Ebony Fretboard

[ODDBALL]

Hello All,

Is Ebony good for a fretboard? I have been thinking of buying a MM Bongo 5 HH and was wondering if Ebony is a better choice over rosewood. Or visa versa? How do care for a Ebony board?

Thanks

Shaun

 

[wraub]

Not better, just different.

I find ebony to be brighter than rosewood, but not as bright as maple.
Resists wear better than rosewood (for the most part).

wraub

 

[ODDBALL]

I am trying to figure out if Ebony would be best for my future Bongo or would Rosewood? I plan on getting the Stealth 5 HH.

Shaun

 

[jlepre]

IF I'm not mistaken, isn't Ebony STANDARD on the Stealth?

 

[ODDBALL]

Yes, but you could also have rosewood if desired.

Shaun

 

[Dan Knowlton]

I like ebony, I like rosewood. I prefer ebony for a fretless and for a tiny bit more up-front sound on a fretted. Rosewood is a bit less alive sonically - BTW - FWIW, all this is IMHO, AFAIK, ALARP, and FYI but it may be FUBAR...

Dan K.

 

[Lo-E]

I concur with the others. A little more upper mids with ebony IME.

Ebony is alittle more susceptible to cracking as a result of humidity extremes, but that's only an issue if you never care for it.

As for care and feeding, it's the same with either rosewood or ebony: apply just a little bit of oil once a year or so. To decide what kind of oil to use on a fingerboard, I suggest you do a search and read dozens of pages of people arguing that their oil is the only correct choice and everybody else's is wrong.

I've used lemon oil for 20 years but I might be one of the ones who's wrong, so don't take my word for it!

 

[Clef_de_fa]

Ebony is a very nice wood ... remember ebony was( and still ) used for violin/alto/cello/DB fingerboard and you can find very very old that stood the test of time.

Also ebony was used for the black touch on a piano with ivory for white touch. They don't do that anymore.

So ebony is the oldess fingerboard wood avalaible. your Bongo should be fine.

 

[jlepre]

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]PLus it looks GREAT on the Stealth!

 

[Mystic Michael]

Is Ebony good for a fretboard?

You betcha! Every one of the bass guitars I currently own has an ebony board. I have a real thing for ebony!

How do care for a Ebony board?

A light wiping of high-grade lemon oil, or guitar fretboard conditioner, administered a couple times per year, should do the trick. If you opt for lemon oil, get it from a guitar shop or music store - not a hardware store. Personally, I've also had great results with Gibson's Fretboard Conditioner.

Best time of year to use? Whenever the climate is the driest where you live (Northeast & Midwest? That would be winter. West Coast & Desert Southwest? That would be summer.)

MM

 

[ODDBALL]

Thanks all for the info. Now the question is which looks better on the Stealth? I am leaning towards the Ebony myself. What do you think?

Shaun

 

[Calaverasgrande]

double plus one on teh lemon oil caveat. A lot of "lemon oil" is mineral oil with lemon fragrance added.
I prefer to use fingerboard conditioner. I usually use Dunlop, or some other major brand.
I gotta say I am big fan of the Dunlop kit with the the various polishes, cleaners etc. It's about $30 but it will last you for years.

 

[happyg]

I just picked up a stealth hh. I love the ebony. There is just something about the feel.

 

[bassbenj]

Thanks all for the info. Now the question is which looks better on the Stealth? I am leaning towards the Ebony myself. What do you think?
Shaun

As far as I'm concerned Ebony always look great and is by far my favorite on fretless. But even fretted it's great. Wears great. Looks good.

And I'd get Ebony for one other reason. The black Madagascar Ebony is no longer imported and will not be available once current stocks are gone. West African Ebony is available (with lighter streaks in wood) but will be dyed if you want a pure black board. Hence if you have ANY interest in Ebony I'd get an Ebony board while you still can. You won't be killing any endangered trees because the black Ebony has already stopped. Now it's just using up old stock.

 

[darkstorm]

I'll take ebony over maple. No finish needed and better tone. More snap then rosewood but without the treble bite of maple. Small diff sound wise but worthwhile. You do have to be more careful with purchasing instruments with ebony boards since cheap companies sometimes dont properly cure the wood causing cracking over time.

 

[ShowKing]

Ebony for sure IMO. It's also becoming a rare piece of wood!

 

[Lo-E]

Now the question is which looks better on the Stealth?

Dude! Would you wear brown shoes with a tuxedo?!?

EBONY!

 

[ODDBALL]

I am 99% sure I will be going with Ebony. Can anyone post some pictures of basses with Ebony boards.

Shaun

 

[jlepre]

I did already post pics
scroll up

 

[xed]

ebony

As far as care goes I go by this health food store and pick up a bottle of "100% pure essential lemon oil" for my fretboards. All that means is that it doesn't have anything else mixed in with it that you might not want. I think it's about $5 for a tiny bottle and it goes a LONG way. Just keep it in your refrigerator.

Ebony fretboards are my favorite but they're not always available. If I have an option I always go with ebony.