TarHeelKid Posted November 25, 2011 Report Share Posted November 25, 2011 Gibson has introduced a couple of new stain colors in their Studio Faded line, but are using a different wood on the fret-board than the cherry or brown. The cherry and brown use a baked maple fretboard, while the new blue and ebony-stained models will have an obeche fretboard. I must admit this is a wood I am unfamiliar with. I wonder why they would ditch the maple, it seems very snappy and solid. Any ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dallastx Posted November 25, 2011 Report Share Posted November 25, 2011 I kinda got freaked when I heard Gibson started using recycled paper and (baked)Maple for their fretboards, but when I remembered that alot of exotic car makers use polimers and plastics.. I didn't feel so bad. D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JellyWheat Posted November 25, 2011 Report Share Posted November 25, 2011 I kinda got freaked when I heard Gibson started using recycled paper and (baked)Maple for their fretboards, but when I remembered that alot of exotic car makers use polimers and plastics.. I didn't feel so bad. D Inasmuch as I have been able to gather from my own reading on this subject, obeche gets very poor write-ups as a wood type suitable for musical instruments. If you Google "oBeche" wood, you will get all kinds of hits. Check out some of the wood encyclopedias and wholesalers and see their write-ups... [i notice some of the musical instrument reviewers are "getting on the obeche bandwagon" and trumpeting it as a tonewood, but I put this down to their own vested interests in selling more guitars, regardless of what they are made of.] Now, Gibson might be much more knowledgeable than I am about the suitability of this fingerboard material, but - from what I have been able to learn about obeche - I would rather have the phenol-impregnated paper material than that wood. I have had Hagstrom and Martin guitars with that synthetic ebony, and I found it not very different than the real thing. The only thing I noticed was that it gets shiny where you play on it, but a quick rub with a pencil eraser dulls it back down real quick, and also makes the frets shine like jewellery! I like the sound and feel of baked maple very much, and I would not hesitate at all to buy a guitar with a fingerboard of that type, as long as it was at least as dark as charlie brown's new squeeze! My $0.02/FWIW J/W :blink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damian Posted November 25, 2011 Report Share Posted November 25, 2011 I will never own a guitar with an "obeche" fretboard........I have no problem with "baked maple" at all............... Coming soon are Gibby fretboards from Ketchitan Rainforest maple trees !!!!!!!! [thumbup] .................. They will be known as "Baked Alaskan Maple" fretboards, or, "BAM !!!" fretboards................... Ya know, once "Richlite" trees become endangered, they'll move on to something else............ ....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The RandyMan Posted November 25, 2011 Report Share Posted November 25, 2011 With the vast array of exotic wood species across the planet, isn't there something that would be a suitable substitute for rosewood? While I realize that there is a whole lot of tradition behind using rosewood for fretboards, it seems odd to me that there isn't another type of wood that would be just as good for boards. There are many different type of wood being used in bodies (especially acoustics) because of their resonant characteristics. Could some of these be used as fretboards also?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JellyWheat Posted November 25, 2011 Report Share Posted November 25, 2011 With the vast array of exotic wood species across the planet, isn't there something that would be a suitable substitute for rosewood? While I realize that there is a whole lot of tradition behind using rosewood for fretboards, it seems odd to me that there isn't another type of wood that would be just as good for boards. There are many different type of wood being used in bodies (especially acoustics) because of their resonant characteristics. Could some of these be used as fretboards also?? I'm SURE you are correct, RandyMan... but I don't think obeche is one of them. I have a sapele Taylor nylon string that is awesome. It was a new, non-traditional wood to me, but I find it every bit as acceptable as mahogany or rosewood. It is slightly different, but most acceptable. What I'm trying to say here is that I don't consider myself to be an ebony/rosewood snob. I am open to alternative materials. Read some stuff on obeche, and you may come to your own conclusions about its suitability, however. Regards, J/W B) [PS Damian: Would they not have an easier time if they used the proper scientific nomenclature for Richlite trees. That being Rychlytibus magnificans superioribus.?] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The RandyMan Posted November 25, 2011 Report Share Posted November 25, 2011 I don't know if some of those here are rosewood "snobs" or if everyone is just so used to having one or two woods used as fretboards on their "weapons of choice" that they don't realize that if something needs to be replaced for whatever reason, that it's not the end of the tone world. Moreover, I'm surprised that the people that make these guitars don't go after something more fitting for their production. Are they just going for whatever cheap imitation they can grab in the shortest amount of time, or are they convinced that something like obeche or Richlite is really a suitable replacement? Especially when there are so many other alternatives available. Besides (I hate to think in terms of marketing), to me, Richlite sounds more like something you'd use to cut down a tree than a type of tree. And there's always the conspiracy angle to it . . . Will there be a "cutoff date" to when guitars having rosewood boards will be exempt from the buying and selling laws surrounding things like ivory, etc.? Will rosewood become a type of bartering currency for the underground in the post-apocalyptic period when guitarists are considered outlaws and stopped at checkpoints to have their boards validated or confiscated? I think I'm starting to regress . . