Why Not More Madagascar Rosewood Hype?

[J.D.]

Those Historic ES guitars from '03 - '06 with MRW boards are excellent. Hard to find a bad one :jim

 

[bluesjuke]

Those Historic ES guitars from '03 - '06 with MRW boards are excellent. Hard to find a bad one :jim

MRW boards or not all my favorites have also been in the time period.

 

[Big Al]

I think the deforestation on Madagaster has been more severe than Brazil. It is a shame.

 

[J.D.]

+1

Very happy to see the positive changes in Madagascar.

 

[Kim R]

2009 Custom Shop Proto-

Madagascar?

 

[Kim R]

.

 

[Kim R]

la

 

[Big Al]

Hard to tell from that pic.

 

[J.D.]

Agree, but looks more like EIRW than MRW (color, grain, pore size).

 

[Marcel M]

I agree with Al. IR is pretty good, but you also have to realize that Gibson as of 2013 started using steel thumbwheels on the ABR-1.
When you swap these out for plated brass a good bit of that snap is gone. For Historical reference I am personally dying to try Brazilian.

Here are a few photo's of some Brazilian I rounded up. The first board may be useless because of the knots unless i can get them to line up under the inlays.

Are there examples of BRW on Bursts that are flat sawn like this (or is this rift? Looks flat sawn to me but I'm certainly no expert)? Or were they all 1/4 sawn on bursts?

 

[Bill Kemp]

I just purchased this 2004 Gibson R9 with a 1 piece top. I have been advised the fingerboard is Madagascar Rosewood

it is being shipped to me now so I am hoping it is as nice in person as it is in pictures

Bill

 

[Axelorox]

My 2008 R7 has a nice dark MRW fretboard.

 

[wizardmc]

Nice pair

 

[J T]

I just purchased this 2004 Gibson R9 with a 1 piece top. I have been advised the fingerboard is Madagascar Rosewood

it is being shipped to me now so I am hoping it is as nice in person as it is in pictures

Bill

Looks Nice!

I have an 04 one piece top and I believe it has MRW. There were not many one piece tops in 04, and come to think of it, not many in any year at all.

 

[Musicman]

I just purchased this 2004 Gibson R9 with a 1 piece top. I have been advised the fingerboard is Madagascar Rosewood

it is being shipped to me now so I am hoping it is as nice in person as it is in pictures

Bill

Love the Madagascar on my '04 too. Congrats!

 

[Sol]

Those Historic ES guitars from '03 - '06 with MRW boards are excellent. Hard to find a bad one :jim

It was a period, where Gibson finally, albeit briefly, acquired the tone woods to reproduce the acoustic response of 50,s ES Gibson's and Les Paul's..it was all to brief, but having learnt of the fragility of the Madagascar eco system, pulling the plug was the only ethical move to make. So treasure your Madagascar Rosewood board Gibson. They won't be round again.

 

[JPP-1]

Where do you get this stuff from. Oh, you mean the as elusive as Bigfoot, good wood years: those Historics that are in every measurable way less accurate than the ones made today except to the guys selling them. Lmfao,

Try a 2017/18 Brazilian. It actually has all three correct species of wood if that matters to you. For that “1950s acoustic response”

I had dozens of earlier Historic Les Pauls. The fretboards were ok. I always figured the ones with streaks and light yellow boards were Madagascar so I never cared for them much from an aesthetic point of view. I find the Historics made post 2012 as a whole better acoustically, plugged in or however than the earlier Historics. But my experience is certainly not exhaustive or by any means definitive. I do like Madagascar on my custom shop Martin though.

It was a period, where Gibson finally, albeit briefly, acquired the tone woods to reproduce the acoustic response of 50,s ES Gibson's and Les Paul's..it was all to brief, but having learnt of the fragility of the Madagascar eco system, pulling the plug was the only ethical move to make. So treasure your Madagascar Rosewood board Gibson. They won't be round again.

