Quote:
Originally Posted by ChalkLitIScream
You pay thousands extra for the BRW for it's availability. Not for its tone. A BRW guitar won't sound 3k better than the same one with EIR. In fact, I'd argue the opposite. Now that brw is so rare, you're left with the scraps and all the great pieces have likely already been used
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Sometimes.
True, it's certainly diminishing returns in terms of the money to tone ratio. (But what isn't like that when you get into its upper echelons?) And yes, there are a number of mediocre BRW sets floating around, but there are also some really nice ones. High quality sets have been salvaged from shipwrecks, reclaimed from old church beams, or produced from unused stock.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gitarro
It depends on the quality of the braz that is in question and the ability of the luthier to exploit that tonal potential. But the right set in the right hands can help make an incredible guitar with tonal qualities that you cannot get with any other wood.
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^this^
The luthier is key. Not only are they building the instrument, but their experience and reputation is essential--any luthier worth their salt won't use an inferior BRW set simply because it's BRW; they'll reject it because they know an inferior set will make an inferior instrument. But when they have a high quality, it outshines the acoustic properties of other high quality woods. That doesn't mean every guitarist prefers those acoustic properties or that those properties align best with every guitarists style, but in terms of physics BRW has been shown to--on average (individual sets WILL vary)--have superior velocity of sound and resonance to other tonewoods. It's more than just tradition that makes BRW so highly regarded.