Watch out for the return of baked maple fretboards

octatonic

Pau Ferro is a good substitute.

kjdowd

octatonic said:

Pau Ferro is a good substitute.

I'm not fingering Paul Theroux

WezV

octatonic said:

Pau Ferro is a good substitute.

Not a true rosewood, but often traded as santos or Bolivian rosewood.  That alone could cause it issues 

guitars4you

http://guitars.com/newsletter/cites-endangered-woods-and-immediate-call-action

a great article from Gruhns on cities

@crunchman - the issue about who is to blame - EU or UK might be come better or worse subject to commercial activity - So when Brexit has finally run its course and the UK is a stand alone commercial island - Then if we can still import the 65 Strat from the USA and commercially play it and sell it then all well and good within the UK - Jump forward a few years and you want to gig it, record with it or sell it to a customer in the EU, that includes Southern Ireland and maybe Scotland  ??????????? - But certainly main land EU and we now have to travel through customs and border control so now a permit is required - The above link to Gruhns is well worth a read - admittedly slant towards USA law etc, but international cities law is a powerful force - Also cities law is the minimum requirements that any of the 100 or so countries that have signed up to it need to comply to - Certain countries like Australia appear to be taking it further and story's coming from the fatherland are indicating more of an authoritarian approach

If this is bad for us, activity between Canada and the USA is already severely restricted and that includes commercial gigs

SRich

In other words.......




Wur Doomed

absolutpepper

I have baked maple on my LP Classic Custom and I have to say I really like it. Sure there's personal preference but I'd encourage anyone who hasn't tried it to give it a go before they pass judgement. For the LP it adds a brightness to the tone that other boards may not and paired with an aluminium tailpiece and graphite saddles it makes my LP sing. I wasn't sold beforehand in principle but now I'd happily have another

usedtobe

Never tried it. Be interested to try, although I don't like the feel of normal maple..

richardhomer

Looks like my almost death-bed conversion to one-piece maple necks has come just in time....

Bucket

I don't give a flying arse about baked maple, if it's easier and better for the planet then bring it on, I say.

But if it's meant to look like rosewood, make sure it does. Nice and dark please. Dye it if necessary.

normula1

I've baked maple fingerboard on my LP special and I can honestly say that other than a slight colour and grain difference I've never noticed a difference between it and my rosewood board guitars.

Sassafras

Bucket said:

I don't give a flying arse about baked maple, if it's easier and better for the planet then bring it on, I say.

But if it's meant to look like rosewood, make sure it does. Nice and dark please. Dye it if necessary.

Once again, unlikely as it seems, I find myself in complete agreement with you.
  

guitars4you

obviously far to early to comment on how this will pan out regarding export restrictions on new guitars with rosewood boards - But currently we know that no new or used guitar can now leave the USA with Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard without a permit and in the grand scheme of things, such guitars must account for less than 1% of the guitar economy - granted the more budget end of the market can quickly adapt to a baked maple fingerboard that is dyed as required - The question is how it will pan out to the more discerning luxury end of the new market that relies on Indian Rosewood fingerboard - ie Gibson Custom/Historic + most models in excess of £1500, PRS, Fender Custom Shop etc etc   - Any form of production restrictions regarding the use of Indian rosewood will simply feed the used market - I suppose if half of the Fender Custom Shop business is 50's maple neck models than they only have half of their other business to worry about

GSPBASSES

One wonders, if Gibson had not tried to con the marketplace by using baked maple and calling it rosewood, people's attitude to baked maple would be better. Maybe if Gibson had made a bold statement and said something like, because rosewood is becoming difficult to obtain (for whatever reason) we've been experimenting with baked maple, we have found that it sounds as good as rosewood and will make no difference to the way our guitar play or sound. Then maybe they wouldn't have a warehouse full of SG's and the like with baked maple fingerboard's that they can't sell.

As far as I'm concerned European baked Maple and baked Sycamore sounds and feels just like Indian Rosewood. Unfortunately it's nearly twice the cost. 

impmann

GSPBASSES said:

As far as I'm concerned European baked Maple and baked Sycamore sounds and feels just like Indian Rosewood. Unfortunately it's nearly twice the cost. 

Currently...

If supplies of rosewood dry up, then prices will rise and then other woods will become more commercially viable.

GSPBASSES

I've just been talking to Bob the owner Timberline in Tonbridge who is most likely the biggest importer of Rosewood in the country. He brings in thousands of rosewood fingerboard's at a time. He normally contacts me when he's about to place an order, wanting to know if I want a couple of hundred fingerboard's Which I always do. I also consider that if there is this problem in the future with Rosewood would be a good investment to have an extra two hundred fingerboard is in stock, either to use or sell at some exorbitant's price a few years down the line. Anyway after a bit of a chat he assured me that the company in India that he deals with are fully legitimate run of very good business and I will carry on supplying him with Rosewood. 

Changing the subject slightly with a different wood anyway, as most of you know trying to find totally black Ebony is very difficult if not impossible now. I'm quite fortunate because I don't mind Ebony being slightly striking, also the majority of my trade customers seem to prefer the slightly coloured ebony. I was out David Dykes earlier in the week (he also feels what's being said about Rosewood is a bit OTT and there is no reason to feel his suppliers will be stopping anytime soon) and show me some fingerboards that were black as black can be, had beautiful ring to them when you tap them. I mean these were like five "A" Ebony I don't think I've ever seen fingerboard this beautiful. Only to be told this is a man-made material. Soon as I find out more about it I shall put a post up.

step_hent

@gspbasses that's interesting about the ebony substitute. Sounds like an evolution of the stuff that Hagstrom uses. I liked the Hagstrom I had but the fingerboard didn't 100% feel like wood. But as the tech improves the substitute products will get better. Would be interested to hear more about it as you find out.

professorben

Sporky said:

Thing is, "baked maple" conjures up all sorts of delicious mental images. I'm all in favour.

You say Baked Maple and I see bacon pancakes..... It's a Pavlovian response. 

professorben

normula1 said:

I've baked maple fingerboard on my LP special and I can honestly say that other than a slight colour and grain difference I've never noticed a difference between it and my rosewood board guitars.

You are probably making the mistake of hearing with your ears, it's a simple mistake to make, try hearing with your eyes or better yet your preconceptions. 

olafgarten

professorben said:

normula1 said:

I've baked maple fingerboard on my LP special and I can honestly say that other than a slight colour and grain difference I've never noticed a difference between it and my rosewood board guitars.

You are probably making the mistake of hearing with your ears, it's a simple mistake to make, try hearing with your eyes or better yet your preconceptions. 

I don't even think that's far enough, some geniuses manage to hear by solely looking at a spec sheet. They don't even need to be anywhere near the guitar, nor do they have to know if it exists.   

professorben

olafgarten said:

professorben said:

normula1 said:

I've baked maple fingerboard on my LP special and I can honestly say that other than a slight colour and grain difference I've never noticed a difference between it and my rosewood board guitars.

You are probably making the mistake of hearing with your ears, it's a simple mistake to make, try hearing with your eyes or better yet your preconceptions. 

I don't even think that's far enough, some geniuses manage to hear by solely looking at a spec sheet. They don't even need to be anywhere near the guitar, nor do they have to know if it exists.   

so that's theoretical rosewood? 

So the question is, if a Brazillian Rosewood tree falls down in a forest.
Are there any Gibson executives left that would know what to do with it?