You are using an out of date browser. Monty Daniels from Oakland County, Michigan on August 25, 2019: Guitar Gopher, Hi, ***Let me say this right off the bat first. I've had countess others of both varieties and tried both types of necks on the same body with the same pups and all else more times than i care to admit. For me feel is the only difference. We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you. If youre an experienced musician who is contemplating switching over to a maple fretboard, be prepared to enjoy the speed you can build up when traveling up and down the maple neck, but also be prepared to notice a lack of control that you may feel when attempting to bend your notes (due to how slick the finish on the fretboard is). In the context of a guitar fretboard, this means precise, articulate notes with good bite and a tight low end. Looks good but for this guitar, I want to go with a Maple Neck with a Rosewood Board on it, mainly because I say it looks way better with a Rosewood Fingerboard instead of a Maple. Well probably if it's replacement doesn't go over that well, with the PartsCaster Market & if Fender does choose to stop using Rosewood all together, maybe I should keep 3 or 4, perhaps more if I decide to keep building my own Strat's. If youre more familiar with the of historical guitars, maple fretboards are commonly used on the Fender Standard Telecaster and the Stratocaster models. How to Properly Clean a Rosewood Fingerboard, Reaper vs Ableton: Choosing the Best DAW for Professional Audio Production. You can get sounds with that arrangement that can't be gotten just about any other way. Obviously, one advantage here is that you are not limited to a maple neck. As for look depends on the body color! Apart from doing it really sloppy, I bought a short Alder Board at the local Mill & had it Planed to the same depth as the Tub. However, I would. Here are the takeaways: So what about you? Hard maple is often used by Paul Reed Smith, Fender, and Charvel, so if youre specifically interested in using a durable maple fretboard, you may want to start looking in this area. As a newbie, it may not seem to make a difference whether your fingerboard is made from maple, rosewood, or anything else for that matter. Where's the TGP-mandated "One of Each" option?!? I made the Dividers & glued them back in where they would originally had been. The Full, Epic Epiphone Les Paul Standard Review, The Ultimate Yamaha C40 Classical Guitar Review Youll Love. This is a classic Fender design seen in guitars like the Stratocaster and Telecaster, and basses like the Precision and Jazz. I cant help but feel that they will get along fine, they look like happy twins. Rosewood vs Maple Fretboards: Which is Better? I guess I just have bad ears. Maple to cosmetics - if it looks better with RW, I go for it, otherwise, it's maple. Still enjoying the honeymoon. Thanks for adding your comment. I play bass. So, lets get to the bottom of the maple vs. rosewood fretboard debate and see if we cant sort it all out. While the fretboard totally has the ability to influence the tone of your guitar, the tonewoods that are used for the body and the neck of the guitar are what have the biggest influence on a guitars tonal production. Models that are produced in Indonesia and China typically sport silver maple but dont let that make you think that guitars that have silver maple fretboards are of poorer quality than guitars that use hard maple. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); More garbage: the tonewoods that are used for the body and the neck of the guitar are what have the biggest influence on a guitars tonal production. Besides the player, pickups are overwhelmingly what makes the electric guitar sound the way it does. Stella. Check out the eye-opening video below and learn how Taylor has made a huge impact in the management of the worlds supply of available ebony. Or age. HubPages is a registered trademark of The Arena Platform, Inc. Other product and company names shown may be trademarks of their respective owners. I have a rosewood neck tele and strat and 2 maple neck teles at the moment. Every once in a while I buy a guitar with a maple fretboard just to make sure my feelings haven't changed. It is also a very attractive tonewood with deep, dark grains. And any potential tone difference just gets lost after a while IMHO. Does it matter? The rosewood takes a bright guitar and mellows it out a bit. I have no favorite - I like them both for different reasons, but its nice that there are more maple options available now. Today I reveal you all the secrets when it comes to choosing the right guitar fretboard, and specifically tell you more details about maple vs rosewood fretboard. I would wonder with awe "how many hours of play did it take to do that?". However, if you decide you like the sound and feel you can find some reasonably priced guitars that