Question Ebony board owners question...

[Basswave]

Ebony boards owners?

I'm curious for those of you who own a stealth or DD with an Ebony fretboard and if you have A/B-ed to the same model with a maple or rosewood board.

What did you notice in the tonal differences.

What is just a slight more foundation with bit of the maple snap in the highend?

I'm assuming it is this...

I ask since I'm really digging the Bongo tone but I'm not fan of rosewood boards.

Thanks in advance

 

[rizzo9247]

In a perfect world we would all be able tell the difference in sounds of each fretboard wood. Unfortunately, as soon as you play in a band context, the differences are purely visual.

As an aside, the grain on both my rosewood board ebmm's are stunning.

 

[bovinehost]

I think sometimes that I feel that I'm almost sure I can vaguely sense a slight difference between the rosewood and ebony on my Bongos, but there are so many other variables that I generally end up deciding that I'm full of poo-poo.

 

[ZiggyDude]

Regarding my otehr basses - I can feel ebony but I can't prove it changes sound as much as other things like even the room acoustics.

I love the look - it is why I keep looking at a DDII Bongo. Luckily I have this stange obsession with blue this week to keep me distracted.

 

[mmbassplayer]

The biggest thing i can tell is with the feel of an ebony board. Big differance between Rosewood and huge differance between maple. I have not heard a huge differance but have not really payed that much attention. To date I have not A/B'd my Sterling with a standard model but can the next time my buddy comes over with his Sterling. Hope all is well. JOSH

 

[mynan]

Help me understand how ebony "feels" different from maple or rosewood...my fingers are always on the strings and the back of the neck.

 

[p5string]

In general I personally feel that ebony boards, while just as warm as rosewood, afford a slightly quicker attack and a bit more focused fundamentals. In other words to my ears the sound is a bit more in your face than rosewood.

 

[mmbassplayer]

Mynan.... maybe feel was not the right word to decribe what i was talking about. I think response may have been better. The strings respond different to each wood a bit different. Not enough for me to perfer one over the other but different. Mind you i am comparing a Sterling with Ebony board to a Stingray (Mahog Body) with a rosewood board. JOSH

Help me understand how ebony "feels" different from maple or rosewood...my fingers are always on the strings and the back of the neck.

 

[Duarte]

Ebony is black therefore cool. Rosewood has lines therefore is cool. Maple is just kinda cool.

 

[RobertB]

Mynan.... maybe feel was not the right word to decribe what i was talking about.

I definitely feel a difference ... unmistakably, and even more so on the EBMM basses with ebony boards that I've tried than on other/non-ebmm ebony boarded basses (there's a tongue twister). They just feel more dense, hard & smooth, ie, of very high quality, and to me there's a very noticeable corresponding feel to them.

Sure, your fingers are in most direct contact with the strings, but the strings are in contact with the board, and you can feel that, can you not? I can, big time, especially when bending or applying vibrato, etc... i can feel substantially more friction with other board materials, especially rosewood.

But aside from just that, my fingertips also make direct contact with the board, otherwise my oil & wax maple boards wouldn't get so damn dirty looking over time (and mine do so more than most, for some reason - hey, prolly related to sweat, ya think? - which is partly why I love the poly finish on my classic).

Anyway, I can feel it & it's a difference that I like. Hopefully when I'm ready for a 5'er, there'll be some new BA or Reflex finish/edition available with an ebony board.

 

[mynan]

I definitely feel a difference ... unmistakably, and even more so on the EBMM basses with ebony boards that I've tried than on other/non-ebmm ebony boarded basses (there's a tongue twister). They just feel more dense, hard & smooth, ie, of very high quality, and to me there's a very noticeable corresponding feel to them.

Sure, your fingers are in most direct contact with the strings, but the strings are in contact with the board, and you can feel that, can you not? I can, big time, especially when bending or applying vibrato, etc... i can feel substantially more friction with other board materials, especially rosewood.

But aside from just that, my fingertips also make direct contact with the board, otherwise my oil & wax maple boards wouldn't get so damn dirty looking over time (and mine do so more than most, for some reason - hey, prolly related to sweat, ya think? - which is partly why I love the poly finish on my classic).

Anyway, I can feel it & it's a difference that I like. Hopefully when I'm ready for a 5'er, there'll be some new BA or Reflex finish/edition available with an ebony board.

Maybe, but I'm guessing that a double blind test with no amplification might prove otherwise.

 

[RobertB]

Maybe, but I'm guessing that a double blind test with no amplification might prove otherwise.

I'd take that challenge! That'd actually be kinda fun. =)

 

[mynan]

I'd take that challenge! That'd actually be kinda fun. =)

Yeah. I was trying to think of a way to get it done, but I don't have the means.

 

[oli@bass]

In other words to my ears the sound is a bit more in your face than rosewood.

This.

 

[sitonmybass]

The biggest difference that I hear is the difference that both rosewood and ebony have compared to maple.

Maple is too bright and "clacky" for me and seems to lack something in the mids. Both rosewood and ebony suit my playing better since I play rather aggressively.

 

[syciprider]

My DDII (ebony) feels different to my touch than my maple and rosewood board equipped pieces. I can't quantify it but it just does. Probably the minute differences in grain structure? However, I don't feel a difference between maple and rosewood but I prefer maple for looks.

Tonewise, RW or maple, I hear a Musicman. The fact that my ebony board sounds different I allude to the fact that it does not have the EBMM bridge humbucker.