A lead guitarist would most likely prefer a maple board because of the brightness, as a rythimist would prefer ebony or rosewood. When manufacturing a guitar, luthiers consider every aspect and try to come up with a balanced combination that makes for a great instrument. On my rosewoods, its a struggle with arthritis now. The only thing to be concerned about is caring for the wood and the way it looks when considering maple or rosewood. The sound and feel of a guitar depends much more on the material striking the string, how that string is vibrating (perpendicular or parallel to the top), the gauge, length and tuning of the strings and whatever the string directly contacts (the bridge and nut). It has a lighter brown hue, close to the caramel nuance. Maple fretboards are usually varnished with the same finish (nitrocellulose, polyethylene, or other finishes) used on the rest of the neck. Personally I don't get the playing problem even with sweating on my hands and on the fingerboard. Guitarists also tend to think all maple sounds the same when it actually varies quite a bit in hardness. There are plenty of other fingerboard woods out there to choose from, but these two seem to be industry standards. The sure do feel & look different tho. Rickenbacker have used rosewood on occasion, though they favour Bubinga for fretboards. So I've found with arthritis Maple is tops for playing! Some recent Gibson models use fingerboards of granadillo (Dalbergia retusa) which also goes by names including cocobolo and palisander. I live in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, where it is rarely necessary to use a humidifier, but to people in most other parts of the USA it is essential. I am sure I could not hear the difference between two fingerboards, and I think most guitarplayers can not hear it either. Most guitarists characterize this as being reflective and neutral. Oh and I should note, I also only install Dunlop 6100 fretwire. While the type of wood used in the fabrication of the guitar fretboard does have an impact on the overall tone of a guitar, the kind of wood is used for a fretboard has a greater impact on the overall feel and playability of an instrument. It depends on the Guitar. https://music.stackexchange.com/questions/2636/what-is-the-difference-between-maple-and-rosewood-fretboards/34014#34014. Our hearing can also be influenced by what we see. Try it, fret a string, or have someone else fret a string, and watch it from the side. I always have been a rock guy, blues and metal type music. Maple with tung oil provides a finish that polishes wonderfully over time, yielding a slick neck. I'd say tradition, along with the availability of the wood itself. Maple boards are typically placed on Swamp Ash or brighter wood bodies and it lends a snap to the tone of the guitar. I don't know whether to upvote this for having some good information about fingerboard woods or flag it for unnecessary unkindness in the last two sentences. I never noticed before how much "work" I actually having to put into playing certain types of things. If these wear out, it can tarnish, get dirty and get an old, overplayed look. Fast forward 20 years later, I'm older now and have arthritis in my hands now. I wouldn't worry too much one way or the other re. A decent deep conditioner, followed by a little conditioning oil a week or so later, is enough to keep rosewood in top condition for 9+ months. It looks like the sun travels across the sky but it doesn't. They had 2 types in store. There are far too many variables at stake, and no amount of empirical evidence can compensate for that, ultimately. Can Rob and Lee tell the difference between a Rosewood and Maple fretboard? In a nutshell, the primary sonic quality maple is known for is its linearity — it has very predictable dampening and stiffness factors that make it the most transparent-sounding wood. It is found in USA and Canada and has a big density and hardness. Also to add, To me Maple vs. Rosewood is an esthetic choice. Rosewood vs Maple vs Ebony Fretboards. These are commonly finished with a high-gloss lacquer. As stated above, the components should make a unitary whole on a guitar, so be aware that the fretboard is not the only part responsible for the sound and playability. The fretboard material might be a contributing factor, but impossible to isolate. It'll affect sustain and tone quality, although to be honest other factors like the type of string, pickup and body make much more difference. Rosewood is known to be much mellower, and usually makes it's way on mahogany bodies and necks. Great note definition/clarity, especially with