Gibson Artist Posted March 22, 2018 Share Posted March 22, 2018 Greetings all, i was wondering have any of you gotten attached to a particular type of fretwood be it rosewood or ebony or anything in between that you just couldnt live without? I found a les paul custom lite for sale recently, it was dead mint and in my exact price range. But, it has a rosewood board and even the 5k new Customs seem to come without Ebony boards also. I had a studio once with ebony and it looked and played amazing. i hated to let it go, but at the time, i needed cash and i made like 500 on the deal profit over what i paid so it was hard not to take the money. I wonder, what would it cost to get a guitar tech to refret it in ebony? A local store near me says 250 for no binding guitars 300 for binding, but it doesnt say if that includes the wood, i would hope it does right? Sorry to sound so naieve, but hey, if you dont ask, you'll never know right? Also, as much as i love the older Customs with Tim Shaw pickups, people want big bucks for them and they often stink. Any tips, stories, or thoughts on refrets welcome :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted March 22, 2018 Share Posted March 22, 2018 no attachments here, what ever wood is there, don't pay much attention to it. Ebony, rosewood or maple(lacquered or torrified) I'm not saying i don't FEEL a difference, it just really doesn't matter to me. I wouldn't be up for modifications that included replacing the fretboard wood and an entire re-fret too bot just to change out the wood on a perfectly good neck. Realistically, to many things to go wrong here. No matter how good the luthier is. That's a big job imho, and seems a bit unnecessary. (just my 2 cents on the subject) and don't some Customs come with Richlite fretboards? which isn't even wood... right? About the wood question, I guess you'd have to ask the shop if that had the ebony or if you'd have to source it yourself. Not even sure where you'd go... Stew Mac would be my first check. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted March 22, 2018 Share Posted March 22, 2018 About the wood question, I guess you'd have to ask the shop if that had the ebony or if you'd have to source it yourself. Not even sure where you'd go... Stew Mac would be my first check. That part is easy.. Ebay :) https://www.ebay.com/itm/GUITAR-LUTHIER-BASS-6-STRING-5-STRING-GABOON-EBONY-FRETBOARD-BLANK-28-5-X-4/302563502771?hash=item467230aab3:g:2RYAAOSwNkJaMKmC And yes that's a really drastic thing to do.. MUCH can go wrong.. Id suggest just buying a guitar with an ebony board rather than doing that.. But I guess that's up to you... The fretboard material has never made much difference to me.. Its more an aesthetic thing cos I do think they do look good. In saying that I have some rosewood boards that are almost as dark as ebony.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pin Posted March 22, 2018 Share Posted March 22, 2018 The wood used on the fretboard DOES make a difference but not so much re tone (although I am sure there is a difference even if I can't hear it) but in specialist use such as in midi conversion (e.g. Roland or Fishman hex pickups). It is very widely recognised that ebony is by far and away the best wood to avoid false triggering of notes. This is one of the reasons why I prefer to use my ebony fretboarded Yamaha SG2000 for midi over my MIM rosewood boarded Strat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted March 22, 2018 Share Posted March 22, 2018 Even though a species might have a predictable feel, sometimes it doesn't happen that way. I've never had a problem with a rosewood board except for a 1996 Herb Ellis I once owned. No matter how much buffing and polishing I did to that board, it just felt coarse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted March 22, 2018 Share Posted March 22, 2018 So what are you asking. Do you want to get a guitar re-fretted? Or re-fret-boarded? re-fretboarded... (hey,, did you just make a new word up??) so yea,, He wants to remove the rosewood fretboard and replace it with one made from ebony. And in doing so, the neck would need to be re-fretted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdgm Posted March 22, 2018 Share Posted March 22, 2018 With the greatest respect - it's not really worth doing unless you are already very attached to the guitar. I doubt if the quote you got - if it was for a refret - includes replacing the fretboard with a new ebony one. That's quite a serious undertaking, hours of work. Oil the rosewood board with thin or even ordinary household 3-in-1 oil, wipe off excess and let the oil soak in overnight. That will darken it and make it feel smoother. You only need to do that once, though you can do it once a year maximum if you like the results. You could even dye it like Donny did to one of his guitars. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gibson Artist Posted March 22, 2018 Author Share Posted March 22, 2018 I guess I did make a new word. I though he wanted a new board but wanted to make sure. i was tempted to have a rosewood board replaced with ebony, but after reading the comments and re thinking, it is a drastic step to take. A lot can go wrong, and i could either find an ebony board guitar or find one ebony like? Any suggestions? im curious what people think between richlite and granidilo, pardon if i spelled either wrong, just too lazy to google. The Les Paul lite does intrigue me, maybe there is an oil or something to make it feel a lil more like ebony also? Any suggestions appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted March 22, 2018 Share Posted March 22, 2018 And yes that's a really drastic thing to do.. MUCH can go wrong.. Id suggest just buying a guitar with an ebony board rather than doing that.... I totally agree with that. Trouble is, dark ebony boards aren't being put on that many guitars anymore, AFAIK. The wood is just getting scarce. I love the look (and prestige?) of ebony boards, but I doubt I notice any difference between them and rosewood, or even black richlite... which also looks pretty good.... from 6 feet.