Post by woodhead on Apr 18, 2018 10:28:06 GMT
WARNING! Disclaimer: I confused "blackwood" with "basswood".
Hello,
after switching from Wilkinson to Rosswell Pickups, I recently observed, that more and more Harley Benton guitars come with blackwood fretboards. I read threads here today and I see I am not the only one worriing.
I wonder though, which one they mean.
Is it this tree www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b&biw=1280&bih=865&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=khXXWu7tLOWr6ATMvIKoBQ&q=Linde+Baum&oq=Linde+Baum&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0l10.14110.15208.0.15672.5.4.0.1.1.0.102.352.3j1.4.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..0.5.360...0i67k1.0.W-QQiFhITyU
This is what they and other manufacturers use for bodies for many years and the use is pretty common. But fretboards is the first time. I know it might have to do with CITS as well and not only getting the price down.
Interestingly though for some guitars, not all, they note "blackwood" for the body, but "blackwood (pinus radiata)" for the fretboard. Which is a pine
www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b&biw=1280&bih=865&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=pBXXWun2A8PD6QSZ37OACg&q=pinus+radiata+Baum&oq=pinus+radiata+Baum&gs_l=psy-ab.3...376378.384680.0.386434.25.20.5.0.0.0.248.2186.9j10j1.20.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..0.17.1420...0j0i7i30k1j0i7i10i30k1j0i13k1j0i67k1j0i7i5i30k1j0i10k1.0.UH9VU3wdAsc
or the more common pine in Europe www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b&biw=1280&bih=865&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=JxfXWqbmMITE6ATS8ZPYDw&q=Kiefer+Baum&oq=Kiefer+Baum&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0l6j0i67k1l2j0l2.44152.45134.0.45494.6.6.0.0.0.0.118.634.1j5.6.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..0.6.632...0i7i30k1j0i7i10i30k1j0i13k1.0.E8OPHUBFkIc
They don't append "pinus radiata" in all descriptions at Thomann.
Then there is also the name "blackwood" used for a range of other wood, mainly Grenadil (african blackwoos).
Does one know what tree it is?
Is it a step down in quality?
(Btw. it was always sayed that basswood, the broad-leaf one, is used for cheap guitars and was not a tone wood. I notice a change in builder forums and musicians forums lately. The consesus seems to get the norm, that for solid body guitars the wood doesn't matter and therefore basswood can't be a bad tonewood, because for solid-bodies there are no tonewoods, blackwood is just cheaper in price, but not quality-wise. (The pickups, everything metal, the bore, strings, pickup position etc. make the sound, the new general belief is). But when used as a fretboard material - if they mean the broad leaf tree and not the pine one - the material and how it behaves plays a role. Not for the tone, but how it bends and how strong it is against pressure from the sweatty fingers. Let us not start a discussion about tonewood here, though, please!)
Hello,
after switching from Wilkinson to Rosswell Pickups, I recently observed, that more and more Harley Benton guitars come with blackwood fretboards. I read threads here today and I see I am not the only one worriing.
I wonder though, which one they mean.
Is it this tree www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b&biw=1280&bih=865&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=khXXWu7tLOWr6ATMvIKoBQ&q=Linde+Baum&oq=Linde+Baum&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0l10.14110.15208.0.15672.5.4.0.1.1.0.102.352.3j1.4.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..0.5.360...0i67k1.0.W-QQiFhITyU
This is what they and other manufacturers use for bodies for many years and the use is pretty common. But fretboards is the first time. I know it might have to do with CITS as well and not only getting the price down.
Interestingly though for some guitars, not all, they note "blackwood" for the body, but "blackwood (pinus radiata)" for the fretboard. Which is a pine
www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b&biw=1280&bih=865&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=pBXXWun2A8PD6QSZ37OACg&q=pinus+radiata+Baum&oq=pinus+radiata+Baum&gs_l=psy-ab.3...376378.384680.0.386434.25.20.5.0.0.0.248.2186.9j10j1.20.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..0.17.1420...0j0i7i30k1j0i7i10i30k1j0i13k1j0i67k1j0i7i5i30k1j0i10k1.0.UH9VU3wdAsc
or the more common pine in Europe www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b&biw=1280&bih=865&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=JxfXWqbmMITE6ATS8ZPYDw&q=Kiefer+Baum&oq=Kiefer+Baum&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0l6j0i67k1l2j0l2.44152.45134.0.45494.6.6.0.0.0.0.118.634.1j5.6.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..0.6.632...0i7i30k1j0i7i10i30k1j0i13k1.0.E8OPHUBFkIc
They don't append "pinus radiata" in all descriptions at Thomann.
Then there is also the name "blackwood" used for a range of other wood, mainly Grenadil (african blackwoos).
Does one know what tree it is?
Is it a step down in quality?
(Btw. it was always sayed that basswood, the broad-leaf one, is used for cheap guitars and was not a tone wood. I notice a change in builder forums and musicians forums lately. The consesus seems to get the norm, that for solid body guitars the wood doesn't matter and therefore basswood can't be a bad tonewood, because for solid-bodies there are no tonewoods, blackwood is just cheaper in price, but not quality-wise. (The pickups, everything metal, the bore, strings, pickup position etc. make the sound, the new general belief is). But when used as a fretboard material - if they mean the broad leaf tree and not the pine one - the material and how it behaves plays a role. Not for the tone, but how it bends and how strong it is against pressure from the sweatty fingers. Let us not start a discussion about tonewood here, though, please!)