utilize ebony. The author is a guitarist and bassist with over 35 years of experience as a musician. Probably not, or so little you can't really tell. Every Kind of Wrong (John Moreland Cover). This guitar I like because it's so much like a baseball bat. I prefer maple, seems to give me a little more "snap" to my tone. You can see where I've been playing it in a strong light, but there's almost no finger staining. stella vadakin from 3460NW 50 St Bell, Fl32619 on October 07, 2015: Good article and great advice. Its alder body in the classic Dinky style is dressed in either a lustrous Orange Crush or a no-nonsense Matte Army Drab satin finish. Some fretboards require a little more care, whereas others are almost bulletproof. Guitar tone is the sum of the total parts. You can learn more About Us here. Plus the person who owned it plugged the 4-Bolton Neck holes & either turned into a 71, or had the work done, followed with a re-spray of the same color, or finish if you will. If youre wondering which wood is best for a fretboard, heres a quick glance at what Maple fretboards have to offer and what Rosewood fretboards have to offer as a comparison. The rosewood topped American Deluxe is getting all the love right now mainly because it's new. Hi, everyone, There were also 4 - 1 1/16'' holes drilled through the Body in each corner of the Tub. I just happened to go into my 2-boxes where I have like 8-10 Fender Neck's stored in each of them. Its very important that if youre playing on a Rosewood fretboard to take a close examination of your fretboard every few weeks to ensure that there isnt an excessive buildup of dirt or grease. Just like a finished maple fretboard, youre going to want to wipe down your fretboard with a dry cloth after every few hours of playing (or every playing session), but youre also going to want to use steel wool on your fretboard every month to remove any dirt and grime that has built up on the board. I already have the Tuners & the Bridge/Trem, so I'll install both High & Low E strings so I don't guess & end up drilling & finding out the Neck isn't straight. Just don't like the way they feel. Guitar Gopher (author) on November 05, 2017: @MaxMellons - I didn't post your comment because there was a link included, but its a good one. There has been great differences in sound between my rosewood fingerboard teles and my maple finger board teles. On the contrary, it really sang out. It may not display this or other websites correctly. I'll stick to my rosewood for my acoustic guitars. Advantages and Disadvantages of the Floyd Rose Tremolo. Of course, body wood, pickups and hardward all factor into the final sound, so it may be other things that are resulting in a snappier attack. Humbucker vs Single Coil: Which is Best for You? Really a difference? *** Well, first off here's something I can think of that I just ran into. Win win. Those mod's: Used a Router & removed the Pickup Cavity dividers & turned that area into a Bathtub. Better comparison would be a maple cap and a rosewood. The tonal differences do not seem very big to me. Thanks for the response. I just dont know! Very cool. I think Ebony is great for players who like rosewood, but maybe would prefer a harder, glassier feel. Whats is the general consensus on the differences in tone between Rosewoood and Maple fretboards ? I'll end with that. @Arvid - Re: Most non-Strat guitars having rosewood fretboards, I think that is slowly changing. I love them. I know more than likely the used Les Paul market will probably follow suit & go up in price, so should I be thinking about that as well now? But it was definitely noticeable, particulary on the g,b,e strings. The warmth of the tone is super sexy. My favourite is my EBMM Sterling 4 string with Rosewood fingerboard. The fingerboard is literally integrated into the same piece of wood that makes up the neck, with the truss rod inserted through a channel in the back of the neck. Could've been just me but it didn't sound as vibrant as the maple, if that makes sense. I like the Just off a masters in music education, when I checked up on the citations on this or that academic paper (to try and expand my reading) and found that half of the time they either didnt say what the Bob, that is beautiful. You are using an out of date browser. Eg, When I get writers block trying to create a new guitar solo, switching from Maple to RW (or vice verse) often helps clear the block, because I play each with a different approach. This task isnt anything to worry about and can be accomplished in a couple of minutes each time you change your strings. The guitar community seems split down the middle on this one, at least according to my poll on another article. As we talked about earlier, when it comes to choosing your guitar, the tonal production that the fretboard assists in shouldnt be your only focus when looking to buy a new guitar. To my ear, ebony is