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JellyWheat Posted November 25, 2011 Report Share Posted November 25, 2011 I don't know if some of those here are rosewood "snobs" or if everyone is just so used to having one or two woods used as fretboards on their "weapons of choice" that they don't realize that if something needs to be replaced for whatever reason, that it's not the end of the tone world. Moreover, I'm surprised that the people that make these guitars don't go after something more fitting for their production. Are they just going for whatever cheap imitation they can grab in the shortest amount of time, or are they convinced that something like obeche or Richlite is really a suitable replacement? Especially when there are so many other alternatives available. Besides (I hate to think in terms of marketing), to me, Richlite sounds more like something you'd use to cut down a tree than a type of tree. And there's always the conspiracy angle to it . . . Will there be a "cutoff date" to when guitars having rosewood boards will be exempt from the buying and selling laws surrounding things like ivory, etc.? Will rosewood become a type of bartering currency for the underground in the post-apocalyptic period when guitarists are considered outlaws and stopped at checkpoints to have their boards validated or confiscated? I think I'm starting to regress . . . . [lol] "Road to Regression"! There's a song in that! And my cart is following yours right on down the road, RandyMan! Regards, J/W B) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kimbabig Posted November 25, 2011 Report Share Posted November 25, 2011 Baked maple has better highs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FirstMeasure Posted November 25, 2011 Report Share Posted November 25, 2011 Baked maple has better highs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G McBride Posted November 25, 2011 Report Share Posted November 25, 2011 Cause it is Baked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TarHeelKid Posted November 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 25, 2011 Gibson themselves has confirmed that this maple is an unfinished product, unlike the Fender maple fingerboards, and can be oiled like rosewood, for a darker appearance and that smooth, slick feel. I don't plan on supporting this obeche move, sorry Gibson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TarHeelKid Posted November 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 25, 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanH Posted November 25, 2011 Report Share Posted November 25, 2011 I don't like the idea of it on first impressions because, well, the name "obeche" puts me right off to start with. However, the proof of the pudding has got to be in the eating so I'll reserve judgement until then. I believe obeche comes from one of the Acacias or its relatives. Now I had an Acacia dealbata in my garden for about the last 8 years until the last winter killed it to down the ground. Although, only about 8" in diameter the trunk on it was very difficult to saw through- In fact, I had to go and buy a new Stanley saw to do it. When I did finally get it down I have to say that the wood was absolutely beautiful to look at and it seemed to resonate well. I wondered at the time whether Acacia wood could be used in guitar manufacture. Acacias grow pretty quickly too (I had to prune mine every year to keep it under control) so I can see why relatives of the Acacia might be a good choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JellyWheat Posted November 25, 2011 Report Share Posted November 25, 2011 I don't like the idea of it on first impressions because, well, the name "obeche" puts me right off to start with. However, the proof of the pudding has got to be in the eating so I'll reserve judgement until then. I believe obeche comes from one of the Acacias or its relatives. Now I had an Acacia dealbata in my garden for about the last 8 years until the last winter killed it to down the ground. Although, only about 8" in diameter the trunk on it was very difficult to saw through- In fact, I had to go and buy a new Stanley saw to do it. When I did finally get it down I have to say that the wood was absolutely beautiful to look at and it seemed to resonate well. I wondered at the time whether Acacia wood could be used in guitar manufacture. Acacias grow pretty quickly too (I had to prune mine every year to keep it under control) so I can see why relatives of the Acacia might be a good choice. This is one of the sources I am using for information: http://www.thewoodexplorer.com/maindata/we1191.html I don't believe Triplochitons are related to the Acacias, but I am not a botanist by trade. Most of the descriptions I have read compare the wood to others like basswood, and rate the crushing strength and structural strength of the obeche wood as being more similar to basswood than to true hardwoods. To be honest, I wish Gibson would