Ebony fretboard?

I'm looking at this (supposedly) 1985 and in the pics the fretboard looks like rosewood. Serial number is G017635. Any help?

Yes, it is Ebony, unstained which is what G&L used in the early years. I see that this guitar was registered but listed it as Rosewood but I just updated to
Ebony fretboards. Fretboard wood was either Maple or Ebony in 1985, see: Album: 9-1-85 G&L Price List.

Hope this helps.

Hi Craig,

While the photos of this S-500 are not definitive for me, there are several instances of Rosewood Boards on instruments before it was officially listed as an option on the pricelist.

I submit for review B007520, neck date December 11, 1981. I am convinced that the body on this bass is maple, which is another off-list option.

I own another late '81 bass with rosewood, along with several ebony and maple boards.

I asked Memo to check the factory logs for this guitar and here is his reply:

Hi Craig,
Our records indicate that this is a Black S500, completion date is May 16, 1986, ebony fretboard

Hope this helps.

Hi Craig,

While the photos of this S-500 are not definitive for me, there are several instances of Rosewood Boards on instruments before it was officially listed as an option on the pricelist.

I submit for review B007520, neck date December 11, 1981. I am convinced that the body on this bass is maple, which is another off-list option.

I own another late '81 bass with rosewood, along with several ebony and maple boards.

Yes, I can see that your L-1000 bass has a Rosewood fingerboard. Ebony wood grain has a tighter grain.

You might ask Memo to look it up and see if the body is listed as Maple and fingerboard is listed as Rosewood, if you haven't already done that.

In the very early G&L days, one could get a bass with a 7½" rosewood board by ordering one with a replacement neck (part number NB 230 on the January 1, 1982 price list)

- Jos

In the very early G&L days, one could get a bass with a 7½" rosewood board by ordering one with a replacement neck (part number NB 230 on the January 1, 1982 price list)

- Jos

Hi Jos, thanks for weighing in on this.

My belief is that the early pricelists should not be viewed as the bible of what went out the door and when.

As evidence, I am submitting a sheet of the G&L Factory logs, this shows some of the basses built from April to June 1981.




This log shows "RW" necks being shipped out on new basses in 1981, and documents 10 Rosewood boards compared to 12 Ebony and 11 Maple, which is nearly 1/3!

This is obviously just a snapshot, but is solid proof to me that even before 1982 when Rosewood replacement necks first appeared on the pricelist, Rosewood fretboards were much more commonly built than is generally realized.