Custom Shop ebony fretboard quality/grain...?

[LaoWai]

Looks like somebody wiped something that dried a light color in the wood pores, like wax. Also it’s hard to say in the context of that single picture (flash?).
I have one board that’s slightly grainier than my others, but it’s all black, I don’t mind a little grain at all.

My MIK BC rich has an interesting board ..Quarter sawn or curly figured…?
Its black as night and tight grained like a piece of graphite, but reflects a figure in different angles of light.. fckn gorgeous.

Play it, fill them pores with finger guk

[JonSick]

Just to throw another lump of coal on the flames, richlite.

I have a Gibson Les Paul Custom. I bought it new. I tried out various LP Customs before getting this one and in the one store there was a used LPC in perfect nick and this one. The Used LPC had an ebony board, but this one just played and sounded ten million times better. I was about to go for the used one simply due to the ebony board after being told my opinion online. But in the end, I used my brain and went for what played better. Richlite does work despite what the naysayers say; in fact a few friends have played it and I've sometimes neglected to mention that it's richlite. OK it doesn't look like ebony in that there are far less streaks in it.

But other than that, I quite like richlite as a board material. I really have no issue with it.

[LaoWai]

Richlite, I used to work with similar materials when I was a cabinetmaker. I have doubts whether it will withstand the test of time. If it’s anything like cellulose and phenolic resin used in making counter top laminate, it may eventually shrink, crack 15, 20 years down the road. Regardless, I don’t have a problem with synthetic materials. Just synthetic materials at the Gibson price.

[vector]

I requested my 2011 Charvel CS Star to have as dark a rosewood as they could manage. I do believe they dyed it but I'm okay with that.As for my Jackson CS Star, I really hadn't noted the ebony quality as the inlays just mesmerize me every time.

[radosipka]

Hi guys, its very interesting thread. I have a new JacskonUSA Custom Shop KV built under my request. Very nice axe at all. But, I was surprised a little bit with the color of the ebony neck. Matt dark grey with brown streakes. I tried to use lemon oil as it looks very dry. After it it was better, but. I have more than 25 guitars, prefer JacksonUSA, ESP original, FenderUSA and GibsonUSA. The ebony fingerbord on the ESP Horizon or KH-1 looks like ebony should look, in my opinion. Its absolutely black, glossy and non-vapour. On the JacksonUSA KV2 2006 its not so nice, but its ebony-looks-like, still. A new 2015 KV2 (more than 6 grands price! ) it looks not so good as it was before...

[ken]

It will make sense if you watch this (scary) video from Taylor, who own the company that harvests most of the ebony, which Neilli told me about:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anCGvfsBoFY

[Emerald]

Not a Jackson but the 1987 Hamer Chapparal Custom I had, it's ebony board had some warmth to it with a tight grain, just an awesome playing and sounding piece of wood:


The older wood seem to be a better quality.
Emerald

[pianoguyy]

You know what's going to happen, because we claim to be environmentalists, but really we are just greedy sumbiches...

Taylor is going to chop down 20 trees, use the two black trees for itself and give everyone else the 18 colored trees.

I mean, that is really what 'energy efficiency' and 'alternative fuels' boils down to. No one wants solar power to save the planet, they want free power so they can continue to abuse their energy assumption. No one is willing to turn their heat down in the winter in order to make sure the spotted owl doesn't die, they just don't want to pay the high bills.

[AAEA]

You know what's going to happen, because we claim to be environmentalists, but really we are just greedy sumbiches...

Taylor is going to chop down 20 trees, use the two black trees for itself and give everyone else the 18 colored trees.

I mean, that is really what 'energy efficiency' and 'alternative fuels' boils down to. No one wants solar power to save the planet, they want free power so they can continue to abuse their energy assumption. No one is willing to turn their heat down in the winter in order to make sure the spotted owl doesn't die, they just don't want to pay the high bills.

thats what Taylor has already said they are going to do.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anCGvfsBoFY

[sharpjimbo]

This tread's been a real eyeopener for me, I figured that it was just me that was picky about the colour/grain of my ebony.

I live in Bristol in the UK (a fairly large/popular city in the south) and I have never, like... Ever, come across a music store that stocks Jackson custom shop/select guitars. It makes it so much more difficult to inspect the quality colour/grain of the fretboard (a decent fretboard is an absolutely dealmaker/breaker for me) before deciding to buy. Sadly the only option you've really got over here are US retailers, which means you have to pull the trigger based on nothing more than flattering pictures - a gamble when I'm sinking on average £1,800 GBP for the guitar, plus a further £450 GBP for shipping and customs...

[jspeed]

If people have been cutting down 20 trees and only using 2 of them for centuries, it’s about time someone that seems to care put an end to it. It’s actually pretty nice to see a capitalist do something environmentally responsible for a change.

[pianoguyy]

thats what Taylor has already said they are going to do.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anCGvfsBoFY

I must have missed that part of the video.
Although, I did see him say he was going to sell it all. But I was referring to them cornering the market on the black stuff for themselves, which I did not see him see he was doing.

[ken]

I must have missed that part of the video.
Although, I did see him say he was going to sell it all. But I was referring to them cornering the market on the black stuff for themselves, which I did not see him see he was doing.

You didn't hear it because he didn't say it and nor, indeed, does it appear Taylor are doing it. Many of the recent Taylors at TMZ, for example, have streaky ebony.

http://www.themusiczoo.com/product/20460/Taylor-812ce-Grand-Concert-AcousticElectric-Guitar-/

http://www.themusiczoo.com/product/17878/Taylor-810e-Dreadnought-AcousticElectric-Guitar/

http://www.themusiczoo.com/product/22744/Taylor-810e-Dreadnought-Limited-Edition-Brazilian-Rosewood-Acoustic-Electric-Guitar/

[sharpjimbo]

You didn't hear it because he didn't say it and nor, indeed, does it appear Taylor are doing it. Many of the recent Taylors at TMZ, for example, have streaky ebony.

http://www.themusiczoo.com/product/20460/Taylor-812ce-Grand-Concert-AcousticElectric-Guitar-/

http://www.themusiczoo.com/product/17878/Taylor-810e-Dreadnought-AcousticElectric-Guitar/

http://www.themusiczoo.com/product/2...ectric-Guitar/

Hmmm, interesting, although I suspect they'll still take first dips on the ebony that they want for their top top top of the line/artist guitars. They're unlikely to treat all the wood the cut down in exactly the same way.

[ken]

Hmmm, interesting, although I suspect they'll still take first dips on the ebony that they want for their top top top of the line/artist guitars. They're unlikely to treat all the wood the cut down in exactly the same way.

I'm not sure how they're deciding, but those 8 series guitars are pretty much the top end and they are using the multicoloured fretboards honestly in their advertising material for them. E.g:

https://www.taylorguitars.com/guitars/acoustic/810ce

https://www.taylorguitars.com/guitars/acoustic/814ce

I think Bob meant what he said in that video, and the suggestion that they are keeping all the black stuff to themselves is wrong.