rowtag95 Posted December 29, 2018 Share Posted December 29, 2018 Recently I've picked up an Epiphone LP Special II. It's a "limited edition" which pretty much means nothing other than the color and flame maple top. It's the trans blue one. According to all the spec pages I could find on this guitar, the fretboard is rosewood. Anyway, almost immediately I noticed the fretboard was different than all of my rosewood guitars. All my guitars have Indian Rosewood fingerboards; a very dark chocolate brown with the usual streaks in it. Almost every rosewood fretboard I've seen is this way. But this Epiphone is MUCH lighter in color. All I could come up with is that it's one of two things. A)The fretboard is Rosewood but it was just a lighter color for some reason? B) Some makers replaced rosewood with pau ferro because of complications resulting from CITES restrictions (from what I understood at least, I don't really know) and the fretboard on the Special II just so happens to look exactly like Pau Ferro does in photos, though I've never seen it with my own eyes. What do you think? Is this rosewood? Something else? Also, it's strange because when I search images "Epiphone Special II" it shows all sorts of Special II's some with dark fret boards and some like mine is. BUT the photo of the trans blue limited edition guitar that I have has a dark fretboard. If rosewood does vary in color often, why haven't I seen a single rosewood guitar like this yet? Maybe I just haven't been paying attention. Thanks to everyone beforehand! Here is the Epiphone Special II: Here is an Epiphone Junior: Heres another fretboard from a Yamaha, also dark: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Revolution Six Posted December 30, 2018 Share Posted December 30, 2018 Epiphone LP Special II. It's a "limited edition" ... WAOOOW ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowtag95 Posted December 30, 2018 Author Share Posted December 30, 2018 Epiphone LP Special II. It's a "limited edition" ... WAOOOW ! I CLEARLY said "its limited edition, WHICH MEANS NOTHING" Same stock everything.I also said regular epiphone l.p. special II's on Google have both dark and light fretboards. I never said only the limited editions. IM AWARE. lol And I know "custom shop" doesnt mean anything. Anyway, back to the question.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowtag95 Posted December 30, 2018 Author Share Posted December 30, 2018 My email to Epiphone cracked the case. It is not posted online ANYWHERE. I have searched so many times and every spec page says rosewood. Here is Epiphone's response: "This model has a Pao Ferro fingerboard. Thanks, and I hope this helps!" Very quick reply by Epiphone! I had a strong feeling that there was no way it was rosewood. Maybe my hunch about rosewood restrictions want too far off? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tweed2 Posted December 30, 2018 Share Posted December 30, 2018 I CLEARLY said "its limited edition, WHICH MEANS NOTHING" Same stock everything.I also said regular epiphone l.p. special II's on Google have both dark and light fretboards. I never said only the limited editions. IM AWARE. lol And I know "custom shop" doesnt mean anything. Anyway, back to the question.. Don't pay any attention to him, that's a standard response from that A-pipe. To him, only Gibsons are worthy of discussion and adulation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tweed2 Posted December 30, 2018 Share Posted December 30, 2018 My email to Epiphone cracked the case. It is not posted online ANYWHERE. I have searched so many times and every spec page says rosewood. Here is Epiphone's response: "This model has a Pao Ferro fingerboard. Thanks, and I hope this helps!" Very quick reply by Epiphone! I had a strong feeling that there was no way it was rosewood. Maybe my hunch about rosewood restrictions want too far off? Not surprised, they probably have updated their specs online yet. At least I don't think that they'd be trying to deceive anyone. Eventually, Rosewood will become a thing of the past, it's becoming harder to find and people like Gibson will get tired of government raids. I've never tried a Pao Ferro FB before, what are your impressions of it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mihcmac Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 Not surprised, they probably have updated their specs online yet. At least I don't think that they'd be trying to deceive anyone. Eventually, Rosewood will become a thing of the past, it's becoming harder to find and people like Gibson will get tired of government raids. I've never tried a Pao Ferro FB before, what are your impressions of it? Epiphone has access to rosewood resources that Gibson cannot use and currently being a Chinese manufacturer they may never run out, at least for international sales. But Gibson could pressure Epiphone to use other materials. If Epiphone specs list rosewood it most likely is. Most new models, I have looked at on Epiphone's site, the fingerboard material is left blank. Leaving it wide open to use anything that qualifies. The Les Paul Special II has a bolt-on neck, which online re-sellers may list the fingerboard as rosewood. Hard to tell for sure depending what batch the neck came from. maybe..... The reviews of the Les Paul Special II have been very favorable on the "Neck" having excellent action.. MF has them listed as being available 1-25-19 for $229 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mihcmac Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 It seems that a lot of new Epiphones are using the Pau Ferro finger board.. Color/Appearance: Color can be highly varied, ranging from reddish/orange to a dark violet/brown, usually with contrasting darker black streaks. Narrow sapwood is a pale yellow and is clearly