Is this ebony?

[pokerap]

Hi guys,
Im just new to the DB world, got my very first czech bass (bohemia rental) for 1800$ . I am happy cuz it fit my budget. I bought it believing that it had a ebony FB but just talking to my pro musician friend , he says his fellow bassist could afford nothing near an ebony FB and that got me wondering if it truly is ebony.
My thought on the subject is that ebony is a black wood that is black in and out, my rental FB seems to be showing signs of paint where the strings rub up against it. Underneath it appears to be more red.. I asked the salesman if it truly was ebony looking at the red, and he confirmed with the serial number that it was the Ebony model. How can i confirm this?
Also i am getting a slight buzz on notes played on the E string but the bridge looks like crap and it could be a setup issues..

Comments/ideas?

[Rockmusician]

Can you post pictures? You should also contact the manufacturer and give them the serial number. Ask for a build sheet.

[JtheJazzMan]

The "Ebony" Model....

He didnt answer whether the wood was ebony, only that the model was called "ebony"

Sounds like painted rosewood.

[pokerap]

looking into the F it says
"Bohemia strunal 50/4 F 3/4"
internet says ebony fingerboard..
Is it normal to have some redish coloring where the strings rub?

I will provide pics as soon as i can..
wood looks harder than maple so worst case.. its not maple

[crowsmengegus]

Ebony can often have reddish or brownish streaks in it. Like this for instance.

You probably have an ebony fingerboard that has a lot of streaking and so was painted black.

[Gearhead43]

The 50/4 number designation means the bass was most likely made in the Strunal factory, and the Strunal 50/4 does come with an ebony board as standard. It is most likely a dyed black ebony board.

[iiipopes]

Originally Posted by crowsmengegus

Ebony can often have reddish or brownish streaks in it. Like this for instance.

You probably have an ebony fingerboard that has a lot of streaking and so was painted black.

Hold the bus. There are two kinds of ebony used for fingerboards. The link given is to Macassar ebony, which is a striped wood from Asia and a different species than Gaboon ebony, the traditional wood from Africa that is mostly black. I have on various instruments fingerboards of both woods. Both are great, but the Macassar ebony is just the slightest bit softer tonally on the top end. Macassar ebony is used more for the aesthetics of its grain rather than a tonewood, but I think it makes a great tonewood in its own right. But it is definitely a different species to Gaboon ebony, the traditional fingerboard wood of upright basses, as well as the rest of the wire choir.

Gaboon ebony from Africa is Diospyros crassiflora. Macassar ebony from Asia & Indonesia is Diospyros celebica. Related, but definitely different species.

[pokerap]

Good! that answers my question and for once its what i wanted to hear

There is also another thing i find strange.
Looking down on the FB the wood has a D shape arch but in btw the E and the A there is a definite sharper angle. This was also the case of the new Strunal that I saw in the shop.
Is this normal for a bass to have a FB that has 1 sharper edge and the rest is a smooth D arch?

[iiipopes]

Yes. It's called a Romberg ridge or a Romberg flat. There are theories as to whether it was developed as 3-string basses were converted to 4-string, or whether because before modern winding technologies more room was needed for a gut E string of large diameter to vibrate without buzzing. But it is still being made. With modern string winding technology, most have gone to a smooth arc fingerboard, but you will still find Rombergs. It's neither better or worse, just one more detail of preference in the construction, like violin, gamba or busetto corners, and carved, hybrid or ply body construction.

And one more thought about fingerboards: it is rare anymore to find perfectly jet black Gaboon ebony. So many fingerboards, even top quality Gaboon ebony fingerboards, can have grey or brown streaks, which are dyed. So just because a fingerboard has been dyed, it could still be a fine fingerboard.

And a lot of inexpensive basses have rosewood fingerboards of one species or another; those especially may have been dyed, as on some rosewoods, the natural grain can be any color or combination of colors, including looking similar to Macassar ebony, or anything else, even walnut. But a discussion of the relative merits of all the different species of rosewoods, along with other woods that are not rosewoods but also function well as fingerboards, would consume a major chunk of bandwidth.

The conventional wisdom, for ease of play and durability for the long run, is to stay with a properly grained, cut, and seasoned Gaboon ebony fingerboard, which has properly carved, installed and dressed on the bass, regardless if it has a grey or brown streak here or there, and if the aesthetics of that bothers a person, then dye it after the fact.

[pokerap]

Thanks a bilion TBers,

This forum is great, this bass is awsome, Im one happy camper
im glab I didnt end up with a cheap chinese kit

[crowsmengegus]

Originally Posted by iiipopes

Hold the bus. There are two kinds of ebony used for fingerboards. The link given is to Macassar ebony, which is a striped wood from Asia and a different species than Gaboon ebony, the traditional wood from Africa that is mostly black. I have on various instruments fingerboards of both woods. Both are great, but the Macassar ebony is just the slightest bit softer tonally on the top end. Macassar ebony is used more for the aesthetics of its grain rather than a tonewood, but I think it makes a great tonewood in its own right. But it is definitely a different species to Gaboon ebony, the traditional fingerboard wood of upright basses, as well as the rest of the wire choir.

Gaboon ebony from Africa is Diospyros crassiflora. Macassar ebony from Asia & Indonesia is Diospyros celebica. Related, but definitely different species.

Good point, I should have linked a pic of Gaboon. Ok, here's one that illustrates streaking in Diospyros crassiflora.

[james condino]

According to LMII's website, there are approximately 435 species of commercially available "ebony".

Color, density, and other qualities desirable to bass nerds are so varied that it is best to evaluate individual boards rather than a certain type.

j.

[iiipopes]

Originally Posted by james condino

According to LMII's website, there are approximately 435 species of commercially available "ebony". Color, density, and other qualities desirable to bass nerds are so varied that it is best to evaluate individual boards rather than a certain type. j.

Indeed, so long as it is individual boards of Gaboon ebony. This is why good luthiers spend hours, even days at lumber mills -- to get just the right raw boards. Some of these other species are classed as ebony because of their internal structure and biological characteristics, not because the wood is or may be suitable for instruments.

[Gearhead43]

Not sure why, not even being a luthier (I tinker, so maybe some day?) - but the subject of various types of tonewoods is always been really fascinating to me. I like just looking at the different colors and grains, and learning about the different properties of individual species.

I know other bass players who are "wood nerds" too, maybe it's because we play huge wooden instruments, I dunno.

[iiipopes]

I got into tonewoods about twenty years ago. There is an EB luthier near where I live who uses a lot of purpleheart, and a couple of wood shops that specialize in all kinds of exotic woods for furniture builders, hobbiests, (especially pens) and instrument makers. So any time I want anywhere from a small sample to a large plank of any kind of wood, all I have to do is drive across town and sort boards.

[pokerap]

another noobie question:

I know it is recommended to rest a bass on its side when not in use, but unfortunately in the limited available space in my room, the only option is having it upright, on its peg.

Is it so bad to do this?

[forester]

clean out a corner...lean the bass twixt the walls.
check out the related threads.