distortion, bright, sharp highs, punchy and snappy tone. Guitars and violins and such must be humidified all year long in many arid places. It's my fingerboard of choice because it's very tight grained and resonant. The only downside is the steep price. Rumor has it that this characteristic also increases the value and prestige of the instrument on today’s market. The owners of a guitar with this type of rosewood can be considered lucky and should be proud of their instruments. The entire neck is usually coated and sealed with lacquer or polymer based substances. Rosewood fretboards have no finish on them, and should be treated periodically with a wood conditioning oil. I have been playing guitar since 1964. With this in mind it is impossible to isolate the influence of fretboard material in the overall tone of the instrument. Just put a spectrum analyser infront of the amp, and you will read a different frequence responce with maple vs rosewood. After curing I then spray down some coats of lacquer sanding sealer. https://music.stackexchange.com/questions/2636/what-is-the-difference-between-maple-and-rosewood-fretboards/2637#2637. -The rosewood had more bottom end Here are the main options — Rosewood, Maple, Ebony, Granadillo and Richlite. Overall the tones are rich and spacious. Lots of people (some quite prominent) say it makes a difference though. You usually don't worry about humidifying your whole room or whole house, unless you are in an extremely dry environment. What you notice immediately between Rosewood and Maple necks that are gloss finished is the feel. Sound frequencies can add up or cancel out and this can be heard differently depending on where you are in a room. I take a finger of my glove and take a little dab of epoxy and wipe it into the grain of the fingerboard smooth. Rosewood is an open-grained wood, which can make it feel less smooth and fast to play on. Hope we can all get along! Obviously, there is a tonal difference. Likely the most widespread fingerboard tone wood in circulation, Rosewood is the preferred option for the majority of guitar players. Don't forget Ebony, which is used in a huge number of high-end guitars. I'd still go with maple. Single coil or humbucker? Tone wise comparing old wood P-Basses it's sort of like the difference between a Maple Neck Tele and a Rosewood neck Tele or Strat. Ebony vs Rosewood Fretboard: The Playability In terms of grain characteristics, ebony is more open-grained than rosewood. I would tend to agree with you Alex. He has some tendon problems in his hand and had surgery, since then he's been playing more maple boards and dropped down to a set of 9's when he plays now. It is quite discouraging but I just don't want to drop my zeal--especially not to guitars! For a long time I played a rosewood fingerboard. I ordered the maple to try but they sent the wrong guitar. I just never was a fan of that bright looking fingerboard on guitars. But, I did notice for myself, all the types of things I like to play, were like butter on a maple fingerboard. In fact my two favorite necks, as far as the “feel” of the fretboard goes, are not rosewood or maple. the fingerboard - the fingerboard does matter, but on a Tele not as much as the body wood and the bridge style/material. For a fretboard, most of the difference is aesthetics. Maple necks are popular in iconic guitars such as the popular Stratocaster and Telecaster from Fender. Unlike a conventional fingerboard, the Coform fingerboard is of uniform thickness. I have 2 guitars with the "alternative woods ". It makes no difference to the sound or playability of an electric guitar whether you have rosewood or maple for the fingerboard. As far as roasted maple vs rosewood goes, this is again a bit of a luck-of-the-draw situation, but rosewood may be the better option by virtue of the fact it's a little easier to keep conditioned. Its concentric geometry also helps to stabilize the neck, reducing the effect of changes in temperature and humidity. But it's pretty minimal really. The maple family of woods offers a wide range of responses, influenced by where in the world the tree grew. The fretboard can have a light layer embedded in the wood, or thicker layers that make it shinier and change the way it feels to the hand playing and sliding. If I'm in a crowded room I can focus my hearing better by looking at someone directly. Meanwhile, check out this video tutorial on Rosewood vs Maple - Guitar Tone Comparison: Hi everyone! If you bought a guitar, chances were that it would be outfitted with one of these three, as their density, strength, hardness, and pore shape made them ideal to