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  #1  
Old 04-08-2020, 06:14 PM
Farrold Farrold is offline
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Default Fretboard wood species - any ideas?

I recently bought an old parlor guitar for repair and can't figure out what wood is the fretboard made from. I've been told it could be walnut or perhaps ebony, could this be right? The rosette is made from the same wood I think. Thanks a lot!



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Old 04-08-2020, 06:28 PM
Rudy4 Rudy4 is online now
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Dyed pearwood?
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Old 04-08-2020, 09:20 PM
John Arnold John Arnold is offline
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+1. Dyed pearwood was very common on lower priced guitars, banjos and mandolins from thie late-1800's until WWII.

Over time, the dyeing process can cause the wood to degrade; namely shrinking, cracking, chipping and eventually crumbling into dust. Refretting one of those affected fingerboards can be a nightmare.
On a happier note, that one appears to be ok so far.
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Old 04-09-2020, 02:25 AM
Farrold Farrold is offline
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Thank you! That sounds spot on, including the crumbling part (it happened to a thin top layer of the fretboard when I got the guitar and started removing the frets). Feels pretty solid now, hopefully it will stay that way
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Old 04-12-2020, 09:01 PM
Dirty Bill Dirty Bill is offline
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Usually they are ebony or walnut.If you want the vintage look,I would use walnut.
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