Brazilian rosewood on jag 63 - is this one real or changed?

[Guitarman555]

Hi, this is a rosewood from a cool jag - 63 with many repairs and new electronics. I was told neck was refretted with PLEK technology recently. I beleive this is repaired Brazilian rosewood, right? Looks to me a bit different than Brazilian that I have seen so far from this era, it has less pores and is slightly less dark. It has also a repair at the edge. What do you think, is it original Brazilian wood?

rosewood1
rosewood2
rosewood3

[Embenny]

You'll never definitively identify Brazilian rosewood. It has a huge amount of natural variation that overlaps with every other rosewood species.

Short of lab analysis, not much you can do to be sure.

[AwesomeWelles]

It sure looks different than the one on my '64 JM. Also looks quite new/unworn.

But that's like...my opinion.

[Liquitone]

The edge of the rosewood in picture 1 looks oddly sharp. I would expect it to be rounded off a bit, even without wear.

[Guitarman555]

Maybe the rosewood was sanded?

[GreenKnee]

Maybe the rosewood was sanded?

Yeah the board may well have been levelled for the refret (those are 100% new frets).
I had my '62 refretted and the board needing levelling for it, here are the before and after shots. Looks similar to this '63 in OP. My board has since darkened back down after about a year of regular playing.

[Guitarman555]

yeah, your second picture after levelling fretboard is very similar to my jag fretboard. As you said it was refretted (btw PLEK method was used).

[GreenKnee]

yeah, your second picture after levelling fretboard is very similar to my jag fretboard. As you said it was refretted (btw PLEK method was used).

Yeah I wouldn't worry about your fretboard at all, looks good. I imagine the pores of the wood open up somewhat over 60 years of being on a neck and so when the board is levelled it's starting from scratch again.

Enjoy it

[marqueemoon]

Maybe the rosewood was sanded?

Yeah the board may well have been levelled for the refret (those are 100% new frets).
I had my '62 refretted and the board needing levelling for it, here are the before and after shots. Looks similar to this '63 in OP. My board has since darkened back down after about a year of regular playing.

This was my thought too. Usually tbe board gets sanded during a refret. I wouldn’t expect the difference in thickness to be dramatic as the veneer isn’t very thick to begin with.

Replacing a veneer board would be possible I suppose, but kind of a pain, and there would be discrepancies in the finish if so.

[Highnumbers]

You'll never definitively identify Brazilian rosewood. It has a huge amount of natural variation that overlaps with every other rosewood species.

Short of lab analysis, not much you can do to be sure.

Definitely, Brazilian is all over the place. There is natural variation and also differences based on the climate where the guitar has resided, or maintenance (how many times it's been oiled, polished or even sanded).

Ironically, this is supposed to be the hardwood that Customs officials identify under CITES? Good luck identifying it visually.

It's a safe assumption that a 1963 Fender has a BRW board, just based on their lumber supply at the time.

[Highnumbers]

Hi, this is a rosewood from a cool jag - 63 with many repairs and new electronics. I was told neck was refretted with PLEK technology recently. I beleive this is repaired Brazilian rosewood, right? Looks to me a bit different than Brazilian that I have seen so far from this era, it has less pores and is slightly less dark. It has also a repair at the edge. What do you think, is it original Brazilian wood?

rosewood1
rosewood2
rosewood3

Better photos would help identify things.

In particular the second photo, of the repair. The neck/repair area is entirely out of focus.

[bluemonday]

Hi, this is a rosewood from a cool jag - 63 with many repairs and new electronics. I was told neck was refretted with PLEK technology recently. I beleive this is repaired Brazilian rosewood, right? Looks to me a bit different than Brazilian that I have seen so far from this era, it has less pores and is slightly less dark. It has also a repair at the edge. What do you think, is it original Brazilian wood?

rosewood1
rosewood2
rosewood3

Based on the pictures, I do think it's Brazilian rosewood! Let's put it this way, there is nothing in the color and grain that would cause me to question it. Some variegated streaking in color are not at all uncommon. Just as importantly to me is the tell-tale pores in the wood which run along the grain. Comparing your fretboard with GreenKnee's second photo above, I find this to be identical in character.

[Mechanical Birds]

Maybe the rosewood was sanded?

Yeah the board may well have been levelled for the refret (those are 100% new frets).
I had my '62 refretted and the board needing levelling for it, here are the before and after shots. Looks similar to this '63 in OP. My board has since darkened back down after about a year of regular playing.

Wow that’s wild! If I were to see that Without knowing in person I’d swear it was newer. I love how it looked pre-regret though, I’m a sucker for the way the old stuff seems to wear

[GreenKnee]

Wow that’s wild! If I were to see that Without knowing in person I’d swear it was newer. I love how it looked pre-regret though, I’m a sucker for the way the old stuff seems to wear

I loved the look of the board as well but some imbecile had it refretted with the world's biggest frets and did an awful job on it, superglue all over the place. It's now a much superior guitar and plays an absolute dream so it was 100% worth it.

[46346]

Wow - that's my birthday neck! i know the 1 is for Jag, and not a date, but...