Richlite fretboard.

Re: Richlie fretboard.

Re: Richlie fretboard.

Can Richlite be scalloped? Has anyone done this, or heard of it?

Richlite is quite machinable. Never heard of a scalloped Richlite board, though.
 
Re: Richlie fretboard.

Re: Richlie fretboard.

I imagine it wouldn't be too difficult to make richlite fretboards with a subtle grain in the surface, to better duplicate the feel of wood. That would be great.
 
Re: Richlie fretboard.

Re: Richlie fretboard.

Richlite is quite machinable. Never heard of a scalloped Richlite board, though.

Right on man, thanks. I figured it would be workable with good results, just wasn't sure how it would smooth and polish out once done.. I figured it was a decent fretboard substitute, otherwise it wouldn't be on the market. However, it's rarely discussed so I was just wondering.
 
Re: Richlie fretboard.

Re: Richlie fretboard.

I have richlite on one of my Les Pauls. The neck plays amazing and the guitar sounds gorgeous. I would imagine the majority of the cork sniffers that call it garbage or "paper" I have never actually played a guitar with it.
 
Re: Richlie fretboard.

Re: Richlie fretboard.

The *****ers, whiners, and moaners who say "paper and glue" forget that paper is made from wood (and kraft paper is the Rolls-Royce of paper), and the glue is high quality resin. It's a perfectly acceptable and usable material for guitars. PERIOD.
 
Re: Richlie fretboard.

Re: Richlie fretboard.

I would happily play a guitar made entirely from man-made materials if it feels and sounds good. Wood sometimes warps, cracks, twists, and splits. I say bring on the engineering!
And I like smooth shiny things so adding "grain" would kinda ruin it for me.
 
Re: Richlie fretboard.

Re: Richlie fretboard.

I would happily play a guitar made entirely from man-made materials if it feels and sounds good. Wood sometimes warps, cracks, twists, and splits. I say bring on the engineering!
And I like smooth shiny things so adding "grain" would kinda ruin it for me.

Check Aristides. They make guitars out of 100% composite materials, neck, body, and fretboard.
 
Re: Richlie fretboard.

Re: Richlie fretboard.

Check Aristides. They make guitars out of 100% composite materials, neck, body, and fretboard.

I forgot to mention that I am cheap. Now that I am not actively playing out all the time a few hundred bucks is my absolute limit of tolerance. But if someone gave me one...
 
Re: Richlie fretboard.

Re: Richlie fretboard.

I forgot to mention that I am cheap. Now that I am not actively playing out all the time a few hundred bucks is my absolute limit of tolerance. But if someone gave me one...

I'll let you know if I happen to find one or twelve that fell off a truck.
 
Re: Richlie fretboard.

Re: Richlie fretboard.

My Steinberger has a Richlite fingerboard. It works well. You can clean it with a damp cloth. I talked to the company at NAMM and got a few answers.

It can absolutely be scalloped. It is a cool material, and if you follow the company on Facebook, you can see the other stuff made out of it. I have no problem using it for a guitar. It can be any color and the color goes all the way through.
 
Re: Richlie fretboard.

Re: Richlie fretboard.

My 2012 Gibson Les Paul Supreme has a Richlite fretboard and I love it. The composition of the fretboard does not change due to temperature and humidity, feels good and smooth while playing. Dissimilar woods, just like dissimilar metals, are affected differently by ambient effectors. Richlite lends to a better stability overall. Haters are just gonna hate..........some without ever trying out a Richlite board.
 
Re: Richlie fretboard.

Re: Richlie fretboard.

feels good and smooth while playing.

I could not agree more. Some of my older fretboards have gotten grainier over the years. When I do bends on the Richlite it is very comfortable and natural. Much easier to control intonation of bends and vibrato.
 
Re: Richlie fretboard.

Re: Richlie fretboard.

The topic was introduced on facebook and some snot said "if you can't tell the difference between rosewood and cardboard, richlite is great."

To me, it appears 1) he doesn't know what he is talking about because it's typically a substitute for ebony and 2) he must not have ever tried it because i tried it before and it feels nothing like cardboard.

My response was
"I guess i fall into that category then because i tried it and didn't know it wasn't ebony until someone told me"


The topic was raised, therefore i'm open to hearing different opinions. However, his response just plain did not make sense to me and he was intentionally being condescending. Not cool!
 
Re: Richlie fretboard.

Re: Richlie fretboard.

I appologize for making a typo and calling it "richlie, which could be a clever pun. If any mods could and wouldn't mind fixing the spelling of "richlite"'in the subject, i would not abject
 
Re: Richlie fretboard.

Re: Richlie fretboard.

The topic was introduced on facebook and some snot said "if you can't tell the difference between rosewood and cardboard, richlite is great."

To me, it appears 1) he doesn't know what he is talking about because it's typically a substitute for ebony and 2) he must not have ever tried it because i tried it before and it feels nothing like cardboard.

My response was
"I guess i fall into that category then because i tried it and didn't know it wasn't ebony until someone told me"


The topic was raised, therefore i'm open to hearing different opinions. However, his response just plain did not make sense to me and he was intentionally being condescending. Not cool!

You should have asked him how he knew what a cardboard fretboard felt like. ;)
 
Re: Richlie fretboard.

Re: Richlie fretboard.

If it's not discernible to my ears, then meh. If it plays well, then meh. As guitar players, we'll have to adapt to limited resources and embrace new alternatives... Or suck it up and pay the premium for "older woods". Seems like a good alternative to Ebony. Not everyone takes care of their guitars every well. I've seen a few ebony boards crack. I wonder if richlite is resistant to that. If so, you already won me over.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Re: Richlite fretboard.

Well, I also play a carbon fiber acoustic, so I am cool with alternative materials. I've also played a bamboo acoustic that was really great. Alternative materials can sound great (and in some cases, wear better/be more sustainable) than traditional woods. However, guitarists, as a whole, get freaked out with anything new.
 
Re: Richlite fretboard.

Exactly, and besides, pretty much everything on a guitar except for the wood is a man made material, from the glue, to the metal and all of the other plastic parts.. Even veneering is layering obviously...
 
Re: Richlite fretboard.

I forgot to ask you guys, what do you clean your fretboards with? I'm assuming they do not require any conditioner because it's a closed surface..
Also, do the frets seem stay seated nice for everyone? And another question, since this is a much stiffer material, does it require less truss rod adjustments with weather changes, or is it about the same?
 
Re: Richlite fretboard.

I forgot to ask you guys, what do you clean your fretboards with? I'm assuming they do not require any conditioner because it's a closed surface..
Also, do the frets seem stay seated nice for everyone? And another question, since this is a much stiffer material, does it require less truss rod adjustments with weather changes, or is it about the same?

I never had to condition my fretboard when I had my Hagstrom. The frets do seem to stay seated nice. I never adjusted the truss rod, even when I went to big fat strings on it.
 
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