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97K views 132 replies 83 participants last post by  billq 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Well, after an early rumor of the change and much confusion due to the ibanez.com website specs on the VWH I can now confirm, the 04' VWH now has a ROSEWOOD fretboard. The one shown at NAMM was ebony so I never gave it a second though afterwards. It is a nice dark select rosewood but it is rosewood nonetheless.

Just an FYI ;)
 
#53 ·
Wow

I'm so glad I purchased mine when I did. '03 w/ ebony s/n 38....k. I was going to order the studs from Rich however my return is almost dead on with a tuner. :) Whether Vai plays rosewood or ebony doesn't matter to me. He's an incredible player however it's not a fretboard that gives him his chops. Ebony on the VWH not only looks better but feels better IMHO. Besides I purchased this beauty for it's playability and it was definitely cheaper than building my own to my desired specs (which were very similar), not because Vai plays it. I love his music however I like to create my own.
 
#55 ·
littlegreenman said:
I've said it more than once, but I'll say it again,

Feel wise, Ebony, Rosewood and maple are quite different, tonally, the difference is sooooo minimal 99% of people would never notice it.

I have out of curiosity and due to opinions on this very site, taken one guitar neck, on one guitar, and over the course of 2 weeks, changed the board from the original rosewood, to maple, and then to ebony just to see what the difference in tone was.

The actual tonal difference, with a solid body guitar, through a bypassed amp (just the guitar tone) Nothing that I could tell and I have a damn good ear.

The only guitar I think I've noticed a difference on is the Strat maple necks where the fretboard is one piece with the neck, not glued on.
The fretboard is such a minimal piece of wood, and with a GLUE joint between the board and neck to rob any actual chance of tonal variation, that it doesn't not do squat for tone IMO. Your fret size makes a greater difference due to string contact area.

That being said, the subconcious mind will tell you that one or the other sounds better, and, chances are good that if you play 3 different guitars, one maple, one rosewood and one ebony, they will all sound different, but due to many more variables than just the fretboard. If you were to be blindfolded, and play the neck that I had changed the board on, and every board was cleared so there was no difference in feel, I would bet that guitar that nobody would know the difference in tone between the fretboards.
So what guitar did that neck end up on, the JEM911USA with the ebony, why did I choose ebony? I like the feel, and I prefer the look of nice dark ebony.

Anyway, that's just my opinion from an experiment, I know many won't believe me, but whatever, I did it, and it's my educated opinion, I'm sure there is a small tonal difference, but I doubt any human ear would actually notice it.
So, when it comes to picking a fretboard wood, I just suggest going with what you like the feel of the best.

Just my two cents ;)
Best post ever maybe.....
 
#56 ·
Boy am I glad that I traded my Gibson Les Paul Custom for a ebony fretboard/Edge Jem last year. I'm a huge fan of Vai and (as much as I hate to say it) noticed his sound has been "off" since the Ultra Zone. The rosewood "warms" the sound of the Evolutions while the ebony "brightens" the sound. EVO doesn't hit the highs as easily. I own the Jem and two RG's-one with rosewood(570) and one with maple(550). I have Evolutions in the 570 so the only major difference is the pickguard. I can tell the difference. They all sound good but it all in your preference of EVO's era-listen to "Alive in..." vs. "Fire Garden". If there was no difference is sound then Ibanez would slap whatever they wanted on the neck to save money. Sounds like a way to make more money. If I wanted a new Jem, I would just buy a RG and put Evolutions in it. What's the difference? Gold hardware that Vai doesn't use anyway? If I wanted the Lion's claw and Monkey Grip handle I would go to projectguitar.com and use the tutorials to install them. I agree with previous statements, if this was changed to match Vai's current setup, install a black Edge with black harware, a "KONX" piece of tape on the neck pup and put that metal knurled knob on the volume pot. At least Ibanez installs the neck pup "backwards" like in EVO. EVO is truly the benchmark of the Jem line. One man's opinion.
 