withstand the rigors of guitar playing. It has a very dark brown color similar to chocolate or coffee. I would love to see a photo of one of these finished rosewood necks (up close and further away) if you happen to have any. If you want to see the main differences between the two, and how these types of wood affect your playing, sound, aspect and maintenance, you will find below the most essential facts and important features of the two categories compared. your fingers touch it, the strings touch it, the strings touch the frets that are IMBEDDED in the board..... of course to wood imparts something to the tone. Using a guitar humidifier is essential to keeping the wood in acoustic guitars from shrinking and cracking at low-humidity times of the year in most climates in the world. A maple neck is harder and feels very smooth under your fingers, while rosewood has some sponginess to it due to the porous properties of the wood. It can't be the fingerboard. My only issue with lacquering rosewood would be natural oils in the wood unseating the lacquer over time. https://music.stackexchange.com/questions/2636/what-is-the-difference-between-maple-and-rosewood-fretboards/5948#5948, https://music.stackexchange.com/questions/2636/what-is-the-difference-between-maple-and-rosewood-fretboards/14901#14901, https://music.stackexchange.com/questions/2636/what-is-the-difference-between-maple-and-rosewood-fretboards/15481#15481, https://music.stackexchange.com/questions/2636/what-is-the-difference-between-maple-and-rosewood-fretboards/40665#40665, https://music.stackexchange.com/questions/2636/what-is-the-difference-between-maple-and-rosewood-fretboards/57252#57252. So now there are Les Pauls and SGs with roasted maple fingerboards instead of rosewood. First is the SRV strat with pao ferro.It does feel and looks different (slightly ) than rosewood , but is a great fretboard wood.My other guitar is a Midtown with a richlite fretboard.My luthier thought it was ebony and to be honest , it plays and feels great.Everyone that I know who have bought one , have no complaints. Curious if it changes the look much. Unlike rosewood, the maple board will damage and far more easily. Its pores are finer and the grain patterns are thinner. Could you? The maple fretboard option comes with the original 635JM neck shape, while the rosewood fretboard option has been subtly modified in the shoulders to feel more “rounded” in your hand. However, the benefit is that it rosewood fingerboards tend to give better control over the strings, allowing for easier bends. Even unscrewing the neck from one and adding the neck from the other wouldn't be 'proof' of any sort. For both fretboard tonewood, the strings will have more “bite,” so players will have more control when bending strings. However, you will have to play it for years for these signs to take effect. Also, having two woods bonded is likely to counteract any warping that a single piece would have. There are several types of wood used for making a guitar, with maple and rosewood being two of the most popular for fretboards. Maple fretboard. Your strings touch the frets, and your fingers touch the strings. If you bend the string; same thing. https://music.stackexchange.com/questions/2636/what-is-the-difference-between-maple-and-rosewood-fretboards/57251#57251. Warmoth has a stellar site dedicated to the distinction between different tonewoods (neck and body). This includes the pickups, chords, guitar body, neck, potentiometers, shape and accessories. Anyone who says the fingers don't touch the board, doesn't "play" guitar. Don’t rush if you’re undecided, especially if you want to make a big investment. Enjoy! Maple seems to have a dip in the mids and sound sorta scooped compared to RW. Listen to a Paul Standard with rosewood, and a Paul Custom with ebony. The Blogging Musician @ adamharkus.com Exploring the differences between the two most common guitar fretboard (or fingerboard) materials. I'd played a dark fingerboard for so long it took me a while to get used to the maple color when moving up and down the neck, but that was more of a visual thing than anything mechanical. The best way to choose a fingerboard is to try it for yourself ultimately. The funny thing is; when you play the guitar, your fingers don't touch the fingerboard, and the strings don't touch it either. In my experience Maple necks are more varnished, whcih also might make a difference to the tone. Is there a difference that's based on feel or sound - why are they the two most widely used choices? You can adjust the tone of a Strat by tightening or slackening off the neck bolts (and if they are '70s