Richlite! It's the best fretboard

Originally Posted by Shortfinger

Where are the scientific studies comparing tonal qualities of wood and synthetic fretboards? I would like to see.

I'd rather play the guitar and use my own ears than read "scientific studies," but you do you.

[jklotz]

I had a Martin Jeff Tweedy. It had a Richlite fretboard. At the shop, it felt just fine, even looked good, but over time, I started to feel the nuances. The guitar is long since sold, and richlite is not for me. I tried. I wanted to like it.

Don't get me wrong. I'm all for "sustainable". I do my best to separate recyclables in the kitchen and try to buy environmentally conscious products. Heck, my car gets 34 mpg average, 40 on road trips and I always run the AC/heat at moderate levels in the house. But with guitars, they have to feel and play right.

I guess I can justify it by knowing I'll never be able to afford/own enough of them to make much of an impact, but I know I'm still helping to enable things that are bad for the planet. So in that regard, I'm all for richlite. But not on the 3 or 4 guitars I play on a daily basis.

[bufflehead]

Originally Posted by Willie Voltaire

This should be a fun thread.

Richlite is a paper-based fiber composite. Aside from fretboards, it is used for commercial countertops, exterior cladding, skateboard ramps, and cabinetry. In essence, it's a plastic.

I suppose it could also be used to construct picks, pickguards, bindings, bridges and bridge pins. But not on any guitar I would own.

[stephenT]

I've had several guitars over the years w/ richlite/micarta, I certainly like the sustainable aspect of the material. I currently have a Martin D jr w/ richlite fingerboard and bridge.

Some folks are going to say they can't feel or hear a difference. I can.

On my D Jr, I would have been happy to pay a little extra for pau ferro or morado, both sustainable woods.

[JonWint]

I have one Martin with a Richlite fret board; it works fine.

But I prefer ebony or rose wood. I like the dumb, old, responsibly harvested wood instead of the sawdust, pulp, ethanol, methanol, phenolic resin, which includes urea formaldehyde and petroleum products used to make Richlite.

Call me old fashioned if you like.

https://richlite.com/pages/sustainability

https://richlite.com/collections/fretboards

"SUSTAINABILITY
With materials made from recycled content and pulp derived from responsibly harvested trees, Richlite’s goal is to achieve success while leaving behind a smaller footprint. Complete with FSC certification by the Rainforest Alliance and GREENGUARD accreditation, Richlite is committed to minimizing its impact by using sustainably-derived resources, through sound manufacturing and business practices, and by working with partners who share similar goals. Richlite’s openness is designed to hold the company and the industry accountable, and to create a dialogue on responsible manufacturing and distribution practices.

RESIN
Richlite uses both ethanol and methanol as a solvent in the resin system. The choice to use a mixture is due to the low amount of energy required to burn off the emissions during the saturation process, as alternative resins require excessively higher amounts of energy. Through the process, called WE™ (Waste-to-Energy) Technology, essentially a closed-loop energy system, wasted resin is recaptured and used as fuel during the drying stage, minimizing Richlite’s natural gas usage by 83%.

CARBON FOOTPRINT
Richlite began tracking emissions in 2005 using the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol), which was developed through a partnership between the World Resources Institute and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. Richlite set a 5-year goal of reducing CO2 emissions by 30%. By 2005, Richlite exceeded the goal with a total 32% decrease of CO2 emissions.

ECO BIND RESIN TECHNOLOGY
Using a phenolic resin in the manufacturing process, Richlite achieves unsurpassed quality in the finished product and minimizes energy consumption, with no added Urea Formaldehyde. In addition to reduced energy consumption, the phenolic resin has the EcoBind™ designation, due to the fact it is one of the lowest VOC emitters on the resin market. EcoBind™ resins have been formulated to meet or exceed all global emission standards including US HUD, European EMB, and Japanese standards, as well as specifications recommended by the Green Building Council and the State of California."

Originally Posted by bufflehead

Richlite is a paper-based fiber composite.

In essence, it's a plastic.

So paper is plastic?

Just kidding. I really don't care.

[colchar]

Funny, when shopping earlier today I would put a guitar down as soon as I saw that it had a Richlite board. Not that I have anything against it per se, I just figure I should be getting rosewood or ebony in the price range I am looking at.

[Shortfinger]

Will Martin build me a custom D-18 the only spec change being a richlite board?

Will all you guys that can hear the diff meet me in Key West for a blind test hear-off, me playing on ebony and richlite, you listening and saying which is which?

We play for $$?

Should be fun. We can all go to the Hogs Breath after. ��

[Tony Burns]

Ebony for fretboard and bridge -is my preference .
thou brazilian rosewood makes a excellent bridge

[D41Fan]

I;m another give me wood or give me death...I just cant stand what some makers are resorting to. Lets see a mega ultra boutique maker try to use Richlite and see how many guitars he sells.

[laughingskunk]

My belief is 99% of guitars players couldnt tell the difference between sound and feel. The 1% that can are on this forum. Buy what you want. I just would love a testing to see how many could reliably identify either.

[Steve Christens]

I guess I'm surprised at all the resistance to Richlite. I think it's great to have a fretboard that won't shrink and cause fret sprout, that never needs conditioning, that can't dry out, that won't develop divots, and that (from more than a foot away) looks like nice dark ebony.

[jklotz]

Originally Posted by laughingskunk

My belief is 99% of guitars players couldnt tell the difference between sound and feel. The 1% that can are on this forum. Buy what you want. I just would love a testing to see how many could reliably identify either.

I tried. I could most certainly feel a difference. It could be the particular guitar I had, but I could hear a difference as well. As always, ymmv

[TBman]

One of my guitars has a richlite board (Martin). I bought it based on tone on impulse without any research. I didn't realize it had richlite until I read it here a couple of years later.

I'm accustomed to seeing a black fretboard. If its dyed, richlite whatever, if its black and smooth I'm good. I could get used to walnut, for instance though because once I start playing a guitar I'm oblivious to what it looks like.

[Wade Hampton]

Originally Posted by Shortfinger

Will Martin build me a custom D-18 the only spec change being a richlite board?

I'm sure they'd be delighted. Seriously, if you want a specific component that Martin currently uses for any other model, when you make a Custom Shop order you can get it on your custom guitar.

Martin isn't using cedar tops these days (and only briefly ever did,) so if you wanted a D-18 with a Richlite fingerboard and a cedar top they'd turn you down on the cedar top. But you could get the Richlite.


whm