Rosette
The decorative ring of inlay around the soundhole of an acoustic guitar.
The rosette began as a practical reinforcement that stopped cracks spreading from the edge of the soundhole, and it remains partly structural even when it is purely decorative. Makers use it as a signature, working in wood, shell, abalone or marquetry, and it is one of the features collectors use to date and identify an instrument. A cracked or lifting rosette is usually cosmetic, but a missing one allows the exposed end grain of the soundhole to split.
Example: The patterned ring of inlay surrounding the soundhole of an acoustic guitar is its rosette.
See also
Related
- PageSoundhole
- PageAcoustic guitar
- PageInlay
- PageAction
- PageArchtop
- PageB-Bender
- PageAaron Dessner
- PageAce Frehley