“New slab” rosewood vs old, specifically color?

what's common is for there to be significant variations from one piece of wood to the next.... but back then select cuts could be chosen.. today, not so much, in fact much of the Brazilian rosewood being harvested today for use in Guitars is from the stumps of previously felled trees...

r

 

I'm willing to guess that Gibson, a company that's has been manufacturing instruments since 1904 had means to locate the best quality wood and the grade of colors that they liked compared to Fender who was very new at it back in the 50s.

However, there are lots of variations still that can be seen from both of those manufacturers. Just like how majority of Les Paul burst's don't have a crazy flame like the reissues that you see from Gibson today. Most of them were very mildly flamed and swayed more to plain tops if anything. But there were crazy flames too here and there.

I took this picture last week from a local shop here. You can see how light the rosewood on this Gibson is here, zoom in and you'll see some colors you usually don't see in the darker ones.

 

well the reality is.. one can only speculate as to the motives and the woods used back then... and speculation is pretty much useless....

 

The effect on tone of Slab vs Round Lam is moot. No 2 guitars will ever sound exactly alike.

 

I don't know if this is due to ageing, but in every picture/video of a pre-CBS and early CBS Strat I've seen the rosewood is super dark.

 

Old guitars have years and years of finger oils darkening the rosewood - On Gibsons and Martins too. Its hard to know what the original colour might have been.

 

It was only specific the the next piece of wood pulled out of the wood bin. There was no rhyme or reason to wood grain or color. You had factory workers building product with materials provided by the purchasing agent. It’s nothing to waste time overthinking about.

Any rosewood board once you oil it and play it will turn the same dark rosewood color.

 

Mineral oil (that is the main ingredient in lemon oil, and all of the guitar brand oils) once or twice a year is plenty, and just a little dab will do ya.

 

My pre cbs slab is pretty dark.

 

I hate lemon oil it’s too greasy and runny, plus it has a strong smell. Use either boiled linseed oil or Walnut oil. We use linseed oil. When we dress frets we will clean and oil the fingerboards if they are rosewood or ebony. (Finished maple fingerboards do not apply to this) I will first use windex on the fingerboard I will spritz a bit on the board and let it sit a few seconds, then scrub the wood with 0000 steel wool. Then we oil the fingerboard by applying it with a paper towel and let it penetrate the wood for a few seconds. Next we wipe off the excess with a clean paper towel and then steel wool the fingerboard again. Typically, a guitar needs this done about once a year if it is played regularly. I wouldn’t oil it every time you change strings, but once a year or so when the frets need a level and recrown.

 

Want dark? Ebony. The fingerboard wood of choice for centuries. Tight grained, heavy and resistant to wear.

Forgive my ignorance ... has Fender ever offered ebony? On special limited editions and such?

 

‘Tis furniture that gobbled up the Brazilian RW in droves. ‘‘Twas never the guitar market regardless of what might be out there to the contrary.