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Granadillo? Whats Up?


eyerish

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Maybe it's the "guitarist" in me, but why do I see ads in twenty years for the "Super Rare Ritchilite Fretboard......tons of MOJO!!!!" and people lining up to by it because of it's perceived rareness.......lol.

 

 

 

My other take on it is that had Gibson simply named Granadillo "___________ Rosewood" and given it a name instead, this topic never would have happened.

I blame Gibson for that as surely they must know by now what a touchy bunch we guitarists are.......lmao.

 

NHTom

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Seriously though, The Richlite is very fast and there is hardly any resistance bending notes.

I do confirm that. Despite of its smoothness for bendings, the silky feel makes it less slippery for sweaty fingers than e. g. glossy finished maple boards. I get a grip when I need it, and I may grind easily when I want to.

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Maybe it's the "guitarist" in me, but why do I see ads in twenty years for the "Super Rare Ritchilite Fretboard......tons of MOJO!!!!" and people lining up to by it because of it's perceived rareness.......lol.

[lol][lol][lol][lol][lol]

 

My other take on it is that had Gibson simply named Granadillo "___________ Rosewood" and given it a name instead, this topic never would have happened.

I blame Gibson for that as surely they must know by now what a touchy bunch we guitarists are.......lmao.

 

NHTom

+1

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I never had problems with sweaty fingertips.

I was not very familiar with glossy finished maple fretboards and the small fretboard radiuses of Fenders, and have to deal with these since a few weeks respectively months. This is something different than I was accustomed to, and I rarely fret chords on my Ibanez Blazer Bass which for decades was my only instrument with a glossy maple board.

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Ok......... I have some questions about this wood stuff !!! First, I wanna know, did eyerish return the guitar because of the Granadillo, or did he keep it ? No one ever said what happened, and I am just a curious old coot to begin with !!! Second, I want to know, should I oil my Granadillo fretboard before dying it black, or dye it and then oil it ? Third, I was thinking to myself that I would use India Ink, because I know that stuff really stains wood good, and then I read the article on dyeing wood and the guy mentioned India Ink !!! Third I want to know, has anyone tried India Ink, and how did it turn out ??? Forth, how in the hell do you all get such big photos uploaded when I keep getting told I cant upload anything larger than 200k ??? And last but not least, if you look at my avatar you can sort of see my new Sig "T" with the Granadillo Armadillo fretboard, (which I am soooooooo glad I pulled the trigger on!) what do you think !!!??? ;>P

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..., if you look at my avatar you can sort of see my new Sig "T" with the Granadillo Armadillo fretboard, ... what do you think !!!???

 

 

I think, the fretboard color matches the wine red body nicely ... just oil it. That's what I did on mine ... I used Duesenberg Fretboard Lotion, which darkens the wood slightly and gives a much better feel / playability.

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The other good thing about that Fiebings Leather dye is that if......hypothetically..........you had some around for making your own guitar straps and there happened to be an LA Guns concert that night and you wanted a REALLY cool black streak in your hair.......it might work for that too........just saying.........it COULD work.........maybe........not that I'd admit to knowing for sure...........

 

 

Of course later that hair streak would frizzle up and die from chemical burns......lol.

 

 

Ah.....the 80's were fun!

 

NHTom

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  • 10 months later...

So, I just picked up a Gary Moore Standard with the Granadillo fretboard. Let me start off by saying I had NO idea it wasn't a rosewood board when I opened the case. The board looked a bit dry and in need of some love. So I took it home, did just that and it wasn't until AFTER, I was looking at the specs and saw the "granadillo" fingerboard and thought... WTF?? So I searched it out and of course came across this conversation. What I will emphasize is THIS. Had I not read in the specs that the fingerboard was NOT rosewood, I would have never known. It does NOT play or sound any different. I'll post some pics. So there's my 2 cents [flapper]

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Had I not read in the specs that the fingerboard was NOT rosewood, I would have never known. It does NOT play or sound any different.

 

That's the same experience as with my Signature T. After oiling the fretboard you see no difference to standard rosewood. But Granadillo varies in color. I saw a white Signature T in a shop, which had a much lighter fretboard, nearly orange. The color might be a matter of taste in these cases, but the feel and sound is top.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I would think Granadillo may be better than Richlite which is appearing on even the top end Gibsons now. I have a Gibson with a Richlite fretboard and it plays and feels good, but there is something about rare hardwoods which makes us feel more at ease with spending more than we should on expensive guitars. I think it has more to do with justifying the cost than any major difference in tone. Mahogany, Rosewood and Ebony were once cheap hardwoods, but not any more. Furniture used to be made out of solid wood but is now usually composite shavings and glue (MDF )with a fake veneer. Its just a sign of the times.

Many other manufacturers have been using alternative fretboard material for years, with various names such as 'resonator wood' which could be just about anything.

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Hello!

 

Once more on the topic. This time I quote from Taylor`s site.

 

"Granadillo

Origin: Central America

Used On: Limited Editions

 

Granadillo is informally considered a type of rosewood. Sonically, it’s comparable to Indian rosewood, but it’s harder and denser, yielding an additional bell-like ring. The wood traditionally has been used for marimba bars because of its clear, chimey tone. Classical guitar makers later borrowed it and have been using it for at least 50 years. Pairing granadillo with a Sitka spruce top will yield clear, ringing, long-sustaining notes. It tends to be very limited in availability.

 

Goes Well With: A variety of body shapes and playing styles. If you like clear, bell-like tone and the sound of a rosewood guitar, granadillo will probably appeal to you."

 

Cheers... Bence

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Hello Donny!

 

I just wonder how many people did complain when Gibson switched from brazilian to indian rosewood?

 

I can understand when people suspicious about Richlite, or baked maple, but Granadillo is just as rosewood as the indian.

 

Cheers... Bence

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I too, like the "Baked Maple" fret boards! [thumbup] But, I like Rosewood, and Ebony, as well. [biggrin]

They're ALL great...IMHO. My '61 SG "Satin" finish, and Les Paul Classic Custom, have

the "Baked Maple" board, and it adds a nice "spank," or "sparkle" to their tone, for

lack of a better description.

 

CB

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  • 2 weeks later...

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