Curious now. So it seems that birch is the primary wood for the non-gold Deluxe model EXTA. And that variations are simply by the wood itself and the treatment given at the time of processing the wood. I’ve seen rather widely different manifestations of wood tones from quite light to super dark. I also wonder if the lightness is aging from exposure to bright light over many years. Also, REALLY good to know that the gold EXTA Deluxe uses maple. I’d been guessing it was mahogany.
I have a few of these and so far the “leather” grip has held up quite well on them. Whatever it is, it’s not cheap tacky stuff.
Edit: I translated the text on the catalog and it says cowhide (牛皮). So it is real leather.
Another interesting thing to note is that the 5000 yen models have a shorter lead sleeve. When I got the first one like that, I thought the tip was damaged and pressed in, but then I found a couple more with identical tips. The catalog photo confirms that the tip is shorter
