Fender Issues Update on Use of Rosewood

Fender Flea Signature Bass Body

At the beginning of the year, new CITES regulations went into effect for all species of rosewood. The wood is very common in basses and other stringed instruments as a fretboard material. To address the issue, Fender released a statement on how they are changing their instruments to deal with the new regulation.

“Fender is committed to the continued use of Rosewood in American-made solid body guitars, such as our American Professional Series,” CEO Andy Mooney stated. “After actively exploring alternate wood options to Rosewood for selective use on a few US models, we will be transitioning most of our Mexico made product away from rosewood to pau ferro, a fantastic alternate we currently use on the SRV signature strat. The American Elite series is transitioning to ebony fretboards with dealers and our inventories. Rosewood is still used on many series of instruments, as it is a historically accurate tone wood. The changeover will be somewhat fluid in the market, there is no set date at this time.”

Mooney continues that the company is still evaluation options for Squiers and their acoustics, while FMIC’s other brands – Gretsch, Jackson, Charvel, and EVH – will continue to use rosewood in solid body and acoustic models from all source countries.

“Fender is committed as a brand to comply with all CITES regulations and to ensure we are continuing to deliver the best quality and accessible products to our customers and dealers,” Mooney concludes.

We will keep you updated as more changes occur.

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