This video demonstrates the differences between Black vs. Streaked Ebony has been featured recently on the American Elite Stratocaster, but is more regularly used on Custom Shop, Artisan, and Rarities builds. “Striped ebony is an ethically sourced tonewood that sounds great, is aesthetically pleasing, and, perhaps most importantly, is an environmentally smart option.” -Chris Martin, Martin Guitars Streaked Ebony on a Fender?Īlthough the traditional fingerboard woods for Fender Strats and Teles are Maple and Rosewood, Fender has been known to use Ebony, though less regularly than some other manufacturers. Chris Martin, of Martin guitars told Premier Guitar: Since then, other makers, including Martin Guitars, have jumped in. While Taylor wasn’t the first guitar manufacturer to use Marbled Ebony for fretboards, being the first large manufacturer to do so turned heads. This photo of a Crelicam Ebony fretboard shows its typical streaking: A Crelicam Ebony fretboard In the Eye of The Beholder Not only that, they debuted Marbled Ebony fingerboards on their 800 Series guitars, which many consider the flagship of the Taylor line. Remember the majority of Ebony trees left to rot on the forest floor? Taylor decided to use those trees. The Ebony from Taylor’s mills is known as Crelicam Ebony. Their goal is to sustainably harvest Ebony wood, as well as replant Ebony trees to ensure their future survival. Long story short, Taylor Guitars bought an Ebony mill in Cameroon, Africa, and launched the Ebony Project. As a large user of Ebony, Taylor saw firsthand the coming shortage of Ebony. Taylor Guitars Ebony ProjectĮnter Bob Taylor, of Taylor Guitars. For years, the majority of the Ebony trees that were cut were left to rot on the forest floor-just because their wood wasn’t completely black-colored. What’s worse, it’s impossible to tell what color the wood is before cutting the tree. The problem is, only a small percentage of Ebony trees have fully black wood. And who can blame them-deep black Ebony is stunning. Back In Blackįor centuries, musical instrument makers have insisted on only using Ebony that is a uniform, jet black color. This popularity, combined with the fact that the Ebony Tree is slow-growing, have led to a shortage. Ebony is also used as a tonewood for the back and sides of acoustic guitars, but by far the most common use in instruments is for fingerboards.Īs a visually beautiful wood, Ebony has also been used for high-end furniture, piano keys, and decorative objects. This density makes it extremely durable, and as a result has been prized for centuries as the premier wood for stringed instrument fingerboards. It has the distinction of being one of the few woods that actually sinks in water, instead of floating. It has a deep black color, and polishes to a smooth shine. Ebony Wood BasicsĮbony is a dense, tropical hardwood native to Africa, Asia, and South America. To understand Non-Traditional Ebony, and the differences between it and regular Ebony, we first need to understand Ebony wood. Non-Traditional is the term we’ll use to describe Ebony that isn’t a deep, jet black color. We’ll also talk about some of the benefits and drawbacks of guitars with Ebony fretboards. In this article, we’ll discuss the current state of Ebony wood used for guitar fretboards, and why you’re likely to find one of these “non-traditional” types of Ebony on your next guitar. But today’s Ebony guitar fretboard is showing more and more visual variation, so much so that it has a host of new names: When we think of an Ebony fingerboard, we usually think of a smooth, jet black guitar fretboard.
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