Aternative Fingerboard woods?

[Jack Daniels]

As long as we have some builders on here, I thought I would ask:

What alternative woods are you using (or have used) for Fingerboards?

Rosewood
Ebony
Cocobolo
Padouk
Bloodwood
Lepoard
Wenge

What else? Anyting locally grown in the states?

Joe D

[Pfeister]

Black and white ebony is the best FB wood I've ever used. It's tough to work with and it's toxic, but it rings like bell, it's incredibly smooth, and wears slower than any wood I've worked with. It's technically not ebony(so I hear), so I consider it to be alternative.

I've come across a couple different woods that get labeled as B&W ebony, but they both work great and have similar characteristics. Actually, their main difference is their smell. One smells like armpits and flowers, while the other just plain stinks. It's all about finding the right piece anyhow. I recommend at least finding some and giving it a few taps.

I've been testing out goncalo alves and bubinga for FBs, but I can't say how they are yet.

[Jim S]

There are different rosewoods too:

Brazilian
East Indian
Madagascar
Palisander
pau ferro = bolivian = iron wood
....off the top of my head

[amc]

from personal experience, cocobola and pau ferro are both excellent choices for fingerboards

i prefer cocobola far more than standard indian rosewood

[JeffreyJones]

I use cocobolo a lot. The fretboard on my recent carved-figure guitar, the Syrena, uses a cocobolo board. I like working with it. It seems to be a bit harder than EIR and it's certainly more oily, but I use an epoxy from LMI specifically intended for use with oily exotics. It's not as hard as ebony, however.

Bloodwood is nice and hard, but it chips somewhat easily, which can be annoying. Just be careful.

Honduran rosewood is one of the harder, sounds-like-glass-when-you-tap-it woods I've used. I hate slotting it by hand with a hand saw, but it makes an amazing fretboard. I've even made whole necks out of it. They're heavy, but, as in the case of my last Kronos fretless, it's an amazing transmitter of trebly tone. It's the first fretless with which I actually have to dial down the treble.

Padauk is nice to work with and somewhat similar to rosewood, except for the fact that the dust gets on everything like Cheetoh crumbs. Padauk sawdust will ruin a white T-shirt, unless you like 'em to look like that. The orange color does go away, however, but it turns into a kind of muddy brown. It's okay, but it's nothing like the bright orange it was when freshly worked.

Speaking of color... one of the domestic woods that I find interesting is one that we call hedge here in Missouri, but the rest of the world knows it as osage orange. Some acoustic luthiers say that it's a direct drop-in replacement for Brazilian rosewood. Of course, not for the color, that's for sure. When freshly cut or machined, it's an eye-popping yellow. UV will turn it to a more pleasant orange hue. It's a really hard wood and farmers around here use it for fenceposts. I've seen fence posts get dug up that have been in the ground for 50-75 years and they barely look decayed, if at all. Great stuff. Odd color.

I've tried persimmon, because it's in the ebony family, but it's not even close in terms of hardness or taptone.

[apalazzolo]

snakewood looks cool ...

[bsuite]

I have pau ferro = bolivian = iron wood on my strat neck & really like it.

[Luke]

A

What else? Anyting locally grown in the states?

Joe D

Maple

[Stadler Guitars]

Walnut would probably be as good as Indian rosewood.

[Pfeister]

Walnut would probably be as good as Indian rosewood.

I've thought of that before too. It'd likely work, but it'd probably wear away quicker. Also, unless the frets are glued in, there's a possibility of them slipping. I'm not saying they would, but it's hard to tell without doing a long term test on it.

I'm sure somebody has done it, though. I'd definitely like to se it.

[Jim Soloway]

There are different rosewoods too:

Brazilian
East Indian
Madagascar
Palisander
pau ferro = bolivian = iron wood
....off the top of my head

Pau ferro is referred to as "Bolivian Rosewood" and it's used as a rosewood substitute, but it's not actually a member of the rosewood family. Cocobolo, on the other hand, is not usually though of as rosewood but is actually a true member of the rosewood family. I like both of them a lot.

As for alternate wood, we've been experimenting (quite successfully) with Croatian Sycamore.

[mikef1331]

African Blackwood & Ziricote also make fine fretboards.

[Ipressthebutton]

African Blackwood & Ziricote also make fine fretboards.

I have a ziricote fretboard on my Fano and like it a lot. It is very similar to rosewood and has a cool looking grain:

http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u79/ipressthebutton/DSCF5177.jpg

I also think snakewood looks cool.

[Stadler Guitars]

I've thought of that before too. It'd likely work, but it'd probably wear away quicker. Also, unless the frets are glued in, there's a possibility of them slipping.

I don't know. I've worked Brazilian fingerboards that were lighter, softer and easier to work than black walnut (still sings like a chime), and seen some very worn-out old rosewood boards.

[Brett Faust]

Aside from the usual rosewood family, Madagascar (3types), Brazil, Honduran,kingwood ,Cocobolo,EI, ect....
Ebonies, Gaboon,African, Macassar.
Maple, Birds eye, flame ,Quilt and acrylic stabilized spalted western maple.

I did a 1 pc leopard wood neck a few years back w/ matching skunk stripe and plug that dissappeared with grain matching.

