Brazilian Rosewood - What's the story ??

Subject: RE: Brazilian Rosewood - What's the story ??
From: GUEST,CraigS
Date: 31 Jan 01 - 03:28 PM

It's a long time since I was in the instrument business, but the situation as I recall it was that at the end of the sixties the Brazilian government forbade the export of any pieces of rosewood big enough to make anything bigger than a doorknob. The idea was not to entirely prevent the export of the wood, but to encourage job creation while reducing job depletion. This created a situation where Giannini guitars (Brazil) were the only people with real access to fresh stocks of Brazilian rosewood. However, the only solid rosewood guitars they made were classics, although they made something called a Craviola, which played and sounded like a cutaway guitar; the lower bout was almost normal, but the upper bout was just curved like a lute or cittern. These weren't expensive, and were very good value. Their other steel-strung instruments were laminated, although I wouldn't be surprised to find that someone has one with solid back and sides - very common to do this for exhibition models, which never seem to find their way back home. I would suggest that what is available in the US as "Brazilian" is possibly coming from the Guyanas, Belize or Honduras, or something like that, as the last time I enquired (1991) I found the situation hadn't changed and only small pieces for woodturning were coming out of Brazil.

Subject: RE: Brazilian Rosewood - What's the story ??
From: Mark Clark
Date: 31 Jan 01 - 02:22 PM

If anyone is looking for Brazilian Rosewood, or any other wood for that matter, try the Woodfinder site. I did a search on "braz" and "musical instrument wood" and found twenty-nine potential suppliers. This site is also great if you're looking for small quantities of expensive woods such as Lignum Vitea.

      - Mark

Subject: RE: Brazilian Rosewood - What's the story ??
From: Justa Picker
Date: 31 Jan 01 - 12:46 PM

Upon further research there was discussion about this quite some time ago here, and also if you are interested in knowing more about the differences in tonewoods you can try here.

Subject: RE: Brazilian Rosewood - What's the story ??
From: Midchuck
Date: 31 Jan 01 - 11:51 AM

The word I've read is that Braz is still on the market, but only as boards - the Brazilian government won't allow the export of whole logs. And the Brazilians won't cut it right for fine instruments. It has to be quartersawn, which wastes a lot of wood.

Besides which, they can make more money per log shaving it for veneer than cutting it up.

Or so I've read.

Peter.

Subject: RE: Brazilian Rosewood - What's the story ??
From: Jon W.
Date: 31 Jan 01 - 11:27 AM

Many luthiers have many year's supply of instrument wood for the simple reason that they won't use wood that they haven't had in their personal possession and control for 5 year or more (that's so they know it is properly seasoned). So if, the year before the ban was implemented, a luthier had a five or ten year supply of BR, and then after the ban, started charging prohibitive prices for BR instruments, he or she might conceivably have quite a bit of BR left in the stash. Our local banjo maker sold me a BR fingerboard blank for $5 last year. He said he's had a whole stack of them for longer than he can remember.

What year did the ban become effective?

Subject: RE: Brazilian Rosewood - What's the story ??
From: Jon W.
Date: 31 Jan 01 - 11:27 AM

Many luthiers have many year's supply of instrument wood for the simple reason that they won't use wood that they haven't had in their personal possession and control for 5 year or more (that's so they know it is properly seasoned). So if, the year before the ban was implemented, a luthier had a five or ten year supply of BR, and then after the ban, started charging prohibitive prices for BR instruments, he or she might conceivably have quite a bit of BR left in the stash. Our local banjo maker sold me a BR fingerboard blank for $5 last year. He said he's had a whole stack of them for longer than he can remember.

What year did the ban become effective?

Subject: RE: Brazilian Rosewood - What's the story ??
From: GUEST,Roger the skiffler
Date: 31 Jan 01 - 11:12 AM

Rick bought it all up to make kazoos with!
RtS

Subject: Brazilian Rosewood - What's the story ??
From: Wesley S
Date: 31 Jan 01 - 11:06 AM

I'm curious about Brazilian rosewood. I thought I heard that several years ago { I'm interested as to when that was } a ban on the export of BR was put into place. I understand that and have no problem with it. However { and here is my sceptical nature rearing it's ugly head } it seems like everybody and their uncle has a small stash of BR that can be had for an enormous price. So where is it coming from ?? Is there a huge stash somewhere ? Is it smuggled out of Brazil? Are luthiers using their best Indian rosewood and calling it Brazilian? I don't want to sound as if I'm saying that anyone is doing something dishonest but it seems to me as if there is a lot of this { very expensive } stuff around for a material that is supposed to be a "banned" substance.

The other question is if it's worth it or not. My thought is that I'd rather have top grade rosewood from any country vs. poor grade Brazilian just because it's from Brazil. Any facts , rumors or guesses anyone??