Is there a Difference Between Fretboards?

[ScoobySteve]

Seeing that the Axis and the Silo come with variable options when it comes to fretboards, does each wood provide different sound/tonal characteristics to the guitar?

The popular ones out there are rosewood, maple and ebony, and when deciding on which fretboard to use, I'm confused as to what I should consider about each wood.

Thanks a ton in advance, and sorry for the n00bish question!

-Steve

 

[whitestrat]

First, I think you should ignore the tonal aspects and focus on the feel of the fretboard. Which feels nicer to you?

The reason why I say you need to ignore the tonal aspects, is that you have a lot of generalisation going on in statements like those. Like most people saying that maple is brighter than rosewood, and ebony being the brightest, etc etc.

I think that's quite misleading, as I have experienced a few RW boards being way brighter than most maples. The 20th I got from Norrin Radd is one such example. It's more about the acoustic properties of that particular piece of wood. RWs I find have something more of a scooped EQ characteristic, with more low mids than maples, but less high mids. But they can also have every strong highs. Maples, I find, tend to have less low mids, but more high mids but less highs than RWs. Ebony, I find tends to have more highs, and high mids, but less low mids than RW. That that's usually too subtile to be noticed. Then you start getting into the different varieties of Rosewoods: Brazillian, Indian etc etc... And they're all different.

I think the best way to judge, is simply first deciding what you like, then checking out the tonal characteristics of tha guitar as a whole. Not by playing, but rather, holding the body to your ear, rested on your shoulder, and tapping one of the horns. You should hear a resounding knock with a tone, rather than just a thump. If it's a thump, then the wood tends to be dead, and responds mainly due to the pups installed. If the knock is of a higher freq, then it's bright. If it's low, it's dark.

Again, the wood doesn't really matter in this case in terms of darkness or brightness, because the JP6 I have, has a bright knock, and is actually brighter than some other Ibanezes I've tried. And yet it's still basswood. It's even brighter than one of my 20ths with the same pups!!!

A lot of it has to do with the EQ response you get from each wood, which might can have very interesting charcteristics going from choice to choice.

So, knocking the wood tells you what range of tone it'll produce. But the wood itself will decide what variation of that range it'll give.

So I don't think a guitar should be chosen on wood itself, but rather, as a sum of the whole.

Did I say too much?

Oh. For more GENERAL info, check this one out: http://www.warmoth.com/guitar/options/options_bodywoods.cfm

 

[candid_x]

Like most people saying that maple is brighter than rosewood, and ebony being the brightest, etc etc.

Sure it's a generalization, one that I've found to be very accurate. Just because there are exceptions, which probably has more to do with other elements than the fretboard, maple is typically brighter than rosewood boards.

 

[whitestrat]

Sure it's a generalization, one that I've found to be very accurate. Just because there are exceptions, which probably has more to do with other elements than the fretboard, maple is typically brighter than rosewood boards.

Agreed, but I still think that's pretty misleading. I don't mean that we're looking only at exceptions, but I think based on the "bright = highs" generalisation, RW alone has the same amounts of highs compared to maple, except that their highs are of different freq ranges from the kind exhibited in maples.

I think a further definition is needed to be able to understand the differences between the two.

 

[ScoobySteve]

Thanks a lot for the thorough explanation and opinion.

I started out on a Jose Ramirez R2, so the ebony fretboard is my world.

I'm just confused, given that there are alternatives available, if there are any characteristics to consider while choosing one.

I don't think ebony is offered on any of the EBMM's but for my LP, I know blasphemous, I think I will change to an ebony FB.

Thanks again!

-Steve

 

[JohnnyD19]

Agreed, but I still think that's pretty misleading. I don't mean that we're looking only at exceptions, but I think based on the "bright = highs" generalisation, RW alone has the same amounts of highs compared to maple, except that their highs are of different freq ranges from the kind exhibited in maples.

I think a further definition is needed to be able to understand the differences between the two.

dude lets not get all Eric Johnson and stuff on this analyzation hahah

 

[whitestrat]

dude lets not get all Eric Johnson and stuff on this analyzation hahah

Nah... Eric Johnson will tell you that you need to find out the number of mols of poly molecules in one square inch of finish to know if it's a good guitar or not.

 

[Astrofreq]

Ebony just looks cooler. I wish it were offered.

