Fender Embraces the Future with Pau Ferro!

Since the beginning of this year, rosewood has been subject to certain regulations introduced by CITES. Fender have taken this as an opportunity to replace rosewood with pau ferro on their new Mexican models.

Convention of International Trade of Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna

In the 1960s, Fender started using rosewood for the fretboards on their electric guitars. It quickly became very popular for its great feel and warm sound and has been used on many guitars since. Unfortunately, its popularity has led to it becoming more and more scarce which is why CITES felt compelled to do something about it. Fender have taken the decision in their stride and immediately set about looking for a suitable alternative for their new MIM models. They found the answer in pau ferro.

Pau who?

If pau ferro (aka Libidibia ferrea) sounds exotic to you, that's because it is! It's a type of wood that's mainly found in Brazil and Bolivia. It looks relatively similar to rosewood but is usually lighter in colour, although it can vary quite a bit from red-orange to dark brown with black stripes. In terms of feel, it's also quite similar to rosewood. When it comes to sound, there are differing opinions. Some say it sounds like rosewood with the same familiar warmth, while others believe that it has more definition making it sound closer to wood types like maple, mahogany and ebony.

Good wood

For those in doubt, it might be good to know that this isn't the first time Fender has used pau ferro on its instruments. Strat legend Stevie Ray Vaughan's Stratocaster has a pau ferro fretboard, for instance. Famous bassist Jaco Pastorius had a Jazz Bass with a pau ferro fretboard too. Both of these musicians are known for their fantastic sound, so pau ferro is clearly a good choice of wood. All of Fender's Mexican models that previously had a rosewood fretboard will now have one made of pau ferro. That includes Stratocasters, Telecasters, Offset models, Precision basses, Jazz basses and Offset basses too.

For more information about pricing and delivery times, keep an eye on the product pages!

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