Robert Plant and Jimmy Page (drummer and bassist of Deep Purple, Jake!)
Definitely?Rosewood has an open grain structure. If you use only a thin sheet of -let's say 2 mm- it'll be very vulnerable and brittle.I have my doubts about the added strength.Esthetic reasons I can understand.
Being stiff and brittle is non-exclusive. A material can be both.
All that said, these days I find myself more brittle than stiff.