Why are guitars with rosewood fretboards so prevalent?

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: Why are guitars with rosewood fretboards so prevalent?

see, i find maple boards on fenders and clones to be incredible sticky...

Well that for sure depends alot!
Laquer varies alot on those things, I am a primarely maple user myself, and none of my guitars are sticky, my Wolfbang because it has no laquer but oil and wax instead, my strats because they are silkymatte finished polysomething thin laquer.

 

[philthis]

Re: Why are guitars with rosewood fretboards so prevalent?

Well that for sure depends alot!
Laquer varies alot on those things, I am a primarely maple user myself, and none of my guitars are sticky, my Wolfgnag because it has no laquer but oil and wax instead, my strats because they are silkymatte finished polysomething thin laquer.

+1 I hate the laquer on the back of necks that most guitar makers put on. I was constantly polishing my old gibson to make it less sticky on the back of the neck after I played it. I dont mind standerd Fender necks becouse they dont stick nearly as much. I noticed ol Zack Wild has the back of his Gibson necks customized as well. You can still have a great playing rosewood or ebony fingerboard without all the heavy nasty laquer on the back. Jackson built a company on this and fender has realy picked up on it over the past 10 years. I noticed the alot of epiphones les paul copies went to a modern C shape neck with a thinner laquer-has anyone got a newer Gibson latley? are they doing the same thing? :beerchug:

 

[ankalar]

Re: Why are guitars with rosewood fretboards so prevalent?

Just my peanut gallery comment since Zerb already explained it:

Rosewood is disgustingly ugly unless on a guitar with a color that goes well with crap brown, and either full of contrast or very dark.

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Why are guitars with rosewood fretboards so prevalent?

Woaaa that's a cool story, thanks Zerb!

It sucks to be a fingerboard snob. I have never played ebony but my Charvel model 4's neck is VERY dark (ebony dark) while still being rosewood, so now all the time I see a light rosewood I just can't stand it anymore

Just to split a few hairs, There´s no such thing as "Ebony Dark" rosaewood... A good piece of ebony is Jet Black, i.e. "none more dark"... Although it often happens, particularly with species like Massacar Ebony, that the wood has light streaks...Most makes dye these out, But I´ve seen streaked fretboards as well, can look cool if it´s the right piece.

There IS "Ebonized" rosewood, though (and every other wood can be ebonized as well), it´s essentially just stained

 

[Pierre]

Re: Why are guitars with rosewood fretboards so prevalent?

Well it's black but it indeed has some 'chocolate' streaks in it. A friend of mine thought it was ebony on the first glance. I'm sorry if this confused you, I doubt it's as consistent in color as a real ebony board, but it is very dark.