somewhere in between rosewood and maple, though certainly on the brighter side. Thats the best of the best right there. Some say it matter, others say it makes no difference. However, I also have a strong preference for chunky neck Telecasters. So, which is the right choice, maple or rosewood? The most commonly used wood for fretboards, Has a natural cream or white appearance, Used the most often by Fender in the Telecaster and Stratocaster series, Large selection of pricing options, due to the availability of hard maple vs silver maple, Is commonly used for a large variety of stringed instruments, Used commonly by PRS, Gibson, and Ibanez, Easy upkeep on finished fretboards, Slick fretboard means its easy to pick up speed for playing at faster tempos, Bold color thatll stand out from a light body, Unfinished fretboards require a lot more upkeep and attention paid to them, Note bending is difficult, due to the slickness of the finish, Depending on the quality of the finish used on the fretboard, the ease of playing can be a hit or miss (sticky vs smooth finishes), Once the finish wears away, the underlying wood will start to absorb oil and dirt, High maintenance needed to ensure the fretboard stays in great condition, Brazilian and Honduran Rosewood are endangered, Some companies will illegally harvest Brazilian and Honduran Rosewood. Practically, you wont see as many options for ebony fretboards, especially on mid-priced guitars. I know I didn't really touch on the tone & difference in tone between Maple & Rosewood Fingerboards but I did touch that other end of the guitar Neck spectrum. i don't know what this proves other than we are hearing different tones. You can spend a lot of time and money investing in an instrument that has an amazing sound, but youre not going to want to pick it up and play it if the fretboard isnt comfortable to hold or play on. If you are going to choose one over the other you need to understand the pros and cons of each so you can make the best choice. Not night and day, but it made me wonder how much we listen with our eyes. ''Great Article'' and one that I do feel is an important one to think about. It's not period correct, but it works best for me. Its what in your soul and your fingertips that matter. Where maple fretboards are usually finished and only require some basic cleaning, rosewood fingerboards require occasional conditioning. I can't hear the difference, but I like playing both. Garrison Fewell turned me on to them. If you expect to hear a certain sound you will do so. As for the value of you necks going up, I'd think somewhat they'd have to. One issue with figuring out switch settings is that you have to know the wiring scheme. Featured on guitars with many different kinds of necks, But it is a bright, tight sound, and in my opinion not suited for everything I play. Never had identical necks, except for fingerboard material, to put on a guitar and see if it made any difference. I can't tell any difference, even swapping necks on the same guitar. Now that I've had it for a while a part of its continued appeal is its unfussy simplicity. As for Ebony, you can always check it out and see what you think, but in my opinion if you like maple you may not feel like there is any improvement with the Ebony. JavaScript is disabled. It is a dense, dark wood with a smooth, slick feel. Don't care about any possible tonal ramifications. When milling pieces of wood with grain configurations, the processing that a piece of wood has to go through to become a piece that can be used for a fretboard tends to tear out the fibers of the wood, removing signs of grain configurations. Rosewood gives better string control? SRV, Jeff Beck,Jimi all made Leo's finest sing what ever the 'board' was! But i just preferred the maple. If youre someone who is more interested in manipulating your guitar strings with certain playing techniques, you may find that its easier to control what your strings are doing on a Rosewood fretboard. But, as long as my tone is better than yours, that's all that matters. Orangewood Mason Review: Is This Acoustic Worthy of Praise? Different grain configurations are only used to make your guitar look nicer and dont have too great of an impact on your overall sound. I've got 1 of each. Good luck! Some companies will stain Honduran Rosewood a darker hue to make it have a similar color appearance to Brazilian Rosewood, although Honduran Rosewood is also becoming endangered. You will NOT have the option to choose maple on the vast majority of guitars in the Les Paul-style, Jem-style, SG-style, PRS, Jackson, Gretsch, Dean etc. I have a rosewood and maple Tele and I love them both. Keep it real. I don't understand Ex.16 pag.12, C Major - move root to. Why have two guitars with the same fretboard when you can have one of each? If electronics were all that mattered, to use an example I used in another post, you could slap a