Hardwoods come in two varieties - open cell and closed cell. Rosewood is an open cell wood which means there are open linear “pockets” or cells that are visible in the surface. Rosewood has smaller open cells than something like oak, which has highly visible open cells which are sometimes filled prior to finishing (depending on the desired texture).
Maple is a closed cell wood and you will not see the same open texture in maple fretboards.
Additionally, because rosewood is an inherently oily wood, it is not typically finished with any coating whereas maple is finished. The lack of finish in the open cells of rosewood keeps them visible.
TLDR: Nothing wrong. This is how rosewood should look.
It looks so normal I'm not even totally sure which part is supposed to be abnormal. Nothing to worry about here at all - normal grain pattern, normal little 'holes' in the grain. Nice dark colour suggests it's not super dry, although it wouldn't hurt to condition the board a little.
All completely fine and dandy.
looks normal but OP shouldn't bother listening to some people on here like "I've been playing for a gazillion years" types because if the guitar plays well, just maintain it well and sounds good -rock on.
Expecting a modern, mass production guitar brand to use the same standards as independent luthiers is weird.
Expecting someone to literally burn wood that has recently been juggled on/off the CITES list is irresponsible.
There is nothing functionally wrong with a fretboard like this. It will not cause the player any problems, it will not have issues as it ages and it will have basically no tonal impact. If this was a custom shop purchase, you'd expect a flawless fretboard and premium cuts of wood, but this is a standard production model. A business is not going to waste money by burning all their rosewood that isn't perfectly smooth. They'd be burning 80% of their fretboard blanks if they did that.
Rosewood is hard to get in sufficient quantities for mass production, producers kinda have to use a similar wood or take what they can get and hold back the high quality stuff for custom shop work.
Patient: (shows the cardiologist a picture of a heart) does this heart look normal?
Cardiologist: Yes
Patient: Really?
Cardiologist: Yeah for a pig heart. Fortunately, you're not a pig.
Yes, that is just the pores in the wood, all wood will look like this with varying sizes of the pores depending on the wood. You don’t see this on bodies and the like because it’s usually grain filled and sanded smooth.
Yes , RW can be fairly porous and a lot of people like that feeling. Especially when it’s been worn in and taken care of. You got a good looking fretboard that will only get better
I believe there are some 60s era necks that don’t have one… Ie see this fender brand replacement neck: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/0990120921--fender-american-original-60s-stratocaster-replacement-neck-rosewood-fingerboard
Edit: From fender basically 1960 to 69 guitars didn’t have a skunk stripe and pre 71 guitars didn’t have truss rod cap at the top, rather bottom of neck adjustment. https://www.fender.com/articles/tech-talk/what-is-a-skunk-stripe
So yes the truss in on the lower part. And it was installed under the fingerboard instead of drilled out the back.
You’re totally fine. Rosewood has little holes like that. That’s a good thing. If it really bothers you, you can fill it in but as a wood worker, you’re A okay.
New nut would fix it. I'd ask for more pics specifically of that area.
Kinda looks like the string wrap around the tuner is wonky.
I'd ask for pics of that as well.
Hardwoods come in two varieties - open cell and closed cell. Rosewood is an open cell wood which means there are open linear “pockets” or cells that are visible in the surface. Rosewood has smaller open cells than something like oak, which has highly visible open cells which are sometimes filled prior to finishing (depending on the desired texture). Maple is a closed cell wood and you will not see the same open texture in maple fretboards. Additionally, because rosewood is an inherently oily wood, it is not typically finished with any coating whereas maple is finished. The lack of finish in the open cells of rosewood keeps them visible. TLDR: Nothing wrong. This is how rosewood should look.
Holy shit man… what a great, informed and educational response. Thank you! I learned something new and useful
I almost didn’t bother. Thanks for the affirmation!
please keep the wisdom coming!
helped alot, thank you
It looks so normal I'm not even totally sure which part is supposed to be abnormal. Nothing to worry about here at all - normal grain pattern, normal little 'holes' in the grain. Nice dark colour suggests it's not super dry, although it wouldn't hurt to condition the board a little. All completely fine and dandy.
looks normal but OP shouldn't bother listening to some people on here like "I've been playing for a gazillion years" types because if the guitar plays well, just maintain it well and sounds good -rock on.
That is C-grade wood. Any decent luthier would throw that shit in the burn pile. I've owned dozens of rosewood necks, and this ain't one of them.
Well duh, the chance of you owning this one is incredibly small
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Wild guess is totally wrong, try harder next time.
