Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Rickenbacker claims their fretboards are made of rosewood.
Warmoth says Rickenbacker fretboards are made of bubinga.

Although I have come across the fact that bubinga is sometimes known as African rosewood, bubinga is from the Guibourtia genus while rosewood is from the Dalbergia genus.

So, are they made from rosewood or bubinga?

I believe its bubinga

it has changed during the years quite a bit.for a long time they used something called honkong rosewood if i remeber correctly. it sometimes had amazing figures a colours. paul? you have a bunch of old ones, chime in.

There are hundreds of different species of rosewood found throughout the world. Bubinga is one of them. Bubinga has been used for Rickenbacker fretboards for several years.
True rosewoods are trees in the genus of Dalbergia.
African Blackwood, Cocobolo, East Indian Rosewood and Tulipwood are other examples of types of rosewoods.
The term "rosewood" is generic.

Speaking of woods used in guitars, in this month's Acoustic Guitar there's an interesting article:

http://www.acousticguitar.com/article/d ... cleid=7908

Dusan, you're right about the use of Hong Kong rosewood for fingerboards in the '70's and I think also in the '80's. Despite the name, it doesn't come from Asia.

firstbassman wrote:Speaking of woods used in guitars, in this month's Acoustic Guitar there's an interesting article:

http://www.acousticguitar.com/article/d ... cleid=7908

I read this a few days ago in print version. Definately worth reading.

i went look it up in my books and couldn't find it. friend of mine has 78 bass that has fingerboard from that and it looks like it was made out of this amazing burl. i have never seen nicer fingerboard on any guitar period. it is the quality of figure that you see on some high end car dashboard and luxury pens, knives etc.. anybody with hint what species
is that?

Probably just the nature of the grain...again it's Bubinga unless it was replaced at one time. Not all wood grain is the same looking in one single tree. It can vary greatly from one spot to another just inches away.

I've seen some new bubinga fretboards that have just beautiful graining and figuring in them. Most are average. Luck of the draw, just like body figuring.

Does Bubinga take lacquer better than regular rosewood?

I have seen pictures of other guitars besides Rickenbackers with rosewood type fingerboards and lacquer, mostly older guitars by German manufacturers, not only Roger.

all bubinga is rosewood ... but not all rosewood is bubinga

jwr2 wrote:all bubinga is rosewood ... but not all rosewood is bubinga

Fundamentals from freshman logic class at uni