Rosewood vs. Maple Fretboard?

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SurfGuitar101 Forums » Gear »

Rosewood vs. Maple Fretboard?

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Doctor_Morbius Joined: Oct 26, 2008 Posts: 608 This Planet Earth	Posted on Oct 14 2009 03:48 PM I don't have any idea if Maple is any brighter than Rosewood, even though I have Strats with each. I do know that I have pickups that are brighter than others. — Cats 'n' Strats, 'cause that's how I roll - I eat reverb for breakfast! Fenderus Collecticus Strat Blender Pot Modification HERE Top
Tuck Joined: Sep 02, 2006 Posts: 3166 Denver, CO	Posted on Oct 14 2009 05:32 PM I can see Jake's explanation in terms of the fingerboard as part of the resonating elements, or perhaps something about the hardness of the wood affecting the precise acoustic characteristics of the fretting on the attack part of the note envelope. But I can also imagine the color of the wood affecting the psychology of the player and their playing. You can test whether there is any perceptible affect in several different ways, of course. For example, you could take two guitars differing essentially only in fretboard material, the same amp, etc., under identical conditions, and one or more guitarists to play the same sets of samples on both setups. Then you need people to see if they can tell which fretboard they are hearing without seeing it. I suppose theoretically the guitarist should also be unable to see the fretboard while playing it. Poll them afterward to see if they could tell. Hopefully you could rely on them to tell you if it was really the feel or just the smell of the fish sandwich eaten by the guy holding the maple fretboard guitar. I'm a little skeptical here, but not a stone disbeliever. I do believe there are people who can tell what Fender guitar on what setting. Not me, of course. I can usually tell if it's a guitar or a saxophone, but the rest of it is asking more than I can offer. Top
synchro Joined: Feb 02, 2008 Posts: 4540 Not One-Sawn, but Two-Sawn . . . AZ.	Posted on Oct 14 2009 07:19 PM Tuck I can see Jake's explanation in terms of the fingerboard as part of the resonating elements, or perhaps something about the hardness of the wood affecting the precise acoustic characteristics of the fretting on the attack part of the note envelope. But I can also imagine the color of the wood affecting the psychology of the player and their playing. You can test whether there is any perceptible affect in several different ways, of course. For example, you could take two guitars differing essentially only in fretboard material, the same amp, etc., under identical conditions, and one or more guitarists to play the same sets of samples on both setups. Then you need people to see if they can tell which fretboard they are hearing without seeing it. I suppose theoretically the guitarist should also be unable to see the fretboard while playing it. Poll them afterward to see if they could tell. Hopefully you could rely on them to tell you if it was really the feel or just the smell of the fish sandwich eaten by the guy holding the maple fretboard guitar. I'm a little skeptical here, but not a stone disbeliever. I do believe there are people who can tell what Fender guitar on what setting. Not me, of course. I can usually tell if it's a guitar or a saxophone, but the rest of it is asking more than I can offer. I think that everything has a contribution, but that contribution may be very small, below the threshold of perception. There are also many things making minor contributions and some of these will probably cancel out others. It's sort of like that idea of a butterfly flapping its wings and causing a hurricane in another part of the world. There are millions, probably billions, of butterflys flapping their wings at any given time. If they were all causing hurricanes civilization would be destroyed, but the fact that so many of them are out there (not to mention all the other tiny little factors being added from other trivial sources) that things are stable, at least relatively so. Humans, on the other hand, tend to see whatever it is that they expect to see. We also tend to tune out that we don't expect. As an example, a few days ago I was driving out in the desert and almost completely missed the fact that there was a large helicopter flying very close to the ground only 100 yards or so away from me. I had no reson to expect to see something like that and I all but ignored it. With guitars I think that a huge part of what people hear in modifications etc is based upon what they expect to hear. In a double blind test I doubt that they would beat the odds in recognizing thinkgs that they claim to perceive. — The artist formerly known as: Synchro When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar. Top