 

[Sol]

Where do you get this stuff from. Oh, you mean the as elusive as Bigfoot, good wood years: those Historics that are in every measurable way less accurate than the ones made today except to the guys selling them. Lmfao,

Try a 2017/18 Brazilian. It actually has all three correct species of wood if that matters to you. For that “1950s acoustic response”

I had dozens of earlier Historic Les Pauls. The fretboards were ok. I always figured the ones with streaks and light yellow boards were Madagascar so I never cared for them much from an aesthetic point of view. I find the Historics made post 2012 as a whole better acoustically, plugged in or however than the earlier Historics. But my experience is certainly not exhaustive or by any means definitive. I do like Madagascar on my custom shop Martin though.

When a response to your post begins "Where do you get this stuff from"... You can be sure that the respondant has arrived at conclusions without enquiry regarding your character and credibility , a 'punching at shadows' exercise in vain hope of connecting with something..

"I always figured the ones with streaks and light yellow boards were Madagascar so I never cared for them much".
If I'd only known it was this simple JPP-1.. Wood selection would be so easy, the money I could have saved..

I've read through your rambling, slightly disjointed response in hope that a nugget of wisdom lies herein that eludes me, and can only conclude that I am dealing with a superior intellect so beyond me that said nugget may forever lie beyond my reach.. I therefore prostrate myself before the greatest living repository of.. Wit..
But Wait!.. What's this?

You said ' my experience is certainly not exhaustive or by any means definitive'... What's this, humility? Is it an admission I can respect ? Yes it is. May we live in peace.. Shalom.

 

[JPP-1]

I don’t think my point was particularly disjointed and certainly not rambling but hey to each his or her own. You made a declaratory statement as if it were a point of fact: that Gibson’s, made during a period of time with Madagascar fretboards are somehow more authentic with a “50s acoustic response”. And I was pushing back on that statement.

Your statement might have a scintilla of credibility if you were a QC tester with Gibson for the past 20 years or if Madagascar rosewood was noted for having some transformative tonal properties that defy physics. But since neither is the case, your declaration has all the substantiation of a big foot siting.

Perhaps I could’ve been a little more diplomatic and not started my post with “where did you get this from” and perhaps you could’ve qualified your statement by using the words “my experience is certainly not exhaustive or by any means definitive“ or just said: in my opinion.

Much of the media today seems to conflate facts with opinions. I prefer when the distinction between the two is clearly noted regardless of the venue. Nothing against you or Madagascar Rosewood, just something I feel strongly about. Salute.

When a response to your post begins "Where do you get this stuff from"... You can be sure that the respondant has arrived at conclusions without enquiry regarding your character and credibility , a 'punching at shadows' exercise in vain hope of connecting with something..

"I always figured the ones with streaks and light yellow boards were Madagascar so I never cared for them much".
If I'd only known it was this simple JPP-1.. Wood selection would be so easy, the money I could have saved..

I've read through your rambling, slightly disjointed response in hope that a nugget of wisdom lies herein that eludes me, and can only conclude that I am dealing with a superior intellect so beyond me that said nugget may forever lie beyond my reach.. I therefore prostrate myself before the greatest living repository of.. Wit..
But Wait!.. What's this ?

You said ' my experience is certainly not exhaustive or by any means definitive'... What's this? Is it an admission I can respect ? Yes it is. Shalom

 

[Sol]

Are there examples of BRW on Bursts that are flat sawn like this (or is this rift? Looks flat sawn to me but I'm certainly no expert)? Or were they all 1/4 sawn on bursts?

It may surprise you that given the apparent quantity and availability of Braz back in the 1950,s you will find that almost all Braz fingerboards are in fact flat sawn. Evidenced by the long grain lines the length of which range from approximately 2 to 5 mm.
I could supply you images that illustrate this. However, there are so many images online of the fingerboards of vintage 52- 60 Les Pauls available here on TLPF, that Google images are probably superfluous.