Sj 200 question (Ebony vs Rosewood)

[JuanCarlosVejar]

Guys I was just wondering if ebony is as porous ( has as many lines) as rosewood .

I think I may have have my sj 200 t.v repaired because a small piece of wood near the bridge pin hole for the b string came off and a little bit of the metalic coil on the string can be seen when the the string is put on and fixed in place. It hasn't affected the wonderful tone.

 

But I'm just curious as if my next J 200 should be ordered with a Ebony fretboard and bridge ...

 

thanks

[drathbun]

Ebony is naturally denser than rosewood. If you're thinking of replacing the bridge because a small piece of the rosewood came out ahead of the B string ball-end wind, I wouldn't sweat it if I were you. Think of it as a natural string ramp. B strings often need that little bit more break angle anyway.

 

Of course a photo of the "damage" would help in assessment.

[devellis]

It sounds like you're trying to decide if, in the future, you should look specifically for an SJ-200 with ebony rather than rosewood fingerboard and bridge. If you prefer ebony, that's fine. But rosewood is by no means inferior. I suspect some people may prefer ebony at least partly because it became associated with less expensive guitar models -- kind of like mahogany versus rosewood backs and sides -- in the past. It used to be thaqqt the cheapest guitars in a manufacturer's like were likely to have mahogany back and sides and rosewood fingerboard and bridge. Those wod choices became associated with simple, unbound budget models. Obviously, that's no longer the case. There are fantastic and pricey guitars made with mahogany back and sides and Gibson's TV model of the SJ-200 comes with rosewood fingerboard and saddle -- on Gibson's most expensive flat-top acoustic, listing for $6330. Hard to argue that rosewood is a budget wood for fingerboards and bridges in the present environment. Some prefer the look or feel of ebony and I can understand that; but rosewood, while different, isn't a lesser alternative.

 

I have instruments with both ebony and rosewood fingerboard/bridges. I don't find that one is superior to the other (although some people may prefer one or the other, as I've said). Both are very durable woods. My oldest guitar -- a 1945 Martin tenor -- has rosewood fingerboard and bridge and they're both in excellent condition. I had the bridge re-slotted to improve intonation (the geometry of a guitar changes after all those years) and there was no chipping, splitting, or other structural or cosmetic issues. Good rosewood is very stable. It may be less prone to cracking than ebony, in fact, because the latter is a fairly brittle wood. Ebony is denser. That can be good or bad, depending on the overall build. A denser wood has a greater dampening effect, for example, which may, again, be good or bad depending on the tone preferences of the guitar owner and the building approach of the maker.

 

I think what happened to the bridge of your guitar is something of a fluke and doesn't represent a general shortcoming of rosewood. A good tech could patch it so that it would be barely visible but I probably wouldn't bother if it happened to me. A replacement guitar with either ebony or rosewood isn't likely to have the same problem.

 

As opposed to replacing a guitar and choosing a different bridge wood, there's the possibility of just replacing the bridge on an existing guitar. Switching from one wood to another on the same guitar is likely to alter the guitar's tone. Ebony will have greater mass than rosewood and, remember, the bridge is essentially an external top brace. This change may or may not be bad, but a change is likely.

[BigKahune]

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Have you got a 2 ribbon bridge or a 4 ribbon bridge? . . Did your bridge piece break out at the bridge pin hole? As Drath said, the string winding can get caught in the ramp wear and possibly break a piece off.

 

The 4 ribbon bridges have a longer distance between the saddle and the bridge pin holes making for a more obtuse break angle. This can lead to some "ramping" wear at the bridge pin hole, especially if the saddle has been lowered. For those reasons, I stay away from the 4 ribbon bridges as do a couple other members here.

 

My 2 ribbon bridge - ..............................................................................................................................................This one you can see the "ramping wear on the B and E.

 

. .

[JuanCarlosVejar]

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Have you got a 2 ribbon bridge or a 4 ribbon bridge? . . Did your bridge piece break out at the bridge pin hole? As Drath said, the string winding can get caught in the ramp wear and possibly break a piece off.

 

The 4 ribbon bridges have a longer distance between the saddle and the bridge pin holes making for a more obtuse break angle. This can lead to some "ramping" wear at the bridge pin hole, especially if the saddle has been lowered. For those reasons, I stay away from the 4 ribbon bridges as do a couple other members here.

 

My 2 ribbon bridge - ..............................................................................................................................................This one you can see the "ramping wear on the B and E.

 

. .

 

well it's a 4 piece MOP bridge (TV model) I'll see if I can get a picture up later tonight .

And yes , it broke out , so now the winding protrudes a little more than it should XD .but the guitar still has all the wonderful tone :)