Rocklite - yay or nay?

[jazzizm]

I commissioned a guitar (OM Redwood/Cocobolo, short scale, Manzer wedge) and am considering the use of Rocklite for fretboard and bridge. Any opinions on this?

[Gordon Currie]

Never heard of rocklite, but maybe you mean richlite. It's been used for years on a number of manufacturers guitars. I seem to remember Martin has used it.

Most people report it works well. I have all ebony fingerboards and I'm not inclined to change at this point.

[chippygreen]

OP, you might get some good info here and by contacting the AFG member who commissioned this build.

Michaud Custom OM w/Rocklite Fingerboard & Bridge

[DenverSteve]

Rocklite is a fine product and - I predict- it, like Richlite, will in the not-so-far future be what all/most fretboards are made from. If you're having a custom guitar made, I'm sure that will be part of your "limited lifetime" warranty which means no worry. You won't be able to tell the difference between the "lites" and wood.

[DCCougar]

Originally Posted by jazzizm

I commissioned a guitar... and am considering the use of Rocklite for fretboard and bridge. Any opinions on this?

Originally Posted by Gordon Currie

...maybe you mean richlite. It's been used for years on a number of manufacturers guitars. I seem to remember Martin has used it.... I have all ebony fingerboards....

My (mid-range) Martin 12-string has a richlite board. Looks nice, works fine, but it's like synthetic ebony. If you're commissioning a guitar, why not specify ebony? I love my Guilds with ebony boards!

[DenverSteve]

He actually, probably, doesn't. Richlite and Rocklite are two different products. Rocklite is a product developed in the UK. They look and function the same.

[Wolfram]

Rocklite is very different to Richlite - for a start, it's made from wood, not paper. Several top-drawer UK builders use it for fretboards, because of its performance, appearance and environmental friendliness.

I have a guitar with a Rocklite Ebano fretboard and another with Ebano bindings. Appearance-wise, they are indistinguishable from absolutely perfect black ebony; the Ebano fretboard plays just like a superb-quality ebony board, but is more stable and hard-wearing.

I didn't hesitate to have the Rocklite components/appointments and I wouldn't again - they perform fantastically.

Cheers,
David

[nikpearson]

Rocklite is available in two types: Ebano which is a substitute for ebony, and Sundari which looks very similar to Indian rosewood. Both are premium products with prices aligned with premium grade wood of the species they mimic.

The Ebano I’ve handled felt similar in density and hardness to real ebony, maybe slightly lighter. The colour is a very even black but with a grain like texture. Once sanded and oiled it’s very hard to tell apart from real ebony.

One of the biggest advantages of Rocklite is its dimensional stability; real ebony is prone to shrinking.

Rocklite is sold as an environmentally friendly alternative to ebony. Without knowing the manufacturing process this may or may not be the case. Perhaps also worth looking at the ‘ethical’ ebony available through the partnership between Madinter, Taylor Guitars, and a Cameroon cooperative: Crelicam. Some of this ebony is jet black, but much of it has a beautiful variegation that I’ve heard call ‘smokey ebony’.

I wouldn’t hesitate to use Rocklite as a fingerboard or bridge material if looking for an even, jet black fingerboard and bridge. My preference is for a little more figure/colour so Macassar ebony or Crelicam ebony would be my first choice.

Hope that helps some.

[bufflehead]

Originally Posted by nikpearson

Rocklite is sold as an environmentally friendly alternative to ebony. Without knowing the manufacturing process this may or may not be the case.

Yes. They want us to believe that this is an environmentally superior alternative to ebony, but they won't tell us much about its ingredients. I can't tell whether this is greenwashing or the real thing. I realize that the manufacturing process is proprietary, but I'm not willing to endorse it without some basic info about the process.

So, for now, nay. Happy to reexamine that as more info comes available, should that ever happen.

[gitarro]

Since you are commissioning a guitar rather than buying a factory one, the concerns of sustainability are not as significant since an individual luthier makes very few guitars a year and therefore can use scarce exotic woods without you needing to feel guilty about it.

