Rosewood is a common ingredient in guitar bodies, and is also regularly used in the fingerboard. It's resistant to stain and has a small role in tone quality, which is on the warmer side. It also has a really smooth feel, which is great for any fingerboard, Telecaster or otherwise.
If that's the specific recipe you're looking for, we've made this simple and updated list of Telecasters with a Rosewood fingerboard for easy browsing.
Note that this is not a ranking or review, but rather a roundup of guitars with a specific features for easy reference.
Telecasters we did not include
Keep in mind there are some variations of Telecasters that have a Rosewood fretboard that we did not include, primarily because it would be redundant.
- Custom shop versions
- Left-handed versions
- Differing color variations
For example, we have multiple colors for most Telecaster models, but we only used one to represent a given series.
We recommend guitars and music gear from retailers we use ourselves, like Sweetwater. If you buy from them, we might get a commission at no extra cost to you. Please consider us when it comes time to buy. We always appreciate the support.
Simple List of 11 Fender Telecasters with Rosewood Fingerboards
- Kingfish Telecaster Deluxe
- American Professional II Telecaster
- American Ultra Telecaster
- Jimmy Page Signature Telecaster
- JV Modified '60s Telecaster
- American Performer Telecaster
- Jason Isbell Custom Telecaster
- Chrissie Hynde Signature Telecaster
- American Professional II Deluxe Telecaster
- American Performer Telecaster Hum
- American Ultra Luxe Telecaster
Reader Submitted
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A rosewood fretboard (fingerboard) will always have a darker brown color, with an almost reddish hue, hence the name. Flickr Commons image via Freebird_71
Compare Pricing for all 11 Telecasters with Rosewood Fingerboards
This tool pulls in pricing from Sweetwater, which is typically the retailer we follow to get a fair market value for a new guitar. They don't tend to drop the price or run it up. Use this table to browse and compare pricing for each instrument.
Sweetwater
Price Drop Alert (lowest price)
This tool tracks the lowest price from this entire list. It'll alert you if and when any of the guitars on this page drop below whatever price point you set. We'd aim for about a 15-20 percent discount.
Price History (for cheapest Telecaster in list)
Like the alert tool, this chart follows the lowest-priced Telecaster on this list. It's better when dealing with a single product, but this at least gives you a faint idea of what direction the market is going in.
Price History for Fender American Performer Telecaster - Honeyburst with Rosewood Fingerboard
Statistics
| Current Price | $1,399.99 | May 27, 2023 |
| Highest Price | $1,399.99 | August 26, 2022 |
| Lowest Price | $1,399.99 | August 26, 2022 |
Last price changes
| $1,399.99 | August 26, 2022 |
Does rosewood make the Telecaster more expensive?
In most cases, the fingerboard tonewood is not going to have a major impact on the cost of a guitar, especially not an electric guitar. Body design, body tonewood, electronics, pickups/humbuckers, and the amount of by-hand work involved have far more to do with the final cost.
It's also not going to be an expense issue because rosewood isn't particularly rare.
No worries on cost.
Does a rosewood fingerboard play better?
As I mentioned, a lot of people like the smoothness of the rosewood fingerboard, with maple being the primary alternative. Maple and Pau Ferro are the other two common fingerboard rosewoods, and while some guitar players have really specific preferences, the difference between the woods on a finger board is - in our opinion - going to be hard to notice.
In most cases, preferring one over the other is an issue of aesthetic preference.
Maple is lighter and rosewood is darker. It's usually that simple.
Can you get a Telecaster with a Rosewood neck?
Though it's hard to say for past year models of Fender Telecasters, we never see Teles with a rosewood neck. Maple is almost always used for Telecaster necks these days.
Where else can I find Telecasters with Rosewood fingerboards?
If you're going to look into the used market, we'd recommend starting with Reverb, then trying eBay. Amazon and Guitar Center are also good places to try, although their used markets are far more limited.
- Reverb
- eBay
- Amazon
- Guitar Center
The one problem with some of these sites, particularly used marketplaces, is that spec sheets are really hit or miss. They're often typed up by a third party that may or may not list something like the fingerboard material.
If a rosewood fingerboard is a must-have, do some digging and thorough research just to be sure.
Conclusion
Rosewood is the go-to tonewood for Telecaster fretboards. But do your own research and browse through some of the Teles we've listed here. If you have suggestions of Telecasters with a Rosewood fingerboard, please feel free to leave those in the comments section below. Like we said, it'll get added in the user-submitted section if it fits the bill.
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