I should clarify. The Andertons blog post says only American Elites will use ebony. Surely there's less Elites than American Pro
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No. Andertons blog says no more rosewood on fender guitars and the nasty mexicans will use pau ferro and american elites will have ebony fingerboards. And it says nothing about the american professional guitars and basses.
I wasn't saying American Pro will use rosewood (though they may have a reserved supply that they'll continue to work through for some time, since that line is newer.) That much was clear. I was simply saying that the blog post specifically mentioned that Elites will use ebony. My point still stands that the Elite line represents a small portion of the American instruments.
Side note: is the term "nasty Mexicans" necessary?
If Fender decided to mass produce Modulus style necks, you won't find me complaining.
I've seen some videos where Paul Reed Smith explains why they take an entire month to build a neck and their reasoning is to let the wood settle.
I looked up richlite. Judging by the description of it I believe I have a cutting board (epicurean brand) made from the same or similar material. Phenolic resin impregnated paper. It's a pretty hard and dense material. I think it could even survive roundwounds on a fretless but am curious about whether frets can be put in regularly or if they have to be glued in.
I'm quite looking forward to going into guitar/music stores and seeing more maple fingerboards.
Usually there's just one badly set up black MIM Precision, and three [close to] $2000 Musicman Stingrays that have Maple boards. Everything else usually has rosewood.
I think this could be the beginning of a resurgence of Maple.
Usually there's just one badly set up black MIM Precision, and three [close to] $2000 Musicman Stingrays that have Maple boards. Everything else usually has rosewood.
I think this could be the beginning of a resurgence of Maple.
I mostly don't care what my fingerboard wood is. I'm more concerned on how it looks with the body color vs the golden-eared-cork-sniffery of tone. For what it's worth, I really can't hear the difference acoustically, plugged in, no way in hell. I can hear fret size and it's effect on the tone. Want a warmer tone? Smaller, shorter frets.
Yes, a sealed/finished maple board can't easily be oiled up to not crack, but it's not necessarily prone to do so. Yes, one doesn't just get out the Scotch Brite pad and scrub away years of funky build up on that used bass in 2 minutes, but there are other ways to get that grossness off of maple. I have rosewood boards that are pretty much just as light colored as my Pau Ferro boards. Pau Ferro is great wood. I think it's used as dock wood because it's strong and stable. If it can withstand being submerged and splashed with ocean water for decades with minimal deterioration, it's good stuff.
It's life, materials get rare or considered dangerous and phased out. I can only imagine the enraged piano people when ivory was banned for the keys. "Oh no! Plastic looks and feels so cheap! The horror! I don't care if an elephant dies, I must have the feel and prestige of ivory under my precious fingertips while I play 'Chopsticks' with my son at our summer home in Martha's Vinyard!"
"I personally prefer radium. Radioactive luminous paint is preferred to phosphorescent paint for my glow in the dark products, radium's green glow is more pleasing to the eye."
"Colloidal Silver to treat my water? Heavens no! Give me the poisonous Flouride for less $."
Yes, a sealed/finished maple board can't easily be oiled up to not crack, but it's not necessarily prone to do so. Yes, one doesn't just get out the Scotch Brite pad and scrub away years of funky build up on that used bass in 2 minutes, but there are other ways to get that grossness off of maple. I have rosewood boards that are pretty much just as light colored as my Pau Ferro boards. Pau Ferro is great wood. I think it's used as dock wood because it's strong and stable. If it can withstand being submerged and splashed with ocean water for decades with minimal deterioration, it's good stuff.
It's life, materials get rare or considered dangerous and phased out. I can only imagine the enraged piano people when ivory was banned for the keys. "Oh no! Plastic looks and feels so cheap! The horror! I don't care if an elephant dies, I must have the feel and prestige of ivory under my precious fingertips while I play 'Chopsticks' with my son at our summer home in Martha's Vinyard!"
"I personally prefer radium. Radioactive luminous paint is preferred to phosphorescent paint for my glow in the dark products, radium's green glow is more pleasing to the eye."
"Colloidal Silver to treat my water? Heavens no! Give me the poisonous Flouride for less $."
I think you mean 'phonics' (which is of course Anglo-specific). As far as phonetic transparency, or lack thereof, French is a couple steps less bad than English, which is the worst offender amongst European languages (though I believe Irish orthography is quite a handful). Widening the scope, I hear Tibetan is probably the absolute worst in this respect.Right! Phonetics don't work so well when the word is French . . .
/linguisticOT
I have preban rosewood fenders! And darn, the last Fender neck I purchased was maple a couple of years ago. Should have went with rosewood.
From now on, I'm buying pre-preban Pau Ferro. I'm not going to hope that the guitar woods crime bill will sunset sometime in the future. Politicians, particularly the global ones, don't like releasing any acquired power.
And, established guitar companies will start to figure out how to use this to stiffle competition, particularly those that are overseas that sell to the value market segment.
From now on, I'm buying pre-preban Pau Ferro. I'm not going to hope that the guitar woods crime bill will sunset sometime in the future. Politicians, particularly the global ones, don't like releasing any acquired power.
And, established guitar companies will start to figure out how to use this to stiffle competition, particularly those that are overseas that sell to the value market segment.
I know a guy who could probably build a full guitar or dobro in Brazilian rosewood today. He's a hardcore hoarder 
Mind you, that wood would be very very old - stored for many decades in his treasure trove. I have to look him up and see if he can make sense of any of this.
Will it ever make sense to 'transplant' an old board, or bolt an old neck, rejuvenated, onto a new axe, or would even that be illegal these days? I wonder. I can't imagine why. At least that would be one genuine source, perhaps not so practical, to consider, if you desperately wanted one.
I've got an old twelve-string neck bedecked with a Brazilian slab, stashed away, very much in need of a good clean body. Still don't have a maple board so that's something to look forward to I suppose. However, I'm still obsessed with rosewood and ebony, I'm afraid. Very snobbish
Mind you, that wood would be very very old - stored for many decades in his treasure trove. I have to look him up and see if he can make sense of any of this.Will it ever make sense to 'transplant' an old board, or bolt an old neck, rejuvenated, onto a new axe, or would even that be illegal these days? I wonder. I can't imagine why. At least that would be one genuine source, perhaps not so practical, to consider, if you desperately wanted one.
I've got an old twelve-string neck bedecked with a Brazilian slab, stashed away, very much in need of a good clean body. Still don't have a maple board so that's something to look forward to I suppose. However, I'm still obsessed with rosewood and ebony, I'm afraid. Very snobbish
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It's so funny how our minds get accustomed to stereotypes: light color wood = cheap and darker woods = expensive and sounds better. We immediately make conclusions based on these descriptions without seeing or more importantly, hearing the final product. What strange beings we are.
Doesn't matter to me cause I usually buy maple. I did have a Ibanez Musician with a Ebony fingerboard and really loved it. My Fretless has a pau ferro fingerboard and I think it looks fine.
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Discover the fretboard tonewood Fender will be using in new guitars and basses.
Life goes on.
Discover the fretboard tonewood Fender will be using in new guitars and basses.
Life goes on.