101Volts Joined: Oct 12, 2009 Posts: 6	Posted on Oct 16 2009 04:18 PM I can't speak for the tone but I compared a Fender '69 or '72 Telecaster Thinline reissue (Maple fretboard) to my Squier V.M Telecaster Thinline (Rosewood fretboard) And the fender seemed harder to bend on. Perhaps they had it set up with slightly thicker strings but the frets were fatter and (Presumably) Taller. Perhaps the finish on the fretboard makes it harder to bend notes? Top
JakeDobner Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 12159 Seattle	Posted on Oct 16 2009 04:59 PM 101Volts I can't speak for the tone but I compared a Fender '69 or '72 Telecaster Thinline reissue (Maple fretboard) to my Squier V.M Telecaster Thinline (Rosewood fretboard) And the fender seemed harder to bend on. Perhaps they had it set up with slightly thicker strings but the frets were fatter and (Presumably) Taller. Perhaps the finish on the fretboard makes it harder to bend notes? The fretboard doesn't make bending harder or easier. There are several major factors that control bending ease. Top
Haole-Jim Joined: Jul 29, 2009 Posts: 97 central coast USA metro Chicago	Posted on Nov 29 2009 03:18 AM This topic, like radius, is largely amazing and amusing to this picker. Just play it and enjoy it, whatever the details. The whole "Sound Chain" subjevct is however, rather scholarly addressed in Dave Hunter's book, "Guitar Rigs, Classic Guitar and Amp Cobbinations." Top
TheSavage63 Joined: Nov 27, 2009 Posts: 19 Virginia	Posted on Nov 29 2009 09:28 AM I prefer maple, never liked any rosewood necks I played on. Just doesn't feel right to me. — "Music is an extension of my soul"-Dick Dale Top
synchro Joined: Feb 02, 2008 Posts: 4540 Not One-Sawn, but Two-Sawn . . . AZ.	Posted on Nov 30 2009 10:14 AM Haole-Jim This topic, like radius, is largely amazing and amusing to this picker. Just play it and enjoy it, whatever the details. The whole "Sound Chain" subjevct is however, rather scholarly addressed in Dave Hunter's book, "Guitar Rigs, Classic Guitar and Amp Cobbinations." 1,000 to that. I have gutiars from 7.25" radius ot flat, 24" scale to 30" and move between them with nary a hitch. I usually play a quick scale or arpeggio when switching to one I haven't played in a while, just a way of re-orienting, but there's not that much to it. Play the damn thing, have fun, and remember that good sound (I hate that the expression tone is misused) come as much from the player as anything else. — The artist formerly known as: Synchro When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar. Top
Kawentzmann Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 1062 Berlin, Germany	Posted on Nov 30 2009 02:32 PM Von_Zeke I don't see how fingerboard material can make much of a quantifiable difference in tone on an electric guitar. Not so much the tone as a sustaining event, but the attack. The initial transients of notes are much more important for the perceived character of a sound than the rest of the waveform. I developed my lefthand style on a Gretsch with an ebony fretboard and since selling it Im trying to get some of that presence back on rosewood. Its hopeless, and I guess had I never experienced ebony I wouldn't want to do it. — The Exotic Guitar of Kahuna Kawentzmann You can get the boy out of the Keynes era, but you can’t get the Keynes era out of the boy. Last edited: Nov 30, 2009 19:00:19 Top
synchro Joined: Feb 02, 2008 Posts: 4540 Not One-Sawn, but Two-Sawn . . . AZ.	Posted on Nov 30 2009 04:48 PM TheSavage63 I prefer maple, never liked any rosewood necks I played on. Just doesn't feel right to me. I own plenty of both but I must agree that I love the feel of a maple fretboard. OTOH, if you want smooth and hard wood ebony is about as good as it gets. — The artist formerly known as: Synchro When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar. Top
Haole-Jim Joined: Jul 29, 2009 Posts: 97 central coast USA metro Chicago	Posted on Dec 03 2009 10:46 PM Ebony just plain feels like you are playing with your big-person undies on. In this opinion, rosewood can have any of a hundred "flavours." Light, dark, tight, open, dry, oily. Maple's slickness can be pure delight... ...but ooh...ebony...yum! Top
planish Joined: Jan 09, 2008 Posts: 473 Sackville, New Brunswick	Posted on Dec 12 2009 10:44 PM Okay, it's all the wrong reasons, but... I just think that on my all-white Strat the maple fretboard looks cooler. So I feel cooler when I play it. Totally subjective and purely cosmetic, but since nobody else gets to hear me play it's all that counts. — I'm not a complete idiot. Some parts are missing. Top
bmsurfcaster Joined: Oct 29, 2009 Posts: 271 Dallas	Posted on Dec 13 2009 07:59 AM I would have to go with Maple. Solely on cosmetic appearance. To me it just looks cooler. I have used both, but never on the same guitar type, so I really can not comment on differences in tone. — Top

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