How do you like your Morado fretboard?

[Hawking]

I'm guessing the differences will be negligible, and have heard that Morado (or whatever name you choose to call it) is denser than Rosewood, and somewhat brighter, falling tonally and texturally somewhere between Rosewood and Ebony

Just wanted to know if anyone has any noteworthy observations after spending some length of time with a Morado board.

Thanks for any input!

[downtime]

My Gibson WM-45 has a Morado fingerboard and bridge.
To me the only discernible difference between Morado and Rosewood is visual and I happen to really like the looks of the Morado on this particular guitar.

[williefo]

I can't discern a sonic difference between morado and rosewood.

[stephenT]

I have Morado (Pau Ferro) on my Martin OO-15m custom. I prefer it to the EIR that Martin currently uses. It's denser and better looking. Reminds me of EIR or BR of olden days.

[bohemian]

Bolivian "rosewood" aka morado aka caviuna aka pao ferro is fine stuff..
much preferred to EIR

[Wade Hampton]

I also owned a Gibson WM-45 for a few years, and it came with a morado fingerboard.

It worked just fine, and there was certainly no tonal difference that could be attributed to it that I could detect. It functioned just like a rosewood fingerboard.

For me the presence of a morado fingerboard on a guitar is neither a deal-breaker or a deal-maker. It's simply another highly suitable hardwood that works well for the job.

Hope that makes sense.


Wade Hampton Miller

[Roselynne]

I have two. For looks, I like the darker, more figured one a tad better. Both feel real good, though.

I suppose I could darken the other one, but its lightness fails to overcome my laziness.

[Wade Hampton]

Originally Posted by Roselynne

I suppose I could darken the other one, but its lightness fails to overcome my laziness.

Now THERE'S a well-turned phrase!


whm

[mercy]

I like it cause it has the smoothness of ebony but the look of rosewood. EIR slows me down I believe because of the large pores it has. I discovered this when after many years playing rosewood Fenders I got a maple neck and wow what a difference in speed. Maple wouldnt look good on an acoustic but rosewood always does.

[CowboyRasta]

In another thread someone mentioned applying something, maybe lemon oil, to their morado fingerboard and noted that it darkened significantly. Not sure whether that is a desirable thing to do from a technical or playing standpoint, but that poster threw up some pics and the morado looked good darker. Me personally, I don't mind the light complection of morado, but I know some do...

[stephenT]

Originally Posted by CowboyRasta

Me personally, I don't mind the light complection of morado, but I know some do...

Morado/Pau Ferro varies considerably in dark/light variation.

The wood on my Martin is quite dark but if you look very close you can see some slight streaks of orange (much closer than in this photo).



In this photo you can see the lighter variations of pau ferro.



Either way, the feel is the same. Dense but not to the extent of ebony. I find Morado/Pau Ferro to be a fitting substitute for Brazilian rosewood. It's not a true rosewood although it's also known as Bolivian Rosewood.

[CowboyRasta]

Oh wow, yours is considerably darker than any I have seen before. Although my exposure has been limited to three martins that I've owned that used it for the fingerboard. Search my name for my recent NGD post and you can see how light the morado is on my newest martin, much lighter than yours. Interesting.

[Bobbie McMahon]

Originally Posted by downtime

My Gibson WM-45 has a Morado fingerboard and bridge.
To me the only discernible difference between Morado and Rosewood is visual and I happen to really like the looks of the Morado on this particular guitar.

On my Martin the Morado leaves a nice scent on my fingers after playing. I surprised no one notices it.

[Wade Hampton]

Originally Posted by Bobbie McMahon

On my Martin the Morado leaves a nice scent on my fingers after playing. I surprised no one notices it.

Bobbie, that's because relatively few of us are in the habit of sniffing other guitarists' fingers.....

So if you and I should ever meet in person, if you say: "Hey, sniff my fingers!" I'll reply:

"Uh...not today, thank you."

Hope that's clear.....


Wade Hampton Miller

Originally Posted by Hawking

I have heard that Morado fall[s] tonally ... somewhere between Rosewood and Ebony

I think it falls tonally somewhere between beech and sandalwood. It offers an unctuous, flaky tone, with moist trebles, bubbly mids, and a shaggy decay, similar to mesquite or sycamore.

But most people probably can't tell the difference.