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riffster Posted March 23, 2018 Share Posted March 23, 2018 Those guys at Historic Makeovers swap fingerboards on a daily basis, they install Brazilian Rosewood. They do it so easily that some people sell the original board that was removed because it is still in good condition. I do like ebony fretboards, my Flying V has one and it feels nice and cool to the touch but I would not pay to install one on a guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted March 23, 2018 Share Posted March 23, 2018 Oddly enough I was checking out the availability and pricing of ebony 'boards just an hour ago. Spooky! As Rabs has pointed out you can by ebony fretboard blanks for around $20 every day of the week and Stew-Mac even offers pre-slotted part-finished ebony 'boards for $50. Touch-wise if I have my eyes closed I can't tell much difference between a nice, well worn-in rosewood 'board and an ebony one. I have a couple of guitars with ebony 'boards; one bought new a couple of years ago and another which needed to have the surface re-planed (long story) and when both were 'new' they felt very much like any decent rosewood 'board. I agree that, with use, ebony develops a marginally finer, smoother surface but unless I'm really concentrating on trying to work out what wood the 'board is made from I can't say it makes any difference to me - and believe me; when I'm trying to play guitar the very last thing I need to concentrate on is which type of tree provided my 'board... Visually, as jdgm mentioned, a black leather dye carefully applied - after the manner of Donny - makes any dark brown 'board look like ebony. Pip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted March 23, 2018 Share Posted March 23, 2018 i was tempted to have a rosewood board replaced with ebony, but after reading the comments and re thinking, it is a drastic step to take. A lot can go wrong, and i could either find an ebony board guitar or find one ebony like? Any suggestions? im curious what people think between richlite and granidilo, pardon if i spelled either wrong, just too lazy to google. The Les Paul lite does intrigue me, maybe there is an oil or something to make it feel a lil more like ebony also? Any suggestions appreciated. Well personally I think there is a world of difference in feel between rosewood & ebony. The others who cant tell are not wrong though. It just depends on how you play. If you have a lighter touch you may never feel the fingerboard at all. Specifically though. No. No oil will change the feel of rosewood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanHenry Posted March 23, 2018 Share Posted March 23, 2018 Why bother? If it ain't broke don't fix it. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted March 23, 2018 Share Posted March 23, 2018 I think you can some what feel the difference, and ebony, like maple, has a bit of a different response to it (more "snappy"?). I just don't know if I "care" all that much. For other common practices, there is baked maple, which Gibson was using back in 2012 after the raid. My SG has a baked maple board That one plays and sounds real good. But to me, it's not all that much different than my SG Classic in how it performs as far as my finger tips know. But really quite different to how a neck on a fender will feel and respond with lacquered maple. (Then there's the radius which is way more important to me than the fret board wood) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted March 23, 2018 Share Posted March 23, 2018 ...It just depends on how you play. If you have a lighter touch you may never feel the fingerboard at all... This is actually a very good - and moot - point. I do have a light touch and agree completely with what M-E says in that I hardly feel the surface of the 'board when I play. Others who tend to 'dig in' will most likely feel any differences more keenly. Pip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted March 23, 2018 Share Posted March 23, 2018 This is actually a very good - and moot - point. I do have a light touch and agree completely with what M-E says in that I hardly feel the surface of the 'board when I play. Others who tend to 'dig in' will most likely feel any differences more keenly. Pip. Light touch, yes, definitely.. me too this is why I don't really care one way or another. I mentioned this once in another thread in the agf, and I thought they were gonna show up at my door step torches and some rope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelT Posted March 23, 2018 Share Posted March 23, 2018 Greetings all, i was wondering have any of you gotten attached to a particular type of fretwood be it rosewood or ebony or anything in between that you just couldnt live without? I found a les paul custom lite for sale recently, it was dead mint and in my exact price range. But, it has a rosewood board and even the 5k new Customs seem to come without Ebony boards also. I had a studio once with ebony and it looked and played amazing. i hated to let it go, but at the time, i needed cash and i made like 500 on the deal profit over what i paid so it was hard not to take the money. I wonder, what would it cost to get a guitar tech to refret it in ebony? A local store near me says 250 for no binding guitars 300 for binding, but it doesnt say if that includes the wood, i would hope it does right? Sorry to sound so naieve, but hey, if you dont ask, you'll never know right? Also, as much as i love the older Customs with Tim Shaw pickups, people want big bucks for them and they often stink. Any tips, stories, or thoughts on refrets welcome :) I have ebony on my '81 V and rosewood on the other V and three Les Pauls. For me, it doesn't matter. The ebony "feels" harder but I'm ok with whatever is on the guitar. Low frets, high frets, ebony, rosewood, richlite, maple or whatever. I don't like my strings real high off the fretboard and typically play with 9's but I don't notice so much any more. As others have said, it's a huge undertaking best done by a pro. And, the price quoted was for re-fret only. To take the fretboard off and put it back on would be probably 2 to 3 times that, if I were to guess. It's not the wood that will cost you a fortune. It's the labor. Good luck. It's your guitar, do what you will but if it were me, I'd leave it alone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub-T-123 Posted March 23, 2018 Share Posted March 23, 2018 I think it would be particularly expensive with a Custom where there is more binding to deal with. Replacing the binding could easily involve some refinishing But it seems the OP has already decided against it anyway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larsongs Posted March 23, 2018 Share Posted March 23, 2018 Why mess with the Original neck? If you do it can never go back to Original. Why not get a new Neck? Keep. The Original just in case...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub-T-123 Posted March 23, 2018 Share Posted March 23, 2018 It’s a set neck guitar. If you take off the neck it will never be original again just the same as if you changed the fretboard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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