In such an event and in line with my preference for all natural woods in guitars as opposed to synthetic or man made materials, I would go for an ebony fretboard - if available a Gabon ebony one.

[Wade Hampton]

Jazzizm, over the years I have commissioned and received eleven custom guitars, and probably twice as many mountain dulcimers. Naturally I haven’t been equally happy with each and every instrument that I received, but after a few early missteps I came to the realization that whenever I was unhappy about any details in the finished instruments, it was almost invariably because I had insisted on using some wood or wanted some appointments that the instrument builder either had reservations about or else flat out advised against.

But the first few times I ordered these instruments I was too much of a butthead to recognize that it was counterproductive.

So now whenever a guitarbuilder tells me he wants to use a certain material, or even mentions it seemingly in passing, I tell them to use whatever they think is best. What I have found is that instrument builders are more motivated and will often outdo themselves when you give them a free hand and listen to their suggestions.

Instead of trying to dictate every aspect of the construction of the instrument.

What I’ve been leading up to is that if the guitarbuilder you’re dealing with would like to use Rocklite for this guitar, you should let him have a free hand. The happier and more motivated the luthier is when working on your project, the better the resulting guitar will be.

That’s something that should be obvious, but judging from some of the stories guitarbuilders have told me, not that many of their customers consider that for even an instant.

Trust me, though, it’s true.

Hope this helps.


Wade Hampton Miller

[redir]

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

Jazzizm, over the years I have commissioned and received eleven custom guitars, and probably twice as many mountain dulcimers. Naturally I haven’t been equally happy with each and every instrument that I received, but after a few early missteps I came to the realization that whenever I was unhappy about any details in the finished instruments, it was almost invariably because I had insisted on using some wood or wanted some appointments that the instrument builder either had reservations about or else flat out advised against.

But the first few times I ordered these instruments I was too much of a butthead to recognize that it was counterproductive.

So now whenever a guitarbuilder tells me he wants to use a certain material, or even mentions it seemingly in passing, I tell them to use whatever they think is best. What I have found is that instrument builders are more motivated and will often outdo themselves when you give them a free hand and listen to their suggestions.

Instead of trying to dictate every aspect of the construction of the instrument.

What I’ve been leading up to is that if the guitarbuilder you’re dealing with would like to use Rocklite for this guitar, you should let him have a free hand. The happier and more motivated the luthier is when working on your project, the better the resulting guitar will be.

That’s something that should be obvious, but judging from some of the stories guitarbuilders have told me, not that many of their customers consider that for even an instant.

Trust me, though, it’s true.

Hope this helps.


Wade Hampton Miller

Can I have an amen! Amen!

And congrats to you for coming around to that conclusion. For most people that is an impossible task. The last thing a guitar builder needs is for a client to micromanage it. It's kind of like when you have that nervous passenger in the car who is always warning you to be more careful driving. It actually makes the driving less safe as everyone is so stressed out. Same thing-ish.

Anyway not to digress. Rocliite is good stuff. I'd dare say it's even better then Ebony since it will not shrink and expand like ebony does. Some still like real wood and that's fine too, that would be my preference but in the end you won't be able to tell that the Rocklite isn't ebony.

[jazzizm]

I think I‘ll let him decide whether he wants to use Rocklite or black ebony. Appearance-wise there won‘t be much of a difference.

Thanks for the answers and insights.

[Simon Fay]

Rocklite is a fantastic product and by no means a cheap product either - probably costs about the same as good quality Ebony. I use it mainly as part of my headstock veneer because it provides a very clean black line (photo below). I probably wouldn't want to use it as a fretboard because it doesn't seem quite as hard as Ebony (instead I'd say it's similar to Rosewood) and also because it is just too homogenous for my tastes. On a component as large as the fretboard, my preference is to see wood grain as I think it adds character and warmth to the overall aesthetic. However, it is certainly a high quality substitute for an Ebony fretboard - so if you prefer the aesthetics then there is absolutely no reason not to use it.

[chippygreen]

Originally Posted by Simon Fay

Simon, what (beautiful) material are you using for the nut here? FWI?