Gibson PAF humbucker on a vintage Martin acoustic and they would sound exactly the same. None of it. There are two ways you will most often see maple fingerboards incorporated into a guitar build. You aren't alone in your assertion that tonewoods don't matter a whole lot for electric guitar. Don't like maple fretboards on anything. Your fretboard material will impact your technique as well as the way the strings ring through the pickups. A one-piece maple neck and fretboard on a Fender Stratocaster. So I don't know. Nice comparison. Of course many guitar companies today feature necks and fretboards built this way too. You should choose a guitar that feels good in your hands because thats how youre going to grow your relationship as a musician. On the other hand, silver maple is a lot easier to find and isnt as expensive because of how readily available it is. What is the state of the current age old debate? For that one, I say it's an earlier model because of the way the Pickup cavities are shaped. But hey, I have a blank canvas so I have a chance to make it any finish color I want. In my experience, when using exact construction methods, the difference in the two fingerboards is minimal. Respecting that long and storied heritage, the Fender Player Series Telecaster puts a modern edge on the authentic Tele tone and vibe. I forgot to include my intended footnote explaining that I use the term RW to represent any darker, non-laminated fretboard wood that can be treated with oil, such as Pau Ferro etc. And, I like how my Tele feels and sounds with rosewood. I prefer rosewood, because it looks better on all of my guitars IMO. If someone also has the book maybe can explain it to me. The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers to this website may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. :smile-new: my thoughts with the P90 noise: it all depends on the angle of the guitar towards the amp. As always, we recommend going to a guitar shop to test out different fretboard types to get a better understanding of the different relationships that you have with individual wood types. 2022 The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers on this website. Most players use a lemon oil conditioner made especially for guitars. TDPRI, short for Telecaster Discussion Page Reissue, is the leading online community and marketplace for Telecaster guitars. Regardless of the species, Rosewood is an open-grained wood, which isnt as smooth-running as Maple in ample boards. If youre part of the unfinished maple fingerboard team, youre going to have your clean and condition your fingerboard a lot more often than if you were to have a finished fretboard. We only recommend products that we believe in and test. Indian Rosewood is the wood that many guitar manufacturers are switching over to using Indian Rosewood because its a lot cheaper than both Honduran and Brazilian Rosewood, as its a lot more plentiful. Will they play nice together or will one of them have to leave? My Fender deluxe jazz 5 string has maple fingerboard which I found to be better than the Rosewood on the low B string and the pups of course. I think maple looks much better for a Tele. "Yeah we should definitely jam some time". Because you will probably end up buying a second guitar one day and that guitar will most likely have a RW fretboard. We are a community of guitar players, and enthusiasts and we want to spread the love for music to anyone with the heart to play. If there is a difference then it is tiny. A good L4-CES is sweetness machine with a Prog suits a capital letter. Now the Body pretty much looks & weigh's like it did before it was sprayed in a Fender Red. The use of Rosewood in stringed instruments has been around a lot longer than Maple fretboards have been, as Rosewood has also been used for the sides and backs for lutes, mandolins, and violins. What's Best? I had one built with ebony so I can claim tonal superiority to those who haven't heard that it's more or less the same. So far they haven't. Some versions of the ESP-LTD EC-1000, select Schecter guitars, and the Ibanez Iron Label Series are a few great places to start. This keeps the wood grain healthy and in good condition. A lot of guitarists like that, but of course this is where your own personal taste comes into the equation. The strings on a Rosewood fretboard tend to be a lot easier to control when attempting to bend the strings. Just really enjoyed your hub so much incredible information for all those interested in guitars, very helpful and informative. I voted for Rosewood because I seem to prefer it at the present time. Not that it sounded bad. Honduran Rosewood has a similar grain pattern to Brazilian Rosewood but tends to be lighter in color than Brazilian Rosewood is. I can only say that in my experience, I have never been able to hear any difference, at least not any difference that could not be