'Wild' looking rosewood

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I find that wood grain very beautiful. I wish variations and oddities in the wood were used in guitar making more often.

So do I! It’s like the “bear claw” looking grain on some tops. Very few builders would use it, unless they were going to cover it with paint (like a black guitar). Back in the day it was viewed as almost a cosmetic defect.
In fact, I’ve met many players who believe that certain guitars got painted black because the tops were “rejects”. And there might be some truth in that.
The same goes for the lighter colored or striped ebony that gets rejected if it’s not black. Back in the day, a lot of ebony was discarded for that reason.

In more modern times, builders are aware of the scarcity of certain woods and use them based on the tonal qualities and strength, and less on cosmetic perfection, which is a good thing! It’s also good PR, as many people are concerned about only sourcing sustainable product, and that’s a good thing too! I had a NH-built F50 that had lighter colored ebony, and I liked it!
I’m sure we will see more frequent examples of “unique-ness” in grain as time goes on, and the accompanying PR as to why it’s good to buy guitars that are sourced from wood that sounds great but has a different look.
And that’s s good thing too!
 

Rayk

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That is my kind of sexy ! Thanks Mr Hans 🙂
 
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