Pau ferro ,Ziricote and Cocobolo as well as ebony EI RW, Brazil RW were used for personal builds.

Cuban Mahogany,Mesquite,Pink Ivory,Wenge, Honduran Rosewood,Ziricote,Snakewood, African Blackwood,Birch,Pine, Alder have been used at customer request.
Yes, Pine and Alder(you had to be there).

I do not recommend Walnut,Padauk, or Koa due to the brittle but soft nature of the wood.

[elkym]

What about lighter woods-- I'm not usually a maple fan, tonewise, but what are some others that are light?

[Mike Potvin]

African Blackwood & Ziricote also make fine fretboards.

+1 I love African blackwood. It looks and sounds great and it machines like steel!

[verhoevenc]

What about lighter woods-- I'm not usually a maple fan, tonewise, but what are some others that are light?

Hit up some black and white ebony. I know for a fact I have some pieces hanging around somewhere in a wood pile somewhere that are FULLY white (I mean... they have a "dirty" appearance, but they are white, just like all black and white ebony's whites). And as mentioned earlier, it's a dream to work with and feel, etc.
Chris

[David Myka]

Why not oak, korina, lignum vitae, delrin, kingwood, walnut, padauk, mahogany, sapele, koa, aluminum, or glass? Or anything that is at least as hard as some of the soft maple I have seen used as fretboards (that's pretty easy to do). Sure some of these woods might wear quicker than ebony but most woods do. I like jumbo frets so it isn't as much a wear issue as it is a tonal issue. If the piece works into the tonal recipe in the way I want it to I would have no issues using any type of wood.

That being said I have never had any requests for anything other than ebony and rosewood from my clients. When I was just a hobby builder I used anything I could get my hands on.

~David

[Jack Daniels]

Hi Dave,

Yes the builds I have done for customers, it seems Ebony and Rosewood are most common...though cocobolo seems to be gaining popularity in the accoustic market.

I am interested in stepping out of the norm and trying a bunch of combinations on some bolt on necks I am doing. It will be easy to mix/match material and test them on the same bodies. (think controlled testing). The end goal will be great sounding necks that don't look traditional in color texture, but will have somewhat traditional tones/sustain etc. Ex: an all rosewood neck. Or a walnut neck with Padauk fingerboard etc.

Right now its an expirement for me more than anything.

Joe

[mikef1331]

+1 I love African blackwood. It looks and sounds great and it machines like steel!

Blackwood is probably my favorite fretboard wood right now. I have it on a Thorn SFC & I love it.

[duckbunny]

Does anyone work with Mpingo , to any great extent?
It's the woods of choice for clarinets, as well a fine violin, viola, and cello fingerboards, and is probably the most expensive tonewood in the world (a cubic meter has gone for 12,000 pounds!). That's about $50 US per board/foot. I've heard it described as "the ultimate tonewood." (If such a thing exists!)


-db

[2leod]

snakewood looks cool ...
I agree!

Pics here of a snakewood fingerboard. (http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showthread.php?t=514713)

:)

[Pfeister]

Does anyone work with Mpingo , to any great extent?
It's the woods of choice for clarinets, as well a fine violin, viola, and cello fingerboards, and is probably the most expensive tonewood in the world (a cubic meter has gone for 12,000 pounds!). That's about $50 US per board/foot. I've heard it described as "the ultimate tonewood." (If such a thing exists!)


-db

Mpingo is blackwood.

[ss396]

+1 on the snakewood, very nice. canary is an attractive light color wood that can be used as a fingerboard, no finish required.

[apalazzolo]

I agree!

Pics here of a snakewood fingerboard. (http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showthread.php?t=514713)

:)

yes, this is what i was thinking of ... saw it months ago when first posted and can't seem to forget it ... she's a real beauty!

[theon]

I have used Cuban Mahogany for a partscaster and it turned out great.How about Pernambuco,Kentucky CoffeeTree has a natural pale yellow hue like tinted maple&machines well. Dense like Ash related to Honey Locust. Texas Ebony(Sam Evans uses these on some of his Cardinal Instrument necks).David Myka mentioned Lignum Vitae which i plan to use on my next custom build.Would love to find out his method of gluing with all the resin&oils!!!!

[apalazzolo]

YEAH! How about pernambucho? Nice point Theon.

[Buckshot]

One fact to take into consideration w/ Cocobolo is that some folks are allergic to it's oil - I know cuz I are one! Had to get rid of a few sets of gorgeous custom pistol grips.

[Mike Dresch]

Anyone here tried Canarywood for anything? I bought a couple slabs about a year and a half ago to make a neck and fingerboard out of. Just haven't decided what to pair it with? Don't really know what it will sound like either. Grain wise, it looks like a yellow mahogany. Fundamental tap tone seems quite a bit more in the higher range of the tonal spectrum than mahogany. It taps out a lot like my neck I'm making out of Pau Ferro actually, though maybe not quite as vibrant.

[wynsmth]

How about Chechen? I have a Modulus 6 string fretless bass with that as a fingerboard & it is great. Great sustain & very even from one string to the next but I'm sure a lot of that has to do with the graphite neck & 2Tek bridge. I was told at the time it was similar to Pau Ferro. I have never seen it on a guitar.

[Brett Faust]

Gibson did some LPs a few years back.