👕 Get New Ernie Ball Merch Now!
  • Ernie Ball
  • Music Man
  • Sterling by Music Man
  • Security notice: Ernie Ball staff will never send you a direct message about a prize or giveaway, and will never ask you to click a link to "claim" anything.
    If you receive a message like that - even from an account whose name looks official - do not click the link. Please report it using the Report link on the message so the moderators can act. A scam campaign impersonating admin accounts was blocked on 29 July 2026; those accounts are banned and their messages have been deleted.
Axis 30th Anniversary

Rosewood vs. Maple board

candid_x

candid_x

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 26, 2006
Messages
3,272
There are some typical tone differences between identical guitars but with different finger board materials, such as, maple being brighter, spankier and sometimes more articulate, whereas rosewood tends to be warmer and fatter.

But, has anyone here had otherwise identical guitars, say – one rosewood and one maple – experienced that the rosewood board produces significantly louder acoustical tone and vibrates/transmits noticeably more in the hand?
 
Well, at one point, I had 2 Tom Anderson's prior to finding EBMM. Both identical guitars, minus color, and one was a rosewood and the other was maple. I found the tones the exact way you stated.

However, I thought the maple tend to be more acoustic. I only base this because I thought it just sounded brighter (louder) even acoustically. But, I did find the rosewood to resonate and sustain longer acoustically...but was warmer in sound (not as loud as maple).

At this point, I only play EBMM JP guitars and bongo basses. All rosewood as I like it better than maple. The rosewood Axis is one of my favorites as the rosewood neck is flat out to die for. :cool:
 
I prefer maple a fretboard more because it feels smoother to me when playing.
I only have one electric w/ a rosewood fretboard (Axis Sport) & it does sound different than my EVH, Wolfies & Silhouette Special (all w/ maple fb), but I attribute it more to the wood used for the body (Ash vs Basswood vs Alder).
 
I personally love rosewood, because I like that nice dark and warm fat sound more. Also, Alder is a bright enough wood, so I kind of like the balance between the two. Oh, and also I mostly preffer the LOOK of rosewood compared to maple. So far all the guitars I have are all rosewood, but I might get a maple one at some point, hopefully with A LOT of figuring. That's the only time I like maple board if you can see TONS of figuring on it, like that early Silo Jon is about to buy from the Bay :).
 
What is that abomination?!?!?! :D j/k Is that your Jem? And I see you got the Spider 2, do you like it? I've got one, but I am getting really sick of it. The Flex3 is cool tho.
I am starting to like Maple a little more from seeing some nice figured ones, and it feels nice too, but that maple on the Jem is way too plain. If I had a lot of money I would have odered another 20th Silo w/ maple.
 
That guitar plays like a BEAST! Sounds and plays GREAT!

I really like the Spider II, the 2 X 12 version.

That is one of like the 20 guitars I have, plus, I have a super duper set-up where I can get just about any sound I want out of it.
 
Last edited:
jongitarz said:
It looks like Walt Disney threw up:p
Click to expand...
What movie starring Burt Renoylds and Dom DeLouis (sp) had that line? One of them was trying to kill himself and threw up all the pills.

PS My new avatar. Above the mountians and the sun is actually Blue Dawn. I'm gonna go get a life now.
 
Last edited:
I have both a maple and a rosewood neck axis and ass. I thought i would not like the rosewood, but i was so wrong. The sound is a little meatier and the feeling.... unbelievable.


Jonny
 
Thanks, all, especially Koogie, for speaking to my main question of acoustic volume.

I have two ‘like new’ SS, one with maple and one with rosewood. I’ve been playing a lot of both lately, but keep coming to the conclusion that the rosewood model resonates more in the neck, and is considerably louder acoustically. I’ve owned several of each boards, but this is the first I’ve owned the same model simultaneously where I could actually A/B them. I’ve nearly always been partial to maple, mainly for the slippery feel and spanky tone/response, and I prefer the look of maple better. But now I’m leaning strongly to rosewood, at least on the SS model.

Thanks again.
 
I can't comment on the differences but as my close up eyesight is getting worse I have noticed that the strings are difficult to see on a maple board when you are playing sat down peering towards the nut. No problem playing up the "dusty end" though.
Spud
 
Spud, that's never occured to me :eek:! Not a problem. I only know 7 notes anyway, and I've commited ALL of them to memory! :D
 
best just to have a few EBMM guitars with maple and rosewood, i'll have 4 of each when my orders come in! I notice the difference with my two Axis SS's, the maple one is much brighter, and plays differently too. The r'wood one feels softer and darker, but of course i could be talking out of my ass and its all just a visual thing or some crazy "Eric Johnson battery thing", plus different pickups counts too.
 
I agree with you !

the feeling between Axis mapple and Axis SS MM 90 rosewood is really not the same will not play the same way at all !

personally, I must admit I love the(EBMM) rosewood neck a bit more than the mapple one
 
NorM said:
What movie starring Burt Renoylds and Dom DeLouis (sp) had that line? One of them was trying to kill himself and threw up all the pills.
Click to expand...

The End!!!

Glenn |B)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Classic Rock N Roll Slinky
Back
Top