Bob Taylor talks ebony in this great new video

[Herb Hunter]

...but the clear emphasis on this is to make people feel worse about getting the premium wood and be happy with what they get.   Its like everything else if they can't sell you on something they will make you feel bad about what you want.

That strikes me as a rather odd assumption. As someone who would specify a solid black fretboard if I were to order a bespoke guitar, nothing in the Bob Taylor video or anything Taylor Guitar has published on the subject of ebony wood harvesting and availability suggests to me an attempt to make me feel bad about my preference by any stretch of the imagination. On the contrary, I applaud Taylor's efforts in Cameroon and feel very good about it.

[bigb]

My 314 bought in 2004 has a dime sized "blond" spot on the ebony fret board. It wasn't attractive when I got it and it isn't attractive now post this announcement. I've considered dying it myself but never made the effort.
I do think what Taylor is doing is great and will by all accounts (well at least Taylor's as that is the only data point) truly help the environment. And as some have said, good on them!
However, if they were "all in", I stand by my statement on page 1 that there would be no upgrade option. Now I'm not that naive to think that Taylor can ignore the market place and that they're not a for-profit business first and foremost. Nothing wrong with that!
But if that's not what will happen and I don't expect it to, then I think a reasonable person could conclude that part of the message is simply conditioning the market that you ought to expect something different on your newer purchases, unless you have the means to make it otherwise.

P.S. I don't wear tin foil hats but at the end of the day the old adage "the business of business is business" still holds true

[ewalling]

How much difference does the board make anyway? I had a Martin OMCPA4 until recently that had a Richlite fretboard, and I can't imagine that ebony would have made it sound any better. My Seagull SWS Mini-Jumbo has a rosewood board - again, an excellent-sounding guitar. And my little Washburn parlor probably has some of the 'dead' ebony that someone mentioned earlier - feels pretty good and hard to me, and the sound is excellent. I think Ovation has been successfully been using some kind of walnut on its Adamas line for years. The point is that while the demise of ebony may be an ecological shame, does it/will it really make any difference to the production of quality instruments? Looks to me as if there is no shortage of attractive and perfectly functional alternatives.

[Strumming Fool]

How much difference does the board make anyway? I had a Martin OMCPA4 until recently that had a Richlite fretboard, and I can't imagine that ebony would have made it sound any better. My Seagull SWS Mini-Jumbo has a rosewood board - again, an excellent-sounding guitar. And my little Washburn parlor probably has some of the 'dead' ebony that someone mentioned earlier - feels pretty good and hard to me, and the sound is excellent. I think Ovation has been successfully been using some kind of walnut on its Adamas line for years. The point is that while the demise of ebony may be an ecological shame, does it/will it really make any difference to the production of quality instruments? Looks to me as if there is no shortage of attractive and perfectly functional alternatives.

You make a good point. There are alternatives. Ebony's density makes it an excellent choice for a fretboard and bridge, but arguments can be made for other woods that may have similar durability as ebony.

[Herb Hunter]

How much difference does the board make anyway?

Any luthier I have ever asked has stated fretboards made with rosewood, maple or ebony all sound different. Even on a solid-body electric guitar, I have detected tonal differences between Stratocasters with maple and rosewood fingerboards but whether the difference was due to the different fingerboard wood or one of the thousand other variables to which a guitar is heir I can't say. And that brings up the point that the type of wood or other material used for fretboards does affect tone but it doesn't seem that anyone has established how significant the difference may be when compared with other variables.


Perhaps the greater density of ebony contributes more of some tonal quality than rosewood but in any given application, the difference could be masked by the effects of other variables or the difference could shine through.

[postediting]

Yes, it was a great video and I quoted it in the workshop I gave on guitar sizes and woods in mid-July in my local music store.

Jeff