stevecor1 Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 My name is Steve and I just joined the forum. I have been playing guitar for 45 years. Left it for awhile and got back into it recently. I just bought a Gibson J45 Custom. I really like the look and the tone. The one thing that confuses me about this guitar is that it has an ebony fretboard and a rosewood bridge. Usually, the bridge is made of the same material as the fretboard. Does anyone know why this was done? Just curious.... Thanks :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 It's a Gibson. Expect (and accept) inconsistency in details. And welcome aboard. Your story of coming back to guitar playing later in life is a common one here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Dave Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 Welcome to the forum Steve :) I've a J45 Custom myself. Nick is right about the inconsistencies... I don't think it makes Gibson bad, just more interesting! Gives us lot something to talk about on here haha. I 'think' mine has a rosewood fretboard - not sure though. Silly question... How do you tell? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevecor1 Posted September 24, 2012 Author Share Posted September 24, 2012 Thanks guys, I appreciate the welcome and your replies. I always wanted a J45 and finally got one :) There is a well known luthier near me that builds stunning guitars and repairs vintage guitars as well. The last guitar I saw him restoring was a 1943 Gibson J45.....beautiful!!!! When I showed him my guitar, the bridge not being the same wood as the fretboard really bothered him. He suggested the bridge be dyed ebony saying it wouldn't affect the value of the guitar because it is still the original bridge but the aesthetic of the guitar would look correct. Still thinking about it. I seriously love this guitar...the tone is amazing! Down the line I'd like to get a 1957 J45! Well, that's my goal anyway. Let's see if money cooperates! LOL Hairy Dave.....Ebony is a much darker wood (looks black) than rosewood. If you have a rosewood bridge as well, then that makes complete sense. When I bought my guitar the salesman told me that it was the last one they were getting in with an ebony fretboard. All future fretboards would be rosewood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Dave Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 I'll try to post a pic of my fret board tomorrow - maybe someone can tell from that? Looks pretty dark to me but with nothing to compare it to it doesn't really say much lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 I'll try to post a pic of my fret board tomorrow - maybe someone can tell from that? Looks pretty dark to me but with nothing to compare it to it doesn't really say much lol. It's a bit tricky sometimes, because some rosewood can be almost as dark as some ebony, which is not uniformly naturally black in its typical "modern" form. It is often dyed to even out irregularities in color, at which point it can have almost a shoe-polish black color. This bridge below, for example, is Brazilian rosewood, but is almost as black as some ebony you see these days, if the ebony hasn't been dyed. The piece of Brazilian used for this bridge was chosen to match the equally-dark Brazilian fretboard on my old J-45. Apparently, much of the ebony cut for fretboards today is discarded, as only a small percentage has the uniform, flawless black we associate with ebony. Think "clarinet" when thinking about the color of ebony, or the black keys on a vintage Steinway. ....and this is the ebony bridge on my 000-28 EC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevecor1 Posted September 25, 2012 Author Share Posted September 25, 2012 Hey j45nick, How do you post photos on here? I see the Insert Image button but it asks for an http:// address. Is there any way to post photos as an attachment? Thanks Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroAussie Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 Best way is to post them on something like photobucket and then insert into the direct link into the 'photo' option here on the forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruffchris Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 Hey Steve, Congrats on the new Gibson, and hope you enjoy her :). About the rose wood bridge who knows? I have ebony board and bridge. @Hairy Dave normally ebony is a much darker wood than rosewood, with rosewood it's lighter with more contrast through the grain? Although that Brazilian one is a lot closer :). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Dave Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 Not the greatest pics to determine wood type but they're all I have on my Mac at the minute. Will take better ones later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 I don't really see it as an inconsistency as much as business as usual. I got guitars with rosewood boards and ebony bridges, maple boards and rosewood bridges, ebony boards and rosewood bridges and so on. Guitars have been made with any number of combinations for as long as anyone can recall. Sometimes decisions were dictated by the desire to get a certain sound out of an instrument, others times it might be a labor and/or cost consideration. In the end, wood selection is just one of a ton a variables that go into making sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdd707 Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 Welcome to the forum Steve. Congratulations on your new J45 Custom! I, like you, are one of those who have been playing a while but put it down and have now picked it up again. Let us see some pictures of your new Custom. Check the thread below for instructions on how to post. http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/53931-posting-pictures-on-epi-forum/page__p__721696__hl__animalfarm__fromsearch__1&do=findComment&comment=721696 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevecor1 Posted September 26, 2012 Author Share Posted September 26, 2012 Here are some pics of my new Gibson J45 Custom with ebony fret board and rosewood bridge.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-1854Me Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 Here are some pics of my new Gibson J45 Custom with ebony fret board and rosewood bridge.... Verrrry pretty J-45 -- I like the herringbone purfling on that one. Not usually something I go for, but it looks quite striking on your guitar, what with that very nice burst! Offhand, I wouldn't lose a lot of sleep over the mismatched bridge and fingerboard woods; Gibson sometimes is asleep at the wheel over those details. Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevecor1 Posted September 26, 2012 Author Share Posted September 26, 2012 I want to thank everyone in this forum for all the help and information you've given me regarding my new guitar and how to get pictures of it posted. You're really a great group of people! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightspore68 Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 Man, I never even thought to check. I know my J-45's fingerboard is ebony, but I can't recall what the bridge is made from. Good reason to leave work early? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevecor1 Posted September 26, 2012 Author Share Posted September 26, 2012 @Nightspore68......that's a very good reason to leave work early! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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