PRSh on Cocobolo

[Taller]

I've seen some PRS guitars (and others) featuring Cocobolo. I always harken back to this video where he essentially disses cocobolo as a tone wood. Maybe he found some that rings the way he likes?
Reference at 0:36:

 

[Whitecat]

Yet his protégé, Joe Knaggs, uses cocobolo on fretboards a LOT and is on record saying it's the closest thing to Braz you can get with relative ease currently. Hmmmmm.

 

[thekaiser]

For what its worth, and I may be wrong, I can't recall Cocobolo being used other than fretboards on any PRS that wasn't a dealer designed Private Stock, where PRSh's feelings on tone don't factor as much.

 

[Whitecat]

For what its worth, and I may be wrong, I can't recall Cocobolo being used other than fretboards on any PRS that wasn't a dealer designed Private Stock, where PRSh's feelings on tone don't factor as much.

It's been used on Wood Library models quite recently. There was a run of Custom 24 30th anniversary guitars done last year with cocobolo fretboards for PRS Europe. "Distributor designed" (although PRS owns PRS Europe) but not Private Stock instruments.

 

[nosacter]

My Angelus Custom is Coco B/S, bridge and FB. Beautiful.

 

[atquinn]

If you're in the sales business, it's fine to like what you like, but it's imperative to sell what you can sell
So now that there's no BR for guitars, I'm sure he has no problem selling them "inferior" Cocobolo.
-
Austin

 

[customguitars87]

I love cocobolo. Here's one of my customs with it's coco fretboard.

 

[archey]

I remember him talking about laminate necks and how they were inferior. I doubt he says much about since the s2 line came out.

 

[klatuu]

My New Orleans Voodoo has a cocobolo board. Cocobolo belongs to the same genus as brazilian rosewood and has similar properties. It's an oily dense and hard wood, and I've heard to work it requires very sharp tools. Brazilian rosewood grows in the rain forest while cocobolo prefers the drier plains areas of Central America.

View media item 20548
In this pic you can see the grain and pores

View media item 22595

 

[CatStrangler]

I remember him talking about laminate necks and how they were inferior. I doubt he says much about since the s2 line came out.

hmmm, I don't equate scarf joint with laminate neck, but I guess technically the neck shaft id from two separate pieces of wood. I've also never heard him say laminate necks weren't good, Can you provide a link? I agree, he is on record stating that he thinks one piece neck sound the best in his opinion. The S2 line is what it is, a USA made line where some costs are cut to make it as affordable as possible, they can use smaller and less expensive pieces of mahogany to make the neck more cheaply. I guess they could put more expensive one piece necks on those, but then it would kind of defeat the purpose.

 

[archey]

I've also never heard him say laminate necks weren't good, Can you provide a link? I agree, he is on record stating that he thinks one piece neck sound the best in his opinion.

If you agree he is on record saying one piece necks sound better, why do you need a link? By laminate neck, I meant any neck that has multiple pieces glued together to form it. I love PRS. They are my favorite mass production guitar. I just remembered him saying that at one point.

 

[CatStrangler]

I've seen some PRS guitars (and others) featuring Cocobolo. I always harken back to this video where he essentially disses cocobolo as a tone wood. Maybe he found some that rings the way he likes?
Reference at 0:36:

Maybe decent quality Brazilian is running short and he's using the next best thing he can buy that his customers will accept. Over the past couple of years, it has been very difficult to get any good quality Brazilian. IIRC in the video he mostly refers to the tap tones, are the differences in dispute? Has he reversed his position and now said that he prefers Cocobolo? Certainly cocobolo as a guitar wood sounds different than Brazilian. It is clear that Paul prefers Brazilian. Me too.

If the owners of the instruments didn't like the cocobolo they wouldn't buy them, and excluding some fairly limited runs most of the PRS guitars featuring cocobolo are private stocks or signature models where the customer/artist voted with their wallet/ears, and ultimately Paul's job is to sell guitars.

 

[CatStrangler]

Archey, I was just interested to hear him say that he felt laminate necks were inferior, as I had not heard that before. If that is not what he said, especially since I don't consider a scarf joint the same as a traditional laminate neck, I think your statement is unfair, unless in fact he said it. just my $0.02

 

[Quarter]

I love cocobolo. I've never built a solid Brazilian steel before, so could not directly compare, but I was tickled with how this P8 turned out.

.

 

[CatStrangler]

If you agree he is on record saying one piece necks sound better, why do you need a link? By laminate neck, I meant any neck that has multiple pieces glued together to form it. I love PRS. They are my favorite mass production guitar. I just remembered him saying that at one point.

FWIW Archey, here is the video I have seen where he states his preference for 1 piece necks (~2:45). PRS is also my favorite manufacturer BTW! The video is pretty cool in its own right. enjoy if you haven't seen it before.

 

[archey]

FWIW Archey, here is the video I have seen where he states his preference for 1 piece necks (~2:45). PRS is also my favorite manufacturer BTW! The video is pretty cool in its own right. enjoy if you haven't seen it before.

I actually have seen that before. The video that I remember him talking about multi piece necks being inferior to one piece, was in the 2003 PRS video. It was in the "clinic with Paul" section. I will have to watch it again to get the quote. IMO a multipiece neck is as good as a one piece, and actually is a stronger neck. Sorry if I came across as jerkish at all. I've had a pretty bad week.

 

[AaeCee]

That and the later video were both quite old, when PRSh had more hair, was younger and, well, dumber. I love the guy, his spirit, and his guitars, and I'm sure he'd be among the first to acknowledge that the good ones never stop learning, to a significant degree, from their mistakes.

I can easily recall the times I was wrong myself. Strangely, both times were on Tuesdays, '04 and '09 if I remember correctly.

 

[CatStrangler]

I actually have seen that before. The video that I remember him talking about multi piece necks being inferior to one piece, was in the 2003 PRS video. It was in the "clinic with Paul" section. I will have to watch it again to get the quote. IMO a multipiece neck is as good as a one piece, and actually is a stronger neck. Sorry if I came across as jerkish at all. I've had a pretty bad week.

Oh I don't think you came off as a jerk, I am very interested in Paul's thoughts and you have some more recent info than I do on his thoughts on necks. I think he has had access to more guitars than any of us will ever see, and if he has some conclusions its worth listening to. Hope you have a good weekend.

 

[Taller]

To be clear, I wasn't just talking about fretboard wood. They've made some of their Angelus acoustics with cocobolo as back and sides. They've also made some Private Stock instruments with cocobolo bodies (I did a simple 'cocobolo PRS guitars' Google search). Granted, these (the electric guitars I saw) are private stock instruments - I suppose they'd make one out of plywood if someone paid Private Stock prices. I just find it odd that he'd purposefully call out cocobolo as a 'dead' tone wood, yet build instruments out of the stuff, but I guess some of you guys are right - he's in the business to sell guitars.

 

[archey]

PRS has always been big on the idea that the electric guitar is basically an acoustic instrument first and foremost. It will only sound as good amplified as the sum of its parts allow. This has been a double edged sword for the company imo. On one hand the woods and build quality have been top notch since day one. On the other hand the pickups suffered from sounding less than stellar for many years.
Once PRS came to the revelation that the pickups are just as vital to the instruments tone as the woods are, they really took a turn in the right direction. Now, again imo, PRS is second to none in build quality and tone. Although, PRSh is still pretty focused on acoustic properties of tone woods. I guess old habits die hard. And why should they? It seems he has finally found the perfect recipe for his guitars.