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Post subject: How Do I tell If my Fretboard is Rosewood or Ebony?
Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2014 5:07 pm
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Hello All,

I picked up a Fender MiM Strat from 1998 and the fretboard is very dark and resembles Ebony. My question is there a way to tell if its Ebony or painted Rosewood?

Thank you for your help

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Post subject: Re: How Do I tell If my Fretboard is Rosewood or Ebony?
Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2014 7:31 pm
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It's a darker variant of rosewood.

Aside from aesthetics, ebony is considerable harder than rosewood.


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Post subject: Re: How Do I tell If my Fretboard is Rosewood or Ebony?
Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2014 9:38 pm
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Thank you for the response. That answers my question.

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Post subject: Re: How Do I tell If my Fretboard is Rosewood or Ebony?
Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2014 10:17 pm
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Some guitar manufacturers have also used other dark woods and called them rosewood, which doesn't do anyone any favors. In particular, instruments made in the far east may use paduak, which is not rosewood at all, but often sold as it. African blackwood is another, which has been sold as both rosewood and ebony, although it's neither.

And there are several different species in the rosewood family - the three main ones used on guitars being Brazilian, Indian and Honduran. The Brazilian variety is no longer used, due to environmental reasons. Trade was banned in 1992.
It is, however, generally darker and redder, and always much harder than Indian or Honduran rosewood.

With yours being 1998, it is likely Indian rosewood or one of the "rosewoods".


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Post subject: Re: How Do I tell If my Fretboard is Rosewood or Ebony?
Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2014 6:29 pm
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Color is certainly one way of discerning which wood species it is, but the grain is really a big giveaway too. Rosewood will typically have a more open/visible grain. Ebony will usually appear with a very "tight" grain and the gain will usually be less visible. I haven't heard of rosewood being dyed, but ebony often is. Grain is the best indicator of which species it is.


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Post subject: Re: How Do I tell If my Fretboard is Rosewood or Ebony?
Posted: Tue Dec 23, 2014 5:26 am
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1- Ebony is more expensive than rosewood , MiM guitar are not "high end " guitar , no reason for Fender to use the most expensive wood .

2- I have the 1998 Fender Frontline , I don't see MiM guitar with ebony . I don't think Fender use ebony this year on any guitar


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