Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I just bought this new 2014 4003 Rickenbacker Bass in Fire Glo. My question is I have never seen the unusual grain in the fret board before on any bass or guitar. Can anyone help me figure out the wood and why it is say like a “Burl” rosewood? Now if I can figure out how to resize the pics I would post them also.....

Here are the pictures of the Fret Board.

Hi Jeff, and welcome. The wood RIC uses on fretboards now is "chechen," or Caribbean Rosewood. For decades, RIC had used "bubinga," or African Rosewood. Chechen is more brown, bubinga more reddish. Chechen also seems to have more grain character.

Thank you so much for your help. I just got my new rick after waiting for 7 months to arrive from Rickenbacker. I love it! Again, thank you!!

What year did they start to use the Figured Caribbean Rosewood?

Looks way better than bubinga. Dramatic grain, and the hue is nicer, less orangey.

IIRC, RIC began using CR in 2011.

It's such a subtle difference, yet the new stuff looks so weird to me.

badge12 wrote:What year did they start to use the Figured Caribbean Rosewood?

I would not necessarily call it "figured," but chechen does seem to exhibit more grain variation than either bubinga or the lumber from selected dalbergia genus true rosewoods that are used for fingerboards in other makers' instruments. I think the changeover was about three or so years ago. Here is the link to the factory tour video that shows them in the changeover - mostly chechen, with a few leftover bubinga boards here and there: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEuqgZzKxC4

ilan wrote:Looks way better than bubinga. Dramatic grain, and the hue is nicer, less orangey.

Horses for courses. I prefer the bubinga on my 320JG and on FG finished guitars. To me, the chechen looks better on blue, red, and some of the other colors. But I commend RIC for using sustainable woods, especially those more readily available from this hemisphere, instead of endangered woods. From woods-database.com, "[Chechen] is not listed in the CITES Appendices or on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species."

badge12 wrote:What year did they start to use the Figured Caribbean Rosewood?

"The Book" says fall of 2011.

I recently got a 2013 4003FG Lefty. My fret board has the same grain pattern. VERY NICE!!!!!!!!

I was wondering the same thing. Thanks for bringing it up, and welcome to the forum!!!!

I so want to see a new 4004cii with an unbroken piece of this new fretboard material.....
I really like both the color,and the beautiful grain variations the new material exhibits.

woodyng wrote:I so want to see a new 4004cii with an unbroken piece of this new fretboard material.....
I really like both the color,and the beautiful grain variations the new material exhibits.

Laredo instead? That's got the gloss finished fingerboard.

bluewhale wrote:

woodyng wrote:I so want to see a new 4004cii with an unbroken piece of this new fretboard material.....
I really like both the color,and the beautiful grain variations the new material exhibits.

Laredo instead? That's got the gloss finished fingerboard.

Works for me,either way,but yeah,a finished fingerboard would probably make a nice fretless!

Now there's even more reason to re-instate the 4003FL to the fold. Love that grain.