Strats with that micro-tilt garbage, or a folded up bus ticket acting as a crude shim, then all bets are off). He went on record stating that he didn't like the way nitro-lacquered maple fretboards were holding up and appeared dirty when shown on black and white television. Which sound is the true sound of an electric guitar- the neck pickup or the bridge or both? People lose high frequencies as they age. Now you can either shoot some gloss lacquer over it all if you want that shine on it. Of course, I want to engage with the community as well! Would you not want to use a Dehumidifier? As to why they are chosen? The 1950s set the tone for the foreseeable future of guitar building. Rosewood. For one thing Leo Fender didn't move from Maple to Rosewood fretboards for any tonal reason. It is hard to tell when a Rosewood fretboard is filthy, making it harder to tell when You Have to wash your fretboard thoroughly. As for the difference in sound; it must make some difference, but very little. In between coats I use fine steel wool and smooth out each coat. All the guitars I have with unfinished rosewood fingerboards, they kill my hands and set my arthritis off! Not just playing a similar rif on the two things being compared. Because it’s so hard, ebony has a fantastic surface and feel, which makes it a delight to play. It's all preference and your ability to enforce it. Following the precisely shaped top surface of the maple neck, the result is an ideal playing surface, harder and more durable than ebony or rosewood. What to Know About Learning to Play the Drums, Essentials You Should Have When Learning to Play an Electric Guitar. I work the whole length of the board until its just got a thin layer over it. It is however well known that woods lend specific tones to an instrument, so possibly years of experience and use by high quality luthiers have lent to the reputation of maple and rosewood. I find with these type of things, and often with speakers also, it takes a night of playing to figure it out. I need to play on more maple fretboards to see if I can really tell the difference. As for tone or feel, I don't notice any difference. The maple neck should be brighter than the rosewood one. There's many phenomena that fool our senses: colors look different depending on the light source, mirages that look like water on the road but isn't. Both types of woods have been used for decades for some of the most iconic brands in the guitar manufacturing industry – Gibson, Fender, Epiphone, etc. The Brazilian type doesn’t feature on guitars after the 60’s, since it’s been banned for cutting, exploitation and commercial use. That also has helped tremendously in my playing since my arthritis has gotten worse. Also, on guitars that are exposed to extreme seasonal changes in humidity due to climate, a rosewood fingerboard may expand or contract in size, causing problems with the seating of the metal frets. Doing this gives me a level board with filled in grain. As soon as I get my tax return I'm getting my first custom guitar from there. And it is audible. Maple is a common fretboard material on electric guitars but is scarcely seen on acoustics. You can clearly see that string and finger float above the fingerboard. It’s a dark brown type of wood with beautiful reddish accents and nice grain patterns. Maple boards are typically placed on Swamp Ash or brighter wood bodies and it lends a snap to the tone of the guitar. They definitely feel different too. Some wood combinations are not recommended and produce undesired effects in sound and weight balance. Out of phase or in phase? One of the very common questions is how different types of necks and fretboard materials affect the sound and the playing of the guitars. +1 for the Warmoth link. Looks. (again-same model different fretboard). (You can find there guitar on the guitarfetish website. I like both. What I have always found is that I liked the playability better on a Rosewood Fretboard. Although I'm a bit skeptical of the claim that the fretboard makes much of a sonic difference, especially on an electric, since it makes up such a small percentage of the wood used. The other end is on a fret, so the sound there goes through the metal of the fret, through the wood it's mounted in (maple/rosewood), and down the neck and into the body. Did you know that the human eye has a blind spot that your brain fills in for you? For live playing the rosewood will absorb some sweat also. https://music.stackexchange.com/questions/2636/what-is-the-difference-between-maple-and-rosewood-fretboards/65782#65782, https://music.stackexchange.com/questions/2636/what-is-the-difference-between-maple-and-rosewood-fretboards/11953#11953. The