Unusual fingerboard figuring on 2006 R8

WindmillGuitars

Check this one out .. Plain top .. but the fingerboard figuring is quite unusual.

Monstronaut

Nice, I like that.

terada

Could it potentially be Brazilian?

rze99

I’d reject that. On a reissue like that some uniformity of grain - and it needs to be dark - looks much better. 

WezV

A quick flick through the beauty of the burst book confirms that many LP's made between 1958-1960 had paler redder boards, and many had really dark ones.  Most are consistent in colour, but quite a few do show prominent grain or colour change across the board.

The two tone look of this is not something that you see often on the old ones , but it doesn't mean it's a lesser piece of wood.  I like it

 I suspect it is braz on this, you simply don't get perfectly grained dark braz in factory quantities like you could in the 50's.  I'm happy to see this is reasonably straight grained, so wouldn't balk at the colour 

ICBM

I like the fingerboard...

But the top finish bores me to tears.

bodhi

I had a 2008 R8 which had a similar fingerboard, although not quite as pronounced as this one.

Internet people seemed to think it was Madagascar rosewood.

Fishboy7

I like the fingerboard and the top on that actually. 

mbe

I like the truss rod position, a respectable distance from the nut.

Kittyfrisk

I love everything about that guitar... apart from that I don't own it 

terada

WezV said:
I suspect it is braz on this, you simply don't get perfectly grained dark braz in factory quantities like you could in the 50's.  I'm happy to see this is reasonably straight grained, so wouldn't balk at the colour 

My thoughts too.

in other news it appears my phantom lol’er is about again

Brize

Not braz. Nothing like braz.

Kittyfrisk

terada said:

WezV said:
I suspect it is braz on this, you simply don't get perfectly grained dark braz in factory quantities like you could in the 50's.  I'm happy to see this is reasonably straight grained, so wouldn't balk at the colour 

My thoughts too.

in other news it appears my phantom lol’er is about again

No need to be afeared of phantoms since the Mods. removed their cloaks of invisibility.

WezV

Brize said:

Not braz. Nothing like braz.

What makes you say that.   

I could find many examples of braz with that colour variation... But I would never say for sure from internet pics either way

Brize

WezV said:

Brize said:

Not braz. Nothing like braz.

What makes you say that.   

I could find many examples of braz with that colour variation... But I would never say for sure from internet pics either way

I've handled many examples of braz and I've handled many Gibson CS guitars from that era with not dissimilar figuring. It's not braz.

WezV

Brize said:

WezV said:

Brize said:

Not braz. Nothing like braz.

What makes you say that.   

I could find many examples of braz with that colour variation... But I would never say for sure from internet pics either way

I've handled many examples of braz and I've handled many Gibson CS guitars from that era with not dissimilar figuring. It's not braz.

Are you saying what you think it is?

Madagascan is a definite possibility.

I go by the wood grain I see, not knowledge of whatever wood Gibson was using on all models at the time

Brize

WezV said:

I go by the wood grain I see, not knowledge of whatever wood Gibson was using on all models at the time

Well, good news for the seller that you've certified it as braz - it should fetch a pretty penny now.

Kittyfrisk

Not saying the OP's is Brazilian or not, but there does appear to be a large variation in appearance, even in Gibsons.


https://reverb.com/au/item/2803587-2003-gibson-les-paul-standard-r7-prototype-brazilian-rosewood-fingerboard-dark-back-sides-ohsc

artiebear

Looks a lot like madi r/w to me. They did use it a fair amount for CS guitars in the 00's.

Regarding Brazilian rosewood, it can be anything from dark chocolate brown, through reddish with black , to orange/red with darker patterns. I have examples of 4 of variations on various guitars before we get to other South American r/woods. ( Edited to add, with wonderful emerald green streaks on very old wood in bright light)

As for the guitar in question , I really like it. If it is Madi, it is usually slightly harder than Indian, more oily, but still on occasion quite porous. Pretty much the same as Braz performance wise, if you're into that sort of thing. At the end of the day, it's a sliver of wood on a load of maple and a bigger bit of mahogany. 

WezV

Brize said:

WezV said:

I go by the wood grain I see, not knowledge of whatever wood Gibson was using on all models at the time

Well, good news for the seller that you've certified it as braz - it should fetch a pretty penny now.

I'm really not trying to be a dick here fella.

If you know more about what Gibson was using in 2008 then I will bow to that knowledge.

I wouldn't rule out braz from the wood I see.  I am certainly not saying it is braz.

I also don't really care about the whole BRW thing because most of what I have seen over the last 20 years has been stumpwood that's priced at a premium.  That's true about a lot of the examples I have seen on Gibson's

duotone

TBH this interests me more than most of the other fretboards. Less consistent but much more character.