Builders, what will you be using in lieu of rosewood now?

Archer250

Archer250

Well-known member
I realize that the CITES ban on rosewood trade will likely affect you guys more than large companies that stockpile for years. I think we should be sharing ideas and alternatives here, as we might be able to come up with some creative alternatives.

So what will you be using for making brown fretboards? Pau ferro? Baked maple?
 
Re: Builders, what will you be using in lieu of rosewood now?

I've used Ziricote many times already. Bubinga is another as is Katalox....but Pau Ferro would be my target.
 
Re: Builders, what will you be using in lieu of rosewood now?

I'm not a builder and I didn't realize this was happening, so I looked up the news:
https://reverb.com/news/new-cites-regulations-for-all-rosewood-species

Evidently, this isn't a ban per se so much as a documentation requirement? I realize that in practice documentation might be such a PITA that it's essentially a ban.

Rosewood (just the Indian kind, I haven't played Brazilian) is my favorite fretboard material, so this bums me out a little.

That said, unlike many, I was not bummed out at all when Gibson experimented with baked maple. Baked maple feels really good under the fingers. I don't think tonally it's equivalent to rosewood, but assuming it gets baked dark enough, it would satisfy my desire for a dark-colored wood that feels good under the fingers. (Ebony doesn't feel good to me.)
 
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Re: Builders, what will you be using in lieu of rosewood now?

Most places that deal in everyday wood won't ship r/w now. But those with Braz and the cites passports of course its business as usual.
 
Re: Builders, what will you be using in lieu of rosewood now?

As a player I'm not opposed to baked maple, it's quite nice. Otherwise there are other nice woods that would work well but haven't been used much. A ban sucks but in the end we pay for the irresponsible use of our resources so if it is indeed needed so be it. Rather this than end-up with no good rosewood for a decade or more while the replanting and growing back goes along to restore the resource.
 
Re: Builders, what will you be using in lieu of rosewood now?

Seems like the supply houses fill out whatever they need to fill out and get the wood. Then they can sell within their own country and it isn't a hassle to the end buyer, right? What gets me is, as I understand it, if I'm in the USA, for example, and want to sell a 30 year old guitar with a rosewood board to a buyer in Canada, I cant do it without CITES paperwork. Right? Not to get political, (and I understand that some of the endangered wood species need to be protected) but there is always a better and easier way than what the government comes up with and in this case, it's the little guy who just wants to sell a guitar that can get caught in a global government spider web. So, say goodbye to buying Tokais from Japan I guess ??? Or, buying from a private seller or even a dealer in Canada (if the buyer isn't in Canada too)??? I haven't seen anything the makes Joe Blow individual immune to this ... or am I missing something.
 
Re: Builders, what will you be using in lieu of rosewood now?

Darg1911 said:
Seems like the supply houses fill out whatever they need to fill out and get the wood. Then they can sell within their own country and it isn't a hassle to the end buyer, right? What gets me is, as I understand it, if I'm in the USA, for example, and want to sell a 30 year old guitar with a rosewood board to a buyer in Canada, I cant do it without CITES paperwork. Right? Not to get political, (and I understand that some of the endangered wood species need to be protected) but there is always a better and easier way than what the government comes up with and in this case, it's the little guy who just wants to sell a guitar that can get caught in a global government spider web. So, say goodbye to buying Tokais from Japan I guess ??? Or, buying from a private seller or even a dealer in Canada (if the buyer isn't in Canada too)??? I haven't seen anything the makes Joe Blow individual immune to this ... or am I missing something.
Click to expand...

Good point. Really makes you think there.
 
Re: Builders, what will you be using in lieu of rosewood now?

The little guys are always the ones that cop it. You either get a law that is fair to everyone, but is very complicated and time-consuming to police......or you have a blanket ban which is way easier to police but affects those who have been trying to do the right thing. Its nothing new.
 
Re: Builders, what will you be using in lieu of rosewood now?

If you're only concerned about the color, you can stain just about any wood to look nice. If you're concerned about the tone, there are many other woods that will sound like rosewood. If you're concerned about the feel, there are also other woods that can be made to feel the same.

I personally am not concerned about it.
 
Re: Builders, what will you be using in lieu of rosewood now?

AlexR said:
The little guys are always the ones that cop it. You either get a law that is fair to everyone, but is very complicated and time-consuming to police......or you have a blanket ban which is way easier to police but affects those who have been trying to do the right thing. Its nothing new.
Click to expand...

Really? The "innocent" masses paying for the misdeeds of the few sinners isn't new? Enlightening :D
 
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