difference in fretboards?

[Marchisgonebass]

how big of a difference in tone is there between rosewood and maple fretboard?

btw sorry about all the posts

 

[bovinehost]

Maple is, in scientific terms, "attackier".

Rosewood, meanwhile, is darker.

Trust me, I know these things.

 

[mbgreene]

Here - you can try this older thread that has some RW vs Maple clips

http://www.ernieball.com/forums/music-man-basses/11657-rosewood-vs-maple-clips-poll.html

 

[eastcoasteddie]

That's a good one. There definitely is a difference, and you can tell the maple has a more vibrant high end to it...while using headphones. But in all honesty, in a band situation, you'll never hear the difference. It's almost like "what colour do you like better"

However, there are some maintenance difference between the 2. The rosewood will have deeper gain pockets that will collect dead skin from your fingers running up & down the strings, and if you care, you'll need to be more "tidy" with it. Rosewood can get a bit dry over time and a good rubbing with lemon oil will keep it looking great. Maple has a very tight grain and nothing will collect or really build up on it. No need to oil, either.
...but after 14 years with my Stingray, there are some dark patches in the fretboard that don't seem to come out with regular cleaning. Dirt must have gotten into those tight grains on an almost microscopic level and built up over time, where the grains are so tight that regular cleaning can't get them out..

I'm actually on the fence about my next fretboard choice. I my '94 stingray and '97 L2500 are both maple. I'm thinking of rosewood for my next bass only because it's different than what I've been playing for the last 14 years...I want to do a "put together" bass and I want to stain the Ash body black (translucent), and I'm thinking the rosewood without inlays will look rather interesting.

Also, as was posted in that older thread "as for the difference in tone...there ARE knobs for that"...

 

[T Alan]

Maple fretboards look good with darker body colors. Rosewood boards look better with lighter body colors. At least, this is how I see it.

 

[Aussie Mark]

Maple fretboards look good with darker body colors. Rosewood boards look better with lighter body colors. At least, this is how I see it.

or, vice versa.

 

[Zippydog]

Good read. While we're at it (and waiting patiently for DDIIs)...
How about ebony?

 

[oli@bass]

Good read. While we're at it (and waiting patiently for DDIIs)...
How about ebony?

You'll be surprised.
IMO it's the "attackiest" wood... very hard, very bright, very dark and looking even better than rosewood

 

[phatduckk]

I'd say that realistically the minimal tonal diff doesn't make a difference that "matters". Hell, even 2 SR4's with RW boards who's woods were harvested from the same trees will sound different.

Between the knobs on the bass, the knobs on your amp & your strings there's too many variables for the FB to matter much. IMO, of course

but if they feel different to u, then thats another story

 

[JimB52]

I always felt maple was a bit brighter and that it was easier to bend the strings on a maple neck for some reason. Rosewood has a deeper tone to my ears, especially with the treble rolled off.

 

[Basspro]

maple fretboards look good with darker body colors. Rosewood boards look better with lighter body colors. At least, this is how i see it.

+1

 

[Manfloozy]

I'm all about RW boards... doesn't matter the body color. I prefer the feel, and look.... and with Phatduckk's awesome comparison thread can say that I prefer the tone as well (I am now 100% sure). I can personally hear a HUGE difference between the two, almost SS vs. Tube (not the same, but the same kind of difference).

Thanks mbgreene for posting the thread again!

 

[Marchisgonebass]

how much maintanence is there to do on ebony?

 

[Basspro]

Basicly the same as the other woods.

 

[keko]

It's really individual stuff!

I prefer maple fretboard just 'cause I like that color of tone (sound) at the first place, have better visibility on the dark stages, for me looks better overall and finally I have smoother feeling when touch it, have feeling of more versatility...etc.

But that's me!

 

[Powman]

Is there a difference in tone? To the trained ear of an experienced bass player, yes. To the rest the band, not so much. To the audience, they wont notice. The audience barely notices if you change to an entirely different bass. And yes, the tone controls and type of amp you use can add/remove brightness if needed.

I am curious about something with these kinds of questions. Are these coming from folks who don't live near a music store so they can try out the instruments for themselves? I tried a Sterling with both a rosewood and a maple fretboard. Yes, I heard a difference, but did not find it to big enough to influence my decision. Thats what you need to do...try 'em for yourself.

 

[Marchisgonebass]

cant try them out. the nearest guitar center to my house is like almost an hour 45 minutes away. and theres only one guitar store in my area that carries ernie's balls. they have like 1 4 string stingray with rosewood and 2 5 string stingray rosewoods and 1 5 string sterling rosewood.

 

[Powman]

ahh, ok.

Well then dont sweat it...just get what you like. The majority think the difference is small...only a few sear the difference is huge. I don't.

 

[Old_Guy]

Maple is, in scientific terms, "attackier".

Rosewood, meanwhile, is darker.

Trust me, I know these things.

And that's all she wrote! Or, rather 'he.' Generally just a very subtle difference; most people wind up making the decision for asthetic reasons. Personally, and it's probably completely psychological (as I have MMs with both boards) I find rosewood feels "softer" to my fingers, particularly after a long session. Probably just psychological though.