Pablor Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 Hi everyone! I recently bought a 1989 Explorer and am totally loving it. It's '76 reissue (as far as I can tell) in cherry finish, but the fingerboard is ebony rather than rosewood. I haven't seen that combo before - thought it was just the white ones and the 83. Anyone know if ebony was an extra option at the time? Or maybe this one is an anomaly. Works for me anyway as I like ebony boards - just curious really. Grateful for any illumination! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 Can't contribute anything to clearing up the situation, but your Explorer is a very pretty one. I guess I would love her with either rosewood or ebony board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L5Larry Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 I really can't tell from the photo, but.... Are you sure it's ebony? Some rosewood, especially the old growth varieties, is very dark and uniform. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
american cheez Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 that pic looks like rosewood to my eye Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pablor Posted October 15, 2015 Author Share Posted October 15, 2015 I really can't tell from the photo, but.... Are you sure it's ebony? Some rosewood, especially the old growth varieties, is very dark and uniform. Hi, thanks for the replies. Hmmm, I'm pretty sure it is ebony. It's black with a really tight grain and that smooth, shiny surface. I took a picture of it together with an ebony fingerboard classical to give a slightly better idea. To me the woods look pretty much identical, but I'm no expert. Well, I'm just glad to have it whatever the wood. In general I think this guitar is really well made with great wood. It's surprisingly lightweight and very resonant. The whole guitar feels like it's alive when you play it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pablor Posted October 19, 2015 Author Share Posted October 19, 2015 Call Gibson and ask they should know. Thanks for the tip. I contacted Gibson - very helpful customer service. So mine is an early 76 model. They told me that the ebony fingerboard may well have been an option during the transition period. Guess they still had ebony lying around back then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L5Larry Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 They told me that the ebony fingerboard may well have been an option during the transition period. In other words, they don't know either! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dinosauria Posted December 13, 2015 Share Posted December 13, 2015 It's a beautiful guitar either way. It's not unusual to see a variation in a model that only lasts a year or two, especially if they're transitioning from one version to the other. I have an SG that's a Pewter model that's essentially a cross between the SG Platinum and Pewter. 99% of the pics you'll find of my model have different plastics and a rosewood board. My SGX is the same, they were mostly rosewood but the one I have has an ebony board. I definitely prefer ebony on my Gibson guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKPPERR Posted January 23, 2016 Share Posted January 23, 2016 FYI - That's a rosewood fingerboard on that guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pdiddy Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 that certainly looks like rosewood to me....Gibson lists 3 shades of rosewood fret-boards and my 2015 Midtown has a very dark rosewood fret-board....Gibson ebony boards, especially vintage models seem to be very "black" ebony fret-boards IMO and based on previously Gibson's I've owned with ebony .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 Can't be sure from the pic either, but in person, it's pretty easy to tell. Regardless of color, rosewood always has some pores of some sort, and ebony is always smooth. Around the time of that guitar (mid-late 80's/early 90's) I remember seeing lots of Gibby's that had ebony boards that were supposed to have rosewood. Back then it was no big deal. Nobody cared, and nobody kept track. I think the only time questions were asked is if what was expected to be ebony wasn't completely 100% black. Things are different now. I even feel apprehensive typing the above B-word. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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