What are the best alternative woods to black ebony as fingerboard?

[wataloo]

Hi,

I am looking to order Roscoe LG-3005 to myself with the following specs:

- Mahogany body
- Quilted maple top, natural finish color
- Black ebony fingerboard, fretted
- And, everything else is the same as the regular spec.

I need your helps with fingerboard. What would be the best alternative woods to black ebony for me?

As reflected in the current price list, black ebony adds $1000 to the price for some warranty issues as Gard announced in
Announcement: New Pricelist

I love ebony for its smooth, dry and unsticky feel unlike rosewood which has oily and rough feel that gives lots of frictions.

From the past threads, I figured cocobolo, pau ferro and purpleheart have somehow similar characteristics to ebony.
How do they sound compared with ebony? Is there other alternative woods than these?
Please help me find the best fingerboard wood. Thank you.

[Darkstrike]

Gard has suggested Wenge in the past, but I believe that's for the dark colour.

[bkirk]

Glad you asked this question and looking forward to the input since ebony is also my favorite fingerboard.
I haven't really cared for that long grainy and rough appearance of wenge but probably most would mention it as an alternative.

[Gard]

Depends - is appearance or tone the primary concern?

Tone: cocobolo
Appearance: dark wenge



Pau is a fair replacement as well.

[Joel B]

Originally Posted by Gard

Depends - is appearance or tone the primary concern?

Tone: cocobolo
Appearance: dark wenge



Pau is a fair replacement as well.

Weight: Lead ingots. :

[Gard]

Originally Posted by Joel B

Weight: Lead ingots. :

...actually, cocobolo is typically HEAVIER...but with a fingerboard, it's not an issue, IMO and IME

[wataloo]

Originally Posted by Gard

Depends - is appearance or tone the primary concern?

Tone: cocobolo
Appearance: dark wenge



Pau is a fair replacement as well.

Thank you.
The primary concern is the touch & feel to your fingers when you play. The tone is secondary and appearance is not an issue.
Does cocobolo give you smooth feel and quick response like ebony does?
I'm also wondering if cocobolo and pau ferrro close to ebony or rosewood because they are as dense as ebony but in rosewood-family. (I don't like rosewood much for its soft and oily characteristics.)

[Gard]

Originally Posted by wataloo

Thank you.
The primary concern is the touch & feel to your fingers when you play. The tone is secondary and appearance is not an issue.
Does cocobolo give you smooth feel and quick response like ebony does?
I'm also wondering if cocobolo and pau ferrro close to ebony or rosewood because they are as dense as ebony but in rosewood-family. (I don't like rosewood much for its soft and oily characteristics.)

Pau, aka Morado, is not a true (dalbergia) rosewood, it is much harder than most of the rosewoods I've had experience with. Cocobolo is VERY similar in my opinion to ebony, in almost every way, except in appearance.

[JOME77]

Originally Posted by Gard

...actually, cocobolo is typically HEAVIER...but with a fingerboard, it's not an issue, IMO and IME

+1 for cocobolo. I've always really liked ebony and without a doubt cocobolo is my first choice for a fretted bass.
Beautiful wood (espically exhibition quality), very stable and similar in tone to ebony (to my ears; even though the thickness of the Roscoe board minimizes the tone affect).

[wataloo]

Gard, Joe, Thank you for your helps!

I think I will go for cocobolo.

[LightGroove]

Cocobolo is a great choice..prob my favorite fretboard to date..

[Basso Gruvitas]

I vote for Katalox - for ebony-like tone but not quite as clacky on the top end, and possibly cheaper than ebony

Make it so #1.

[Basso Gruvitas]

Also I would NOT go with cocobolo if you wish to avoid an oily wood. It may not have as much top end as ebony either