keyplayer Posted May 31, 2015 Share Posted May 31, 2015 I have a 1994 Studio and I cannot tell if the fretboard is ebony or rosewood. Here are 3 pictures, please tell me what you think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2PoFoAGibSon Posted May 31, 2015 Share Posted May 31, 2015 That's rosewood..you can tell by the course grain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2PoFoAGibSon Posted May 31, 2015 Share Posted May 31, 2015 8-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keyplayer Posted May 31, 2015 Author Share Posted May 31, 2015 Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JM2112 Posted May 31, 2015 Share Posted May 31, 2015 I'm kind of on the fence with this. Do you have a pic that has better focus and with the light reflecting off the fret board? Rosewood has far more visible pores than ebony. You could also make a quick visit to any local music store and look closely at any guitar they have with a rosewood and ebony fret board for a comparison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaygl Posted May 31, 2015 Share Posted May 31, 2015 That is 100% rosewood. Can see the grain and the color variations (light and dark). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deeman Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 What color finish does your guitar have? For the Alpine White and Ebony studios the fret boards were ebony up until 5 years ago or so. I think for most if not all of the other finishes had rosewood boards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keyplayer Posted June 1, 2015 Author Share Posted June 1, 2015 What color finish does your guitar have? For the Alpine White and Ebony studios the fret boards were ebony up until 5 years ago or so. I think for most if not all of the other finishes had rosewood boards. Ebony finish, was told it was ebony fretboard by ebay seller about a year ago, too late for any recourse if it was a lie. I have other guitars with rosewood and ebony boards, this one looks closer to ebony but not as smooth surface. If it is rosewood it is very dark, and not nearly as grained surface. I would need to open another thread to post more pics, as this one pic is 472.8k of my 500k limit. I deleted the original pic so I could post 3 new ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deeman Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 The picture quality isn't that great, but i'd say it is a lighter piece of ebony. For future reference you can get a photobucket account and post as many pics as you wish. This thread is in the forum feedback section of the site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keyplayer Posted June 1, 2015 Author Share Posted June 1, 2015 The picture quality isn't that great, but i'd say it is a lighter piece of ebony. For future reference you can get a photobucket account and post as many pics as you wish. This thread is in the forum feedback section of the site. I'm sorry the pics are not good quality. Thanks to all who replied. This guitar is for sale. If it sells, it was rosewood and I'm happy to get rid of it. If I keep it, it is ebony and I'm glad I kept it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btoth76 Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 ... Rosewood has far more visible pores than ebony. You could also make a quick visit to any local music store and look closely at any guitar they have with a rosewood and ebony fret board for a comparison. ...For the Alpine White and Ebony studios the fretboards were ebony up until 5 years ago or so... Hello! +1 on the above two comments. My '92 black Studio also had ebony fingerboard. Cheers... Bence Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badbluesplayer Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 Could be ebony. If that model and year was supposedly spec'd with ebony, I'd assume it was unless proven otherwise. There's probably some scientific way of identifying it by looking at the endgrain with a magnifying glass. That's normally how wood experts do it with most species. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HEADKNOCKER Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 Looks like Rosewood to me too!! Hey if it's just the matter of it being Rosewood or Ebony that makes the difference in you Keeping or Selling the guitar & you can't even tell which it is that you have, Might I ask how the guitar plays & sounds?? Not all the Studios have an ebony board, there are some with the rosewood factory JFYI.. BTW my 1994 Gibson Studio Lite M-III has a Rosewood fretboard & that thing plays & sounds like a beast.. You can easily tell that it's rosewood, some folks soak the board with this dyed lemon oil made for scratch hiding on dark furniture to try an make the rosewood darker, Sometimes as stated above ebony will have brown marks in it also, Ebony has a much tighter grain pattern than rosewood & is also a bit slicker feel to it.. All three of my current Gibsons have a rosewood board as did the 59 LP Burst.. they aren't for sell either.. NOTE: in the factory photo of my guitar it shows a Ebony Fretboard & also on the specs sheet but it is for sure Rosewood see 1st pic.. 1994 Gibson Les Paul Studio Lite M-III Factory Photo & Specs Sheet These three fretboards are all three Rosewood 1968 top & middle, 1956 at the bottom, I guess it really matters which tree & if it's from Brazil, Madagascar, East India or?? I also note that #2 #3 have been refreted as the Nibs are gone.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btoth76 Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 Hello! Look at the picture above. If Your guitar's fretboard is smoother than that - has no hairline valleys - it's ebony. Ebony is - obviously - black, sometimes with dark-brown streaks. But it's always very smooth. Much smoother than any rosewood. Cheers... Bence Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keyplayer Posted June 4, 2015 Author Share Posted June 4, 2015 It plays and sounds great. I want to keep it for that reason. I just prefer matching ebony board for ebony finish body. I would trade this maybe-ebony board for a positively-ebony board. But I am happy to keep it. I will tell myself it is ebony if I keep it. I will tell myself it is rosewood if I don't keep it. I cannot tell myself it is ebony and not keep it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badbluesplayer Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 Does somebody know if Customer Service knows this stuff? They keep track of some of the specs for each guitar. You can email CS with the serial number and they can tell you some basic specs about the guitar. I'm not sure if that includes the fretboard material. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HEADKNOCKER Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 "Tell Yourself it's Ebony & Keep It!!" Even if it's not!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 Ebony can be lighter in colour. Luthiers & carpenters all grade wood. Sometimes a different grade will show a coarser grain or a hue variation. I have 4 ebony fingerboard guitars. When I bought the last one I was convinced it was rosewood (it didnt help that the pickguard & tailpiece cover were black ebony). Only by careful inspection could I tell by the grain that it was really ebony. This was confirmed by the shop and later by the luthier who did the set up for me. I concur that the pictures of rosewood shown here dont look like ebony. The grain is the best indicator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keyplayer Posted June 5, 2015 Author Share Posted June 5, 2015 Does somebody know if Customer Service knows this stuff? They keep track of some of the specs for each guitar. You can email CS with the serial number and they can tell you some basic specs about the guitar. I'm not sure if that includes the fretboard material. I sent pictures to Customer Service when I bought the guitar. They said it "appears to be" ebony. I sent new pictures to Customer Service when I opened this thread. They said it "appears to be" rosewood. I love this guitar whatever it is. It looks and plays like ebony to me, and to at least one expert it appears to be ebony, so it is ebony! (maybe low grade, streaky, grainy, off-color light ebony, but still ebony) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HEADKNOCKER Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 The guy I bought my 94 Studio from in Nashville worked for Gibson during the 90s & He told me that they used Grade B ebony on some studios during his stay at Gibson & Rosewood on others plus grade A as well.. I suppose the Grade has to do with the color or figure to the wood & nothing else as far as it's smoothness or density.. Rock On My Brotha!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crunge23 Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 On 6/3/2015 at 5:03 AM, btoth76 said: Hello! Look at the picture above. If Your guitar's fretboard is smoother than that - has no hairline valleys - it's ebony. Ebony is - obviously - black, sometimes with dark-brown streaks. But it's always very smooth. Much smoother than any rosewood. Cheers... Bence 6 years late to the discussion. But my Studio Lite MIII has the Ebony Board like the specs say. But in sunburst unlike the specs. Gibson must have done whatever they wanted then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 Zombie threads are the new norm. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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