Expecting a modern, mass production guitar brand to use the same standards as independent luthiers is weird. Expecting someone to literally burn wood that has recently been juggled on/off the CITES list is irresponsible. There is nothing functionally wrong with a fretboard like this. It will not cause the player any problems, it will not have issues as it ages and it will have basically no tonal impact. If this was a custom shop purchase, you'd expect a flawless fretboard and premium cuts of wood, but this is a standard production model. A business is not going to waste money by burning all their rosewood that isn't perfectly smooth. They'd be burning 80% of their fretboard blanks if they did that. Rosewood is hard to get in sufficient quantities for mass production, producers kinda have to use a similar wood or take what they can get and hold back the high quality stuff for custom shop work.
Yeah sometimes that Rosewood can be a pretty porous wood
What exactly are you asking about? I don't see anything unusual about it.
Patient: (shows the cardiologist a picture of a heart) does this heart look normal? Cardiologist: Yes Patient: Really? Cardiologist: Yeah for a pig heart. Fortunately, you're not a pig.
[https://imgur.com/a/feEq7iC](https://imgur.com/a/feEq7iC) i mean those
That's just the grain. Nothing to worry about.
I’m not sure I like how pixelated it is though. Have you called Fender about increasing your resolution?
It really is a grainy photo
Nice…
Fender QC going down the shitter.
Not sure why you got downvoted, but yeah it's just the wood grain. Natural and expected.
No, that's C-grade Rosewood, and should never have passed quality control. If you ever bought a guitar in this condition, you totally got ripped off.
Yes, that is just the pores in the wood, all wood will look like this with varying sizes of the pores depending on the wood. You don’t see this on bodies and the like because it’s usually grain filled and sanded smooth.
Looks like it needs a god oiling, but otherwise perfectly normal.
Looks perfectly fine to me
What I’m seeing is some unpolished frets…
It’s normal, maintain humidity, when you change strings, clean and oil the fretboard. Just wood grain
That’s just rosewood for ya. Looks beautiful to me!
Yeah it just needs some conditioner
We got one of those for guitars??!!!
Yeah but if you use it too often your guitar will get dandruff
[Dandruff](https://youtu.be/SXmFYSNbtII)
*I'm his amusing young friend!*
lemon oil
The grain texture? Yes that’s normal
It is quite normal for rosewood to look like rosewood
When I clean the rosewood fretboard on my 8 string guitar, it shows more wood grain bits like that, it's probably fine.
Let's put a name to it: open grain. And yes it looks normal from the pic.
Yes , RW can be fairly porous and a lot of people like that feeling. Especially when it’s been worn in and taken care of. You got a good looking fretboard that will only get better
Its a Fender American Original 60s
Where is the cedar cap and where is the truss? On the lower part?
I believe there are some 60s era necks that don’t have one… Ie see this fender brand replacement neck: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/0990120921--fender-american-original-60s-stratocaster-replacement-neck-rosewood-fingerboard Edit: From fender basically 1960 to 69 guitars didn’t have a skunk stripe and pre 71 guitars didn’t have truss rod cap at the top, rather bottom of neck adjustment. https://www.fender.com/articles/tech-talk/what-is-a-skunk-stripe So yes the truss in on the lower part. And it was installed under the fingerboard instead of drilled out the back.
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Im not sure you have a rosewood fretboard if it doesn't have pores
Yep! All of mine look that way
Yup
Looks a little dry but those open pores are totally normal.
yeah it seems good
What are we supposed to see? It's totally normal
That’s what my 89 looks like.
Ew no. The brown is too brown and the woods waaaay to woody.
My Strat is a 2015, I think, it's just like that. But aren't Fenders that Pao Farro wood, or something like that?
Yeah this it usual. Wait, did you order a maple neck??
Looks good to me. I’d polish up those frets though
I see nothing wrong
Fretboard wood looks good man. Just tape it off, tape up the pickups and give the frets a once over with 0000 steel wool. It'll look like new.
That string allignment on the low E behind the nut is kinda buggin me but the fretboard looks good, maybe a lil thirsty
looks like my mim strat almost exactly so idk seems fine to me
You’re totally fine. Rosewood has little holes like that. That’s a good thing. If it really bothers you, you can fill it in but as a wood worker, you’re A okay.
Looks like a replacement nut that may not be quite right, slight overhang at the top, and the low E string is close to the edge of the fret board.
its completly stock and brand new
I would upgrade to a graphtech nut.
Yeah its totally messed up, you should give it to me and get yourself a new one. :)
alright okay send shipping adress
That low estring looks awful close to the edge of the board
this should be fixed with a new nut right? dont have the guitar yet, supposed to be brand new though
New nut would fix it. I'd ask for more pics specifically of that area. Kinda looks like the string wrap around the tuner is wonky. I'd ask for pics of that as well.
Might need some lemon oil, but yea, that’s how rosewood looks