attributed to other factors, like pickup type, pickup placement, nut material, bridge type etc. I will address your question as best I can. Just my two cents worth. The comparison would have made a little more sense if they were both necks from the same manufacturer. Rosewood is porous and has an open grain, so, if porosity is why maple is finished, then rosewood should be finished. However, this is a costly measure of maintenance and can lead to excessive wear on your fretboard, leading to a need for an earlier replacement. I should perhaps have used the terms laminated vs non-laminated rather than maple vs RW. Maple is a dense, hard tonewood that produces bright, snappy tones. Theres a guy recently on YouTube who makes a guitar that is nothing strings across 2 points that are 25.5 inches apart, tuned to an open G chord with a pickupno neck, no body, no fretboardand it sounds virtually identical to a Telecaster with the same pickup. It is quite nice to have one of each because they are different to play. This article seems to have been written by someone who doesnt play guitar and who spends a lot time in online forums. I defy anyone to tell the difference between maple or rosewood or anything other wood while blindfolded. Its easy to spot what guitars have Rosewood board by the dark red-brown hue but is also commonly found on Paul Reed Smith, Ibanez, and Gibson guitars. Maple fretboards also come in a variety of species, and each can impact your sound and playstyle. Has anyone here bought a guitar from Laurence Wexer in New York. Now its time to get out there and experiment with different guitars until you settle the issue for yourself! The SE Custom 24 pays homage to the guitar Paul Reed Smith took to his first tradeshow in 1985 and is now offered with a Floyd Rose 1000 Series tremolo. Poll - Do you use Roundwound or Flatwound Strings? This means that when youre playing the guitar, youre actually playing on the finish of the fretboard rather than playing on the actual maple wood itself. Good luck with your guitars! The process of maintaining a Rosewood fretboard is very similar to the steps that you follow to maintain an unfinished Maple fretboard, such as wiping down the fretboard with a dry cloth after a few hours of playing or after every playing session. It is also important to realize that you may come to prefer different fretboards for different styles of music. This is one of the reasons some guitar players prefer Fender Stratocasters and Telecasters with the option of a rosewood fretboard. There isnt a specific style of music that is less or more suitable for musicians who play on maple fretboards, as the relationship that a musician has with the fretboard comes down to their specific playing style, technique, and what they feel comfortable playing on. The most commonly used fingerboard wood in the creation is Maple and Rosewood, as there are perceptible differences in how both wood fretboards affect how a certain style of music or piece of music is played. The 1973-75 or76 Body is made of Alder & whomever owned it & made the modifications to it, really messed the Body up. happy new guitar day to you. Like rosewood, ebony is under increased stress due to overharvesting and the clearing of forests for other uses. I like maple boards better for no reason other than feel. So, I guess from now on, if it's poly finished, I won't really care if it plays good. It also means the ebony we see today is not as visually perfect as that which was harvested in the past. If you do decide to sell those necks with rosewood fingerboards just be careful where you ship them and make sure you have all the paperwork in place. The words Fender, Telecaster, Stratocaster and the associated headstock designs are registered trademarks of the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. Here to help all newbies (and some more experienced guitar players too) get set up right, find the right songs to play, and add to their guitar collections. When shopping around for a new guitar or having your guitar custom-built a luthier, the most commonly overlooked feature in the buying process is the type of fretboard material used in the creation of a guitar. For heavier metal, shred, jazz, and anything else where I need a warmer, deeper tone, I go with one of my, As for ebony, I can take it or leave it. I played it right after my maple 'board MIM at home, though the same amp, and was struck by how much snappier the maple was. Alizabeth Swain has played guitar for as long as she can remember, starting when she was just a kid in band camp. They feel different for sure but I can't say it really matters to me. I like the look of rosewood. With Michael Kanan (piano), Chris Flory (guitar) and Ari Roland (bass). In many places harvesting the best-quality ebony is now illegal, and the sources have become more and more scarce.
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