color is a much lighter yellow-brown hue. However I still wasn't wanting to switch to maple fingerboards yet. Unless your guitar is setup real bad, that is. Which ones looks better to you? Volume changes what we hear and fatigue can set in as well. Rose wood and maple necks are often combined with other types of woods for the body/neck parts such as mahogany and alder. So, the things I used to love to play were getting more painful and hard to play. Anyone who says there's no difference, doesn't listen tot eh guitar without the amp. Enough fretting. Once I ordered an LP style guitar. Rosewood Vs. Most guitars today have the Indian rosewood featured on their fretboards. Another note: Some luthiers are now using a heat-treated maple fingerboard (sometimes called "roasted maple") in place of rosewood. Neither of them touch the fingerboard. Articles, Uncategorized. I did own a few guitars with maple fingerboards, but I never played them much really to give them good break ins. This makes the playing experience warm, organic and natural to the hand and fingers. Hey guys, everybody talks about this, and when they do, they talk about the sound. If you don't, your guitar may be ruined. My current profession is not really music-related. Im Monica and I am an avid lover of guitars and everything in-between. I would love to see an empirical test of the differences between a rosewood and maple neck on the exact same body. Depending on the tree where it’s cut from, its nuance can turn almost white, making a beautiful contrast with a dark body and inlays. Rosewood also has more balanced mids and highs and seem to have more complex harmonics, something that seems more and more obvious the cleaner the tone gets. For what it's worth, setup is much more of a key to playability than fretboard wood or finish. For me a 60's style 3 saddle bridge (steel saddles) is more important than maple or rosewood (or alder vs. swamp ash), many prefer 50's style brass saddles. - Guitar Space I agree w/ Alex as well. It still feels effortless to play on. Here's the neck site. There they are with different fretboards). Some guitarists enjoy this process, as an indicator of experience, while it also makes the instrument look more vintage and aged. That’s why protective layers of various coating are added. There is more than just rosewood and maple! I just leave the sanding sealer as is, it leaves a natural sheen I think that looks more close to a new natural polished up rosewood fingerboard. So for me I always liked the looks of rosewood or ebony boards. Ebony frets cost around 10 times that of rosewood. As for the frets being set in either maple or rosewood, show me the money! The string doesn't make enough contact w/ the FB for it to have a dramatic difference. The fret surface is bare wood – thanks to its composition and oily textures and grains it doesn’t need any lacquering or coating. In my universe (meaning: guitars that I have), it's vice versa tone wise. WiredGuitarist. In terms of overall feel and playability, rosewood tends to feel coarse, and not as slick compared to maple and ebony. They definitely feel different too. Just as you may prefer … I think maple is a softer colour, it luks great, and i find it easyer to play than rosewood. So I did the next best thing, I started finishing my rosewood fingerboards like maple boards. As for sound and tone, maple will offer tight bass notes, great sustain, brighter sound and sharp highs. Now that I'm older and been knocked down a lil, give me a maple fingerboard or a finished rosewood board. May 16, 2016. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Top Ten Tips For Effective Piano Practice, The Best Book To Learn Guitar - A Top 5 List, Tips For Beginners On Choosing The Right Keyboard, Top Tips On How To Grow Your Spotify Presence As An Artist, 6 Must-Have Guitar Effects Pedals In Your Pedalboard, The Best Acoustic Bass Guitars Today – A Complete Rundown (2019 ), The Best Acoustic Guitar Under 500 – Top 5 Choices(2019), The Best Looper Pedal For Both Pros and Amateurs 2019, The Best Practice Amps for Beginners and Versatile Guitarists 2019, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), How To Refret a Guitar By Yourself at Home – A Simple and Easy Guide for The Average Guitarist, Best Method To Create A DIY Sound Diffuser, the pickups, https://www.pinterest.com/offical_guitartrance/. If you’re new to guitars and don’t have experience in trying different gear instruments and necks, your ear might not be formed enough to hear the subtle differences between the two. The nut and the