#57 ·
The diffrence is an Alder (Jem) vs Basswood (RG) body... that accounts for a lot more change in sound then just a fretboard.

Furthermore, don't judge between two vai records, he used vast amounts of diffrent equipment (not to mention digital vs analog recording) on each.
 
#58 ·
True. But that proves a point. The wood from the neck to the body will affect the tone. Correct? I'd still "make" a new Jem out of an RG. Even with getting a replacent Alder body it would be cheaper than a Jem. To me, it was one of it's biggest attractions. I prefer Ebony then Maple. Name another current Ibanez with an Ebony fretboard.
 
#59 ·
maddog said:
True. But that proves a point. The wood from the neck to the body will affect the tone. Correct? I'd still "make" a new Jem out of an RG. Even with getting a replacent Alder body it would be cheaper than a Jem. To me, it was one of it's biggest attractions. I prefer Ebony then Maple. Name another current Ibanez with an Ebony fretboard.
As stated by LGM (who as a luthier is certainly qualified to make such statments), there surely will be influence, but hardly noticable. I'm not up to speed with every Ibanez model, but I believe I saw recently mentioned that there is a prestige axe with ebony board.

Bottom line is that ebony vs rosewood is a matter of look and feeling. Soundwise, it means nothing. Variances in pieces of bodywood make more impact on the sound, not to mention all that bruhaha that 'sound is in the fingers' etc etc. Too many variables make up the sound of a given axe and even two vwh's will sound diffrent. You cannot pinpoint that just on the fretboard.
 
#60 ·
maddog said:
True. But that proves a point. The wood from the neck to the body will affect the tone. Correct? I'd still "make" a new Jem out of an RG. Even with getting a replacent Alder body it would be cheaper than a Jem. To me, it was one of it's biggest attractions. I prefer Ebony then Maple. Name another current Ibanez with an Ebony fretboard.
What other Ibanez have Alder bodies? That is the bigger factor no doubt. As LGM said there is such a small piece of wood on the finger board and it is glued it will not have a noticeable effect on the overall tone. As stated also a one piece Maple will give you the most notable difference.

If Alder and Ebony are a Must.... Jackson USA is filling orders all day long. I just got a new KV-2 in yesterday.
 
#61 ·
jwoods986 said:
If the reasoning for changing to rosewood is "that's what Steve has on his", then I guess they should change the trem to the Edge. :wink:
Ditto. And the JEMs would also have the Buzz Feiten system...

For what it's worth, I prefer the look and feel of ebony, although I don't think it matters when it comes to the sound.

I agree with what Jeremy wrote, since I am somewhat of a pragmatist when it comes to guitars and prefer to concentrate of how a guitar is built as opposed to which woods.
 
#65 ·
babahi said:
jwoods986 said:
If the reasoning for changing to rosewood is "that's what Steve has on his", then I guess they should change the trem to the Edge. :wink:
Ditto. And the JEMs would also have the Buzz Feiten system...
I don't get that. When Evo came to Steve's door, it had a gold Lo Pro Edge and an Ebony fretboard. Flo still has a Lo pro, as does Evo II.
You can get an Edge. You can get fretwave (it's no longer on flo), you can get the sustainer and now you can get a rosewood board. Ibanez is way overtime to adjust to rosewood in this, I agree with that. But all other gizmo's, especially non-ibanez, were added by steve (or the third party like fretwave), not by Ibanez, just as you are free to mod up your Jem too.
 
#75 ·
It looks as if the rosewood being used on the VWH's neck is top shelf - nice, tight grain - as tight as my ebony board. I'm curious as to tonal differences, if present. I still prefer the look of the ebony, but it does seem that tolerances for the inlays have been tightened. Rosewood = higher profit margin?
 
#76 ·
An ebony board costs about six bucks. I have a friend that builds boutique guitars and the cost difference is negligable. A dollar or 2 isn't going to make Ibanez rich. I for one like rosewood better. I doesn't seem as hard on your fingers like maple or ebony.

U
v :D
 
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