is it a secret?

brothersnowgone · #4 05-15-2006, 02:58 PM

I'm buying raw material's moro, so you can see where the saving is. Still 250ish for an already made neck is decent! But I prefer making them to my exact specifications and saving a few bucks in the process

.

moro · #5 05-15-2006, 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brothersnowgone

I'm buying raw material's moro, so you can see where the saving is. Still 250ish for an already made neck is decent! But I prefer making them to my exact specifications and saving a few bucks in the process

.

Ah, that's cool. Please post pics when you're done!

bduersch · #6 05-15-2006, 04:28 PM

It's hard to explain the charm of it, but the McCarty Rosewood that I've got is the smoothest playing PRS I've ever owned.

Recently EB did a short run of rosewood necked Axis guitars, which have a great deal of potential... now if I could just find one to try out.

--B

brothersnowgone · #7 05-15-2006, 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moro

Ah, that's cool. Please post pics when you're done!

Absolutely, but im afraid it will be a month or so as im finishing other mods on my store bought guitars.

moro · #8 05-15-2006, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bduersch

Recently EB did a short run of rosewood necked Axis guitars, which have a great deal of potential... now if I could just find one to try out.

Are these the ones with rosewood tops? I saw one at GC but it didn't occur to me that the neck might be rosewood too.

rastachild · #9 05-15-2006, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moro

Hrm. I just checked Warmoth and an all rosewood neck is only $250ish. Surprisingly affordable.

Where are you getting your parts? Or is it a secret?

yeah but they only have one that made of brazilian rosewood...

and it's $749!!!!

red5 · #10 05-15-2006, 07:35 PM

Never played a guitar with a rosewood neck.... but I've always been interested in how it would sound/play. People seem to like it too...

David McCarroll · #11 05-15-2006, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rastachild

yeah but they only have one that made of brazilian rosewood...

and it's $749!!!!

...... That's probably cheap! - or it will be in a few years - it makes you begin to appreciate why the PRS guitars with rosewood necks cost a bit more though. FWIW I have two PRS Custom 22s, both with Wide Fat necks, and they really do feel great when you play - by comparison I am starting to find that I get RSI like twinges in my wrist when I switch to the VDY with her notoriously thin neck.

Cheers

David

moro · #12 05-16-2006, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David McCarroll

...... That's probably cheap! - or it will be in a few years - it makes you begin to appreciate why the PRS guitars with rosewood necks cost a bit more though. FWIW I have two PRS Custom 22s, both with Wide Fat necks, and they really do feel great when you play - by comparison I am starting to find that I get RSI like twinges in my wrist when I switch to the VDY with her notoriously thin neck.

Hi, I was hoping you'd find your way over to this thread.

I don't dislike the wide fat neck. I just prefer the wide thin. And it's not so much the thickness that bothers me---it's the slight V that I don't like. And I'm not a big fan of the crazy thin Ibanez necks either. As far as shape / thickness goes, the neck on my FP is pretty much perfect for me. And the PRS wide thin felt very similar in my limited play time.

Also, as I understand it, PRS has a massive stash of Brazilian rosewood from over a decade ago. But they use Indian rosewood as well, which is similar, but cheaper.

rastachild · #13 05-16-2006, 01:23 PM

the indian rosewood is much cheaper, but has a different tonal characteristic from what i've read (although it still looks gorgeous). supposedly, the brazilian rosewood is "harder and sonically more vibrant" than other rosewood species, but i kinda dig the warmth that is associated with indian rosewood, so it's all good.

i'd like to eventually have a guitar body made of indian rosewood, but that could be really costly.

brothersnowgone · #14 05-16-2006, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rastachild

i'd like to eventually have a guitar body made of indian rosewood, but that could be really costly.

I'd say, base price for just the material is around $450. I don't know what the average profit on a guitar body would be, but I imagine a Rosewood body completely routed would be in the $600 range give or take (especially depending on who made it). And most of the rosewood guitar companies use now has been in their possesion for quite a while, if not bought from a company that has had it for a while.