back neck can be various types of woods, with the rosewood layered on the fretboard. There are plenty of guitars out there that don't follow these traditional approaches so your mileage may vary. 2021 Stack Exchange, Inc. user contributions under cc by-sa. Which one is the true sound of that guitar? If you never touch the fingerboard how does it end up dirty/worn on frets you use a lot? ALL THESE ARE EASY TO MANIPULATE IN MIXING BUT IT IS TRUE. Once I feel its filled enough the way I want it, I let it cure. Does it bother you that the pickup is sensing a relatively small portion of the string length? Good point. It also matters what time of the day you record and how you sit in you chair..yes..but these were sure audible. The sound is supremely influenced by pickups, amps, speakers, the room and volume. Visit a store that sells expensive acoustic guitars in the USA or Europe, and I guarantee you will find humidifiers running to keep the moisture level in the air higher so the guitars do not crack. The rosewood is very durable. Adding humidity to the environment does not seem like a good idea. I have both a maple and a rosewood with two different fret sizes and two different radius (radi?) Your hearing can be influenced by a number of factors. Smart guitarists use a hygrometer to measure humidity and a humidifier to keep the humidity at at a constant level inside the case. Finished fingerboards and big frets are key if have the same issued as I do. I typically use a Fender Stratocaster, which I thought should be mentioned. https://music.stackexchange.com/questions/2636/what-is-the-difference-between-maple-and-rosewood-fretboards/31326#31326. -The maple sounded more nasally. However, both of them allow flawless string bending compared to maple. I think the use of clear finish makes the fingerboard more slippery and I like that, but that has nothing to do with the wood type. Comparing two separate instruments automatically invalidates any claims you might be trying to make, even if they are of the same model. https://music.stackexchange.com/questions/2636/what-is-the-difference-between-maple-and-rosewood-fretboards/5963#5963. In my younger days, I hated maple fingerboards purely out of looks. Good luck to all out there, keep playing and find what works for you! Common thoughts about a maple vs rosewood fretboard bass Some bassists swear that maple boards sound brighter and more aggressive than rosewood, which tends to have a darker, more mellow tone they claim. No fatigue in my hands or pains. It will make a bit of difference to the sound - one ond of the string is resting on the bridge, and the vibration goes through that into the body. The Maple neck is generally brighter, a bit more percussive. That’s why protective layers of various coating are added. (Some sources also call this "gunstock" oil.). I think rosewood fretboards on Strats feel better, but I prefer the look and sound of maple. Gibson has been doing a lot of this in the last year due to their acute shortage of rosewood (it's a long story). Rosewood is known to be much mellower, and usually makes it's way on mahogany bodies and necks. A popular wood choice for necks and fretboards, maple is highly recognizable due to the grain patterns, moderate weight, and bright tone. So it was that ebony, rosewood, and maple were the primary choices of fretboard woods for the greater part of the 20th century. Although maple is a hard wood, ebony is harder and will wear better. Maple Fretboard. Since you’ll be stuck with it for a while, choose carefully based on sound playability and your personal playing preferences and the music you like. Rooms sound very different. I HEARD THEM AND RECORDED THEM...again. But what I do is take the board and clean it, then wearing gloves, I mix a small amount of clear 5 minute set epoxy. One with rosewood and one with maple fretboard. Unlike rosewood, the maple board will damage and far more easily. Opinions and advice can vary, and can be subjective, but after you know the general agreed upon facts, you can make a much easier decision in picking or replacing a neck that will fit your playing style, sound and music genre. When they sent the maple one I did the same with the same exact settings I saved to my digital setup. Maple seems to grab the strings a little more where rosewood seems to be a little slicker IMO. So if one neck feels smoother than the other, it must have smoother frets. They differ. If these wear out, it can tarnish, get dirty and get an old, overplayed look. When I'd go back to my rosewood fingerboard guitars, I found I was having to work just a lil extra to pull the same things off.