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Post subject: Why aren't rosewood fingerboards available for every finish?
Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2017 10:00 pm
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I want to see an American Elite Telecaster in Butterscotch Blonde with a rosewood neck but they only have maple. Does anyone know why they do that?


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Post subject: Re: Why aren't rosewood fingerboards available for every fin
Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2017 2:49 am
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IMO Fender can't do every color with any fret board on every series guitars. They have to stop somewhere.
That is why the Custom Shop ...


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Post subject: Re: Why aren't rosewood fingerboards available for every fin
Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2017 2:58 am
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That' a good point. I just find it odd that guitars of the exact same model but a different color have the rosewood option.


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Post subject: Re: Why aren't rosewood fingerboards available for every fin
Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2017 4:13 am
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Fender have long offered one group of colours that have maple and another group that have rosewood.
They also do the same thing with body woods.
Some colours are only available with alder bodies and some only with ash.

None of this is new.

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Post subject: Re: Why aren't rosewood fingerboards available for every fin
Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2017 7:15 am
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I've always thought the other way, wish I could get an affordable option to get maple neck/fretboards on my musicmaster basses. I have one on my Squier strat and always liked it. The only way I can see to do it now is buy a Mustang neck and hope it can be sanded or shimmed respectively, an expensive option.

Oh, can I get one for my Hofner bass too? :D


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Post subject: Re: Why aren't rosewood fingerboards available for every fin
Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2017 3:13 pm
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BMW-KTM wrote:
Fender have long offered one group of colours that have maple and another group that have rosewood.
They also do the same thing with body woods.
Some colours are only available with alder bodies and some only with ash.

None of this is new.


Very true. I gotta say though, I relish the idea of getting the parts separately and customizing my own Tele with the pieces.


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Post subject: Re: Why aren't rosewood fingerboards available for every fin
Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2017 11:27 am
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And then there is the 20 - 30 times more costly, harder (no pun intended) to work with, difficult but beautiful (IMHO) ebony. :wink:
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Post subject: Re: Why aren't rosewood fingerboards available for every fin
Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2017 9:51 pm
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Fender Strat Brat wrote:
And then there is the 20 - 30 times more costly, harder (no pun intended) to work with, difficult but beautiful (IMHO) ebony. :wink:
FSB

There isn't a significant price difference between ebony and rosewood. Sometimes one is a little more, sometimes the other.

If you want to splurge on the original fretboard stuff, Ceylon ebony and Brazilian rosewood, prices for legal and workable wood can be astronomical for either.

The main problem with ebony is that it eats tools. Rosewood is hard too, but cuts easier, while ebony has a mix of hard and super-hard wood that will blunt tools very quickly.


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Post subject: Re: Why aren't rosewood fingerboards available for every fin
Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2017 12:36 am
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Yeah. Thanks, for the price clarification arth1. That 39-40 times price was from an article from a builder who may have been referring to the original wood of yesteryear at today's prices. I dunno. My faux pas. Aside from several issues like longevity disputes and tool destruction, ebony, said by others who promote it, is likely used less because of profit ratio and that, while problems arise, it is easier to just discount ebony altogether, and/or promote it as a custom feature. Maybe, but many woodworkers, myself included to a degree, might find other reasons to refrain from using it. :wink:
I remember having that beautiful Brazilian rosewood on my former guitars taken for granted as a kid, and those of us who have or had it, I believe, know the difference. It is a preferential thing, however.

I do like ebony, however, especially combined with certain body finishes. I traded off a Strat that was Tungsten grey, black pickguard scratch plate, and silver/black/white top hat knobs with a rosewood fretboard. It just didn't do it for me (YMMV), and after a month it was traded for a 3 colour Sunburst with maple fretboard/neck. I've had both grey and black cars, and brown seats are not to my liking with that combo. The Tungsten axe was a great used church deal that played well. It just didn't send me mojo like I hoped it would. If the neck had been black ebony I might still have that Strat. Played good, looked like a mistake for me, and I can visualize many other colour combinations that would scream beauty IMHO with a black ebony neck with shiny frets nickle, gold, or maybe in a cool platinum finish.

FSB

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