Ebony fretboards

[OMO]

Originally Posted by Orfeas

Ok. I am officially confused with this OP. Although I don't care about jet black v stripped ebony, which by the way adds drama, my confusion is how can you see the fretboard when playing? Are you only play tapping with the guitar positioned on your knees horizontally to the ground?

I just look down at the fretboard - same as the rest of us. If I am learning a new piece, I absolutely look at the fretboard markers.

I'm not a big fan of tons of inlay work that can confuse things either. Although I do love the beauty of many of them from an aesthetic point of view.

[Bill Kraus]

I love the look of a lightly striped board. I think it adds some life, depth, and elegance to a guitar. Jet black, not for me.

[DukeX]

Here's what builder David Webber has to say about the ebony he uses:

"I select my ebony fingerboards, bridges and head plates for grain orientation first and colour second. Because the African ebony I use is commonly stripped on the quarter sawn face the best piece of wood is often the most colourful. I actually prefer the more variegated pieces and do not use dyes or oil on the fingerboards."

David Webber makes all high end guitars IMO.

[OMO]

Originally Posted by rogthefrog

Then you have three options.

1) Don't buy them.

2) Buy them and dye the fretboard like many companies are doing (and have been doing since well before Bob Taylor alerted the world of ebony's dire harvesting practices--this isn't new by any means). Maybe an extra $100 if you have it done by someone else.

3) Buy a really really expensive guitar by a luthier who bought jet black ebony and still has some. Probably $1000-$15000 extra vs. a Taylor.

It's a mostly free market, so the world is your oyster.

1) I won't buy something really expensive with a distracting fretboard - unless it just thrilled me for some reason.
2) I'm not so certain you can dye ebony with brown streaks that contrasting and get a pleasing end product that is consistently black. If the streak is slight - yes, I think that has been done forever. It's the stuff that can not be dyed well that Bob was talking about that just sits on the ground and rots. I think it is great he is using that stuff.
3) The price for ebony is high. I'm not questioning you but just wondering out loud.... How is it that Ibanez can offer a Iron series electric with solid black ebony for $1000? Same goes for many other manufacturers like a Schecter Blackjack for $1000 with all black fretboard. A Jackson SL7Q with solid black ebony fretboard for $1149. I mean if it was that rare and hard to find (which it may indeed be).... why is it on $1000 guitars? Just makes me wonder what is going on.... I don't understand this - it's an enigma to me. Maybe these are the last of the $1000 ebony guitars.

[OMO]

Originally Posted by DukeX

Here's what builder David Webber has to say about the ebony he uses:

"I select my ebony fingerboards, bridges and head plates for grain orientation first and colour second. Because the African ebony I use is commonly stripped on the quarter sawn face the best piece of wood is often the most colourful. I actually prefer the more variegated pieces and do not use dyes or oil on the fingerboards."

David Webber makes all high end guitars IMO.

Cool guitars! Although, I did not see anything objectionable on his fretboards. With the exception of the fretboard on the Roundbody he has on there - I would find that distracting.

[Pitar]

Originally Posted by OMO

I really dislike the striped ebony fretboards we are seeing on Taylors now. It's distracting having a strip down the middle or side. Yes, I get why Bob Taylor is doing this and I agree with him. So, please save that discussion for another thread.

I also feel if you are going to pay big money for a guitar, you should get solid black ebony. Gibson and Martin are you listening too (no richlite please)?

That said: I have had a high end Gibby Supreme I thought was ebony for about a year (since GC ad copy led me to believe so; the government reclaimed ebony) - then I took a closer look - it's richlite (I think! LOL). It's really tough to tell - the Richlite is harder than the ebony. Still, I long for ebony. I am a wood aficionado.

In my opinion, unless you really want another wood, real full black ebony belongs on a high end guitar. I saw a 800 series Brazilian body Taylor with striped ebony on it - ack! I thought - a Brazilian deserves the full treatment.

I do appreciate new stuff for a guitar like Richlite but the traditionalist in me demands black ebony on high end guitars.

Agreed. I'm just the guy who's irreverent enough to take a black magic marker to the striping and repeat as necessary. Otherwise, I have no problem at all using sustainable materials like Richlite.

[Mycroft]

Originally Posted by OMO

1) I won't buy something really expensive with a distracting fretboard - unless it just thrilled me for some reason.

No worries. And many folks on here apparently agree with you, as they have a right to. And also many folks also disagree, as they have their right to. Many people reject guitars for all sorts of cosmetic reasons, that don't actually effect tone or playability. Other people don't really care what it looks like, if it has the sound and plays well.

FYI, after I first saw this thread this morning, I wend and got out my own Webber Small Jumbo, with it's hideous lightly-mottled black ebony fretboard, not to mention the brown skunk stripe on the headstock overlay, and I wondered why I ever brought it home. And then I pick the strings...

Oh, yeah. That is why.