demarcated from the heartwood. Grain/Texture: Grain is typically straight, though sometimes slightly irregular or interlocked depending on the species. Fine, even texture and a naturally high luster—though depending on the particular species, the wood can have a coarser, more fibrous texture. Endgrain: Diffuse-porous; medium pores in no specific arrangement, moderately numerous; solitary and radial multiples of 2-3; mineral deposits occasionally present; parenchyma banded, diffuse-in-aggregates, vasicentric; narrow rays, spacing close. Rot Resistance: Rated as very durable, though quite susceptible to insect attack, and not recommended in direct ground contact. Workability: Pau Ferro is considered overall to be of fair workability, as it can blunt the cutting edges of tools, and any irregular grain has a tendency to tearout during machining operations. Also, many of the same challenges in gluing rosewoods are common to Pau Ferro as well. Pau Ferro turns and finishes well. Odor: Depending on the species, the wood can have a characteristic scent. Allergies/Toxicity: Although severe reactions are quite uncommon, Pau Ferro has been reported as a sensitizer . Usually most common reactions simply include eye and skin irritation. Anecdotal evidence suggests that there is a high rate of reaction among woodworkers, and the wood contains the very same sensitizing substances as those found in rosewoods (Dalbergia genus). See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity and Wood Dust Safety for more information. Pricing/Availability: Pau Ferro is in the medium price range for exotic imported hardwoods, and is likely to be much more affordable than some of the scarcer true rosewoods, ( Dalbergia genus ), of which this wood is often used as substitute. Sustainability: This wood species is not listed in the CITES Appendices, and many of the species within the Machaerium genus are reported by the IUCN as being of least concern. One exception is Machaerium villosum from Brazil, which is reported as vulnerable due to deforestation. Common Uses: Veneer, musical instruments, cabinetry, flooring, interior trim, turning, and other small specialty wood objects. Comments: Pau Ferro is a wood of many names, and is sometimes called Morado: and because the wood is so similar in appearance and working properties to rosewood, it is also sometimes referred to as Bolivian or Santos Rosewood. The wood has been used in various capacities as a substitute for the endangered Brazilian Rosewood . Although the wood is not technically in the Dalbergia genus, it’s in a closely-related genus (Machaerium), and contains the same sensitizing compounds found in rosewoods—about as close to a true rosewood as a wood can get without actually being a Dalbergia species. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col Mustard Posted March 16, 2019 Share Posted March 16, 2019 Here's another consideration that no one has mentioned: THE PRICE... My stepdaughter owns an Epi Les Paul Special ll, and her dad bought it for her when she was 11. It likely was the least expensive guitar he could find. I took an interest in Devin's Les Paul, because I'm not in that school of thought that says a newbie should begin on a POS. Just because I did, doesn't mean she has to. So I worked on this Epiphone, and came to think highly of it. It feels and sounds great (now) after having some upgrades done. I like it a lot... and so does she. An Epi Les Paul Special ll that has had some upgrades turns into one HELL of a lot more guitar than it looks like. I like that too. It's less likely to get stolen in the dicey world of young musicians. The Special ll has NONE of the detailing that is prized by players of more pedigreed guitars. But that doesn't matter, once it's set up properly. It makes a great student guitar, being smaller than most Standard Lesters. The body is made of plywood... or "laminate" if you want to make it sound better. But it's just a bunch of thin boards glued together and cut into a Les Paul shape. This means nothing. *grins The Special ll has a fine tough tone all its own. The concept of "tone wood" is a Granfaloon... (which means it's empty words) Wood is like, not magnetic. The bolt on neck also means nothing. The Special ll has lots of sustain, as do my Fender instruments, which all have bolt on necks. When I say that I came to think highly of this Epiphone, one of the reasons is the fine fit of the bolt on neck. No wobble, no problems. It works great. Go figure. So I maintain that because Epiphone is trying to manufacture these guitars so they can sell them for $150.00 in the US and make a profit, the factory will make them out of whatever. Every time I play Devin's Les Paul I marvel at how cool it is in spite of how little her dad paid for it. I suggest that you oil your pau ferro fretboard with some "Fret Doctor..." or Music Nomad's F1. It should darken up nicely when you do. I upgraded Devin's Epi with a set of Grover tuners, a tusq nut, a set of Gibson 490 pickups out of an SG special, a TonePros bridge and tail, and good quality wiring harness. That's why I say it's a lot more guitar than it seems from a distance. The Gibson p'ups sound better in the Epiphone Les Paul than they did in the Gibson SG. The fretwork was actually ok, and the neck was straight last time I looked. May you enjoy your Speciall ll... all out of proportion to what you paid for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Revolution Six Posted March 16, 2019 Share Posted March 16, 2019 You can surf wirh this piece of ... wood ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurt Vonnegut Fan Posted March 16, 2019 Share Posted March 16, 2019 https://www.wood-database.com/pau-ferro/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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