 

[phatduckk]

i keep it simple and judge by looks alone.

as far as rw vs. maple & bright vs. darker... where it may be a true generalization i figure different types of strings, my amp's eq etc can deal with the tonal differences.

my thinking may be flawed but its oversimplified to make my life easier

my 2 cents

 

[JohnnyD19]

Nah... Eric Johnson will tell you that you need to find out the number of mols of poly molecules in one square inch of finish to know if it's a good guitar or not.

true.

 

[ScoobySteve]

Perhaps we should ask BP to consider ebony FB's.

The JP6 BFR's with ebony FB's would look killerrrrrrrrr!

 

[PeteDuBaldo]

Ebony is a very difficult wood to work with, and I find it is very susceptible to climate - I have a custom guitar with an ebony fretboard and it has split twice; once during the first winter I had it (sent it back for a new board), then it came back and split again the following summer - go figure.

It sure does feel good under the fingers, though!

All that being said I prefer rosewood.

 

[tommyindelaware]

re-fretting an ebony fingerboard is much more problematic too. the ebony fingerboard will splinter ALOT more than maple & rosewood. i also find that rosewood fingerboards do consistantly produce a better midrange to my ears.

Ebony is a very difficult wood to work with, and I find it is very susceptible to climate - I have a custom guitar with an ebony fretboard and it has split twice; once during the first winter I had it (sent it back for a new board), then it came back and split again the following summer - go figure.

It sure does feel good under the fingers, though!

All that being said I prefer rosewood.

 

[whitestrat]

i keep it simple and judge by looks alone.

as far as rw vs. maple & bright vs. darker... where it may be a true generalization i figure different types of strings, my amp's eq etc can deal with the tonal differences.

Actually, this was what I was trying to say in my long post... I took a few paragraphs, and you just shrank it to a few sentences...

 

[phatduckk]

Actually, this was what I was trying to say in my long post... I took a few paragraphs, and you just shrank it to a few sentences...

 

[ScoobySteve]

Well, in the cosmetics department Ebony looks gorgeous, but Pete's advice just kinda scared me off.

I live in Southern California, and travel to Korea often, with my guitar.

Changing from super dry to super humid climate has me worried for my guitars.

=(

 

[PugNinjas]

I swore by maple for almost 20 years and although I did have a few other guitars with rosewood I always prefered maple. Now, I realize that while maple has it's advantages I actually prefer the way rosewood feels under my fingers.

I really just think it boils down to personal preference more than anything else

 

[whitestrat]

I swore by maple for almost 20 years and although I did have a few other guitars with rosewood I always prefered maple. Now, I realize that while maple has it's advantages I actually prefer the way rosewood feels under my fingers.

I really just think it boils down to personal preference more than anything else

Heh... I feel the same way. I really like the feel of RW now, and Ebony or Maple sometimes feels too slick.

I love talking about topics like this. I tried reading up on this as much as I could in the last few months, and the mroe I read, the more convinced I was about how good or rather, how much we were actually getting from EBMM guitars for the prices we pay. A simple analogy is this: for the price of a regular Fender, we're getting the equivalent of a Suhr...

The 20th Silos are a killer example. These are still the best guitars I've ever played... and I've played a lot...

 

[andynpeters]

A simple analogy is this: for the price of a regular Fender, we're getting the equivalent of a Suhr...

The 20th Silos are a killer example. These are still the best guitars I've ever played... and I've played a lot...

While I don't argue with your comments on EBMM quality the price comment surely doesn't work for us Europeans....the average price of a SS over here would buy me 2 regular USA Fenders.

I prefer rosewood for the feel but often maple for the look. Ebony looks nice too. For me, maple necks don't look good with matching headstocks. Sound differences? For me too many other factors at work to make a decision.


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tipello.net - i am not referring you, i just DO recommend it.

 

[whitestrat]

While I don't argue with your comments on EBMM quality the price comment surely doesn't work for us Europeans....the average price of a SS over here would buy me 2 regular USA Fenders.

I prefer rosewood for the feel but often maple for the look. Ebony looks nice too. For me, maple necks don't look good with matching headstocks. Sound differences? For me too many other factors at work to make a decision.

Yesh... I get your point. For us, the EBMM prices are about the same as USA Fender List Prices. Thing is, the local distributor doesn't offer discounts for EBMMs, but the one for Fender does. Even after the price discrepancy, it's obvious that the quality and construction of the EBMM outweighs that price difference.

At the end of the day, I think wood preferences are still subjected to the player. There's no better or worse wood, and also it's not a matter of "this wood is better for cutting thru or rhythm" because most cases can be sorted out with EQ.