Originally Posted by OMO

2) I'm not so certain you can dye ebony with brown streaks that contrasting and get a pleasing end product that is consistently black. If the streak is slight - yes, I think that has been done forever. It's the stuff that can not be dyed well that Bob was talking about that just sits on the ground and rots. I think it is great he is using that stuff.

Waste not.

Originally Posted by OMO

3) The price for ebony is high. I'm not questioning you but just wondering out loud.... How is it that Ibanez can offer a Iron series electric with solid black ebony for $1000? Same goes for many other manufacturers like a Schecter Blackjack for $1000 with all black fretboard. A Jackson SL7Q with solid black ebony fretboard for $1149. I mean if it was that rare and hard to find (which it may indeed be).... why is it on $1000 guitars? Just makes me wonder what is going on.... I don't understand this - it's an enigma to me. Maybe these are the last of the $1000 ebony guitars.

I don't follow electrics, but I suspect that it is dyed.

I'd put money that if you feel this strongly about an Ebony fretboard with a bit of colour to it, you would really hate the Brazilian Rosewood fretboard on my '57 Martin.

[Wade Hampton]

Originally Posted by Mycroft

FYI, after I first saw this thread this morning, I wend and got out my own Webber Small Jumbo, with it's hideous lightly-mottled black ebony fretboard, not to mention the brown skunk stripe on the headstock overlay, and I wondered why I ever brought it home. And then I pick the strings...

Oh, yeah. That is why.

Yeah, but "hideous" is the correct descriptive adjective, Mycroft. It took me a week to get over the repulsive wood figure that a mere glance at your Webber's fingerboard inflicted on my unsuspecting eyeballs.

I'm STILL traumatized by seeing that....





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Okay, I was totally lying there. I thought it looked great. But, you know, I might have been traumatized by it!


whm

[Tommy_G]

I am so particular about ebony fretboardsI wont even buy a guitar with a perfectly good rosewood board.

That leaves most gibsons off my wishlist.

[printer2]

I just dyed a maple fretboard, I am amazed at how good it looks. I have not bothered with a black fretboard before this but it is a white-ish guitar, top back and sides, and a maple fretboard seemed too much.

[Paraclete]

Sheesh...even my 200+ year old violin fingerboard has some figure to it. And no, in that time it has never shown cracks. I am probably the first person to even bother with wood conditioning on it, and only because I am in the habit of conditioning my ebony guitar fretboards.

[jim1960]

Originally Posted by OMO

I just look down at the fretboard - same as the rest of us. If I am learning a new piece, I absolutely look at the fretboard markers.

I'm not so sure that how "the rest of us" do it. When I'm playing, I can't really see the face of the fretboard. If I'm checking my location, I'm using the side dots on the side edge of the fretboard.

[Jeff Scott]

Originally Posted by OMO

I really dislike the striped ebony fretboards we are seeing on Taylors now. It's distracting having a strip down the middle or side. Yes, I get why Bob Taylor is doing this and I agree with him. So, please save that discussion for another thread.

If it is not up for discussion here, why did you bring it up, in the first place?

[Swamp Yankee]

Originally Posted by OMO

1) I won't buy something really expensive with a distracting fretboard - unless it just thrilled me for some reason.
2) I'm not so certain you can dye ebony with brown streaks that contrasting and get a pleasing end product that is consistently black. If the streak is slight - yes, I think that has been done forever. It's the stuff that can not be dyed well that Bob was talking about that just sits on the ground and rots. I think it is great he is using that stuff.
3) The price for ebony is high. I'm not questioning you but just wondering out loud.... How is it that Ibanez can offer a Iron series electric with solid black ebony for $1000? Same goes for many other manufacturers like a Schecter Blackjack for $1000 with all black fretboard. A Jackson SL7Q with solid black ebony fretboard for $1149. I mean if it was that rare and hard to find (which it may indeed be).... why is it on $1000 guitars? Just makes me wonder what is going on.... I don't understand this - it's an enigma to me. Maybe these are the last of the $1000 ebony guitars.

I believe that the problem with this list of statements is that the dye used is entirely capable of turning streaky ebony black. Taylor chooses, instead, not to do that, but to allow the streaky ebony to become part of the guitar's appearance.

Ibanez likely uses the same quality ebony, but when streaks are there, they dye it.

FWIW, my GS Mini, that cost $600, has an almost entirely black fretboard, except for a small bit on the side of the fretboard between the nut and 1st fret. I have no problem with that bit not having been dyed. If anything, over the years, it has become an endearing feature for me.

I understand disliking streaky ebony aesthetically.. . but I'd say your argument about Taylor VS Ibanez et al, is based on a flawed premise.

[OMO]

Just speculating here:

Most of guitars in the $1000 range offering totally black ebony are built in China or Indonesia. I am speculating but it is very likely those countries have access to better stock due to less or no regulations vs the USA.

I am getting on of these Ibanez guitars soon. I'll see if I can detect any dye.

I'd like to see an experienced luthier here say light highly contrasting brown stripes in ebony can be dyed out imperceptibly. If this is so, why doesn't Taylor do this? Is it too labor intensive? Does it get worn off with fretboard play?