No more rosewood from Fender?

[Dave W]

According to this blogger, ROSEWOOD NO MORE: FENDER ANNOUNCE THEY WILL NO LONGER USE ROSEWOOD FOR GUITAR NECKS

Makes sense, in light of the new CITES restrictions on rosewood. I can't find anything to confirm it yet, but it was just posted yesterday.

There's also this article in Music Trades that mentions Fender looking at alternatives for its MIC instruments.

[Chris P.]

British Guitar and Bass magazine had a big feature about CITES and they interviewed people from companies like Taylor and Fender. First on topic:

The Fender guy claims they will not stop using rosewood. He tells that they always try to use legal wood, they will certainly look into other directions, wood wise (*), for maybe American or Mexican Standards, but people who buy a vintage reissue want it as vintage reissue as possible. That's it. Quite a short statement.

(*) On the NAMM I saw different companies trying other woods.

In the article Taylor talks about their wood policy, which is quite interesting. They do use strange woods and are very busy with alternatives for rosewood and they're very active in planting new trees. The article also stated it's still easy for players to transport the basses (10kg max.) and there are different ways for sellers. You can buy a certificate quite easy or like a 'subsribtion' if you sell guitars and basses a lot. For one fee you can ship an X amount of instruments. Not that expensive and not that difficult.

The last thing was guitar world is only a very small part of the rosewood 'probem'. It's mainly furniture which is the problem.

[Dave W]

The Chinese VAT changes discussed in the Music Trades article will definitely affect the prices of MIC instruments that contain rosewood. And the changes are only being made because of the rosewood situation. Yes, rosewood furniture is a much bigger problem, but the musical instrument business is affected just the same. We'll just have to wait and see.

Regardless of whether or not it's easy to get some travel certificate, you can count on some idiot airline employees misinterpreting it and confiscating an instrument.

Taylor has been taking positive action for several years. They bought an ebony mill in Cameroon a few years back. This video is from 2012.

[Pilgrim]

Regardless of whether or not it's easy to get some travel certificate, you can count on some idiot airline employees misinterpreting it and confiscating an instrument.

That is so true. For every silly/obscure/misguided/poorly written regulation, there is some idiot who makes enforcing that rule their purpose in life. They seldom are rational about how they carry out that holy quest.

[Psycho Bass Guy]

Fender's been sneaking pau ferro into their basses as a rosewood substitute for around 25 years. It looks the part, but the sound is very different, much brighter. It's sad in this world of largely unfettered capitalism, the one damn place that regulations seem to hit hardest unjustly is the musical instrument community.

[Alanko]

...the one damn place that regulations seem to hit hardest unjustly is the musical instrument community.

I dunno man, I'm sure the farming community would like to have a word!

[Dave W]

I dunno man, I'm sure the farming community would like to have a word!

Rosewood farmers?

What about dental floss tycoons?

[Psycho Bass Guy]

I dunno man, I'm sure the farming community would like to have a word!

I grew up a farmer. In the US, agribuisiness giants eat tons of subsidies and write regulations for Congress, which mostly consist of their right to poison land and legally attack competitors; everything else they're pretty much got rid of.

[bassilisk]

Speaking of Rosewood.

Just....Wow!!!!

http://guitars.com/inventory/bm3028-1994-warwick-custom-brazilian-rosewood-thumb-bass-owned-jack-bruce

[Chris P.]

A couple of years ago Warwick discovered some old Brazilian rosewood the forgot about and they made three new 'Jack Bruce' basses. One for the museum, one for Jack (just before he died) and a third one, cos they had just enough wood for three. I believe that one was sold for 40,000 dollars to a South-American collector. That one was 201X and never played by JB so this amount isn't that srange.

[bassilisk]

Around 1982-83 I was looking for another body for my '70 Tele bass neck because I had no more wood real estate in the original body to hack up for more/different pickups etc. Here in NYC Rudy's Music Stop had 2 bodies in the window at that time. One was a one-piece Koa Jazz bass body which, after rubbing my nose on the window for months, I finally broke down and bought for $165.

The other was a one-piece Brazilian Rosewood Strat body, and they wanted $350 for it back then.
I remember vividly that it was quite amazing to look at. If it was a bass body there would've been no way I could afford it.

P.S. I still have the Koa bass - it's one of my very favorites and I use it regularly.

[Dave W]

A couple of years ago Warwick discovered some old Brazilian rosewood the forgot about and they made three new 'Jack Bruce' basses. One for the museum, one for Jack (just before he died) ...

I would hope so. Wouldn't have made much sense to build him one after he died.

[4stringer77]

Speaking of Rosewood.

Just....Wow!!!!

http://guitars.com/inventory/bm3028-1994-warwick-custom-brazilian-rosewood-thumb-bass-owned-jack-bruce

That's a lot of money for a bass that can't leave the country. You'd think they could throw in a hard case for that price. I'm as big a fan of Jack as the next guy but $125K seems a little ambitious.
They must think they're selling the mother of all basses. 

[Chris P.]

I would hope so. Wouldn't have made much sense to build him one after he died.

I erm tried to say it was much later than the offered bass was made. I try to say it as a measurement of time:)

[Dave W]

Update: Fender Issues Statement on Use of Rosewood