chime in on this, because there is so much ambiguity in the exotic wood trade, generally. I trust the craftsmen and women at Gibson pretty well, and if they were to reassure me that there were, in fact, good reasons for choosing the wood other than opportunism and economics, I might be more open-minded. So far, however, nothing that I have been able to dig up on my own about obeche wood has been very reassuring. :( J/W Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krock Posted November 25, 2011 Report Share Posted November 25, 2011 i cant see me buying anything with obeche any time soon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JellyWheat Posted November 25, 2011 Report Share Posted November 25, 2011 i cant see me buying anything with obeche any time soon Well, I have learned in my travels that obeche was - apparently - the original wood of choice for... ... surfboards! Regards/Happy Thanksgiving J/W :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4Hayden Posted November 26, 2011 Report Share Posted November 26, 2011 Give Gibson their WOOD back !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryUK Posted November 26, 2011 Report Share Posted November 26, 2011 By stopping the rosewood imports aren't the Feds causing people to starve in India? Surely they will be put out of work? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badbluesplayer Posted November 26, 2011 Report Share Posted November 26, 2011 I have to believe that Gibson is pushing these new fretboard materials as some kind of knee-jerk reaction to them getting busted for those loads of wood. I'm guessing that this is Gibson's way of having a tantrum. Nobody said they couldn't use rosewood. They just said they couldn't use the loads of rosewood that were illegally imported. Maybe the new Richlite fretboard maintenance kit will include a spray bottle of Formula 409 and an eraser. Hey Gibson, go buy some rosewood and stop whining. Being egocentric is fine, but not when it destroys your company. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JellyWheat Posted November 26, 2011 Report Share Posted November 26, 2011 Then, the unemployed buggers would have to cut down mahogany and rosewood stands for cooking and heating fires, and to clear land for subsistence farming. I believe that phenomenon is more damaging all the way around than controlled harvesting for bmusical instruments. BTW... Has anybody calculated the cubic yards of rosewood required annually for the musical instrument industry? That would be interesting to know... J/W Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted November 26, 2011 Report Share Posted November 26, 2011 I have to believe that Gibson is pushing these new fretboard materials as some kind of knee-jerk reaction to them getting busted for those loads of wood. I'm guessing that this is Gibson's way of having a tantrum. Nobody said they couldn't use rosewood. They just said they couldn't use the loads of rosewood that were illegally imported. Maybe the new Richlite fretboard maintenance kit will include a spray bottle of Formula 409 and an eraser. Hey Gibson, go buy some rosewood and stop whining. Being egocentric is fine, but not when it destroys your company. You might want to learn more about it. Have you read the affidavit for the search? Have you heard what Gibson (Henry) has stated the Feds have told him? Who do you believe? Personally, I believe it is credible that the Feds have told Gibson they can't use rosewood. They have also made good on their threats. The argument is whether the rosewood is legal. I believe it was, and is. I also believe the Feds are trying to say it isn't. And I think they are TRYING to make all rosewood illegal, and using whatever excuse/translation of the law they can. The other thing to consider about "buying more rosewood" is that the amounts that the feds hold now represents a SUBSTANTIAL investment. It is not something you want to buy again, or buy twice. Tantrum? Maybe. But would you? How would you handle it? Do you believe the Government would purposely hurt Gibson? Think they would? See anything happening? If you choose to follow THIS case, don't forget to watch your blindside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searcy Posted November 26, 2011 Report Share Posted November 26, 2011 The problem I see is that F&W won't clearly define what is and isn't legal. The Indian government says the wood is legal. LMI gets to use it as though it's legal. Every other guitar builder get's to use it as though it's legal. The Gibson acoustic factory in Montana gets to use the same wood from the same lot as though it's legal but somehow it's illegal in Nashville. If the government is simply going to seize millions of dollars in materials and product without clarification of the issue, assessing fines, filing charges or arresting the "criminal" then it's foolish to keep trying to build with the product in question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S t e v e Posted November 26, 2011 Report Share Posted November 26, 2011 Baked maple has better highs. baked potatos are better than mashed imo :) so, instead of gary moore V bonnamassa or gibson V fender we have...baked maple V obeche? as i said, gibson should and could use ebony on ALL their fingerboards...we pay them enough for the guitars! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searcy Posted November 26, 2011 Report Share Posted November 26, 2011 Well the US government has seized ebony from Gibson too. Need to just start using Ebonol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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