I'm this close to pulling the trigger on either an L-2000 or 2500.

One question - is there a noticeable difference in tone btw the rosewood and the maple boards?

I've read elsewhere that strings have more effect on the tone than the body woods, but don't know about the fretboard wood.

Anybody?

Fretboards have far less impact than even body wood. When you fret the note, the string doesn't even touch the wood between the frets unless you REALLY squeeze.

The "standard" wisdom is that maple FB's are brighter sounding and rosewood FB's are warmer sounding. I can't tell much difference, so I pretty much agree with what lug said.

Fretboards have far less impact than even body wood. When you fret the note, the string doesn't even touch the wood between the frets unless you REALLY squeeze.


+1

Exactly right. Even if you do REALLY squeeze, the last point of contact between your finger and the pickup is going to be the fret, so the FB material is irrelevant.

So its all down to aesthetics now mate!

Fretboards have far less impact than even body wood. When you fret the note, the string doesn't even touch the wood between the frets unless you REALLY squeeze.

True, but the fret is embedded in the fretboard wood, so the way it responds to the string's vibration can affect tone. Some luthiers say it makes a bigger difference than body wood, but opinions are all over the map on this. I think it makes a slight difference, but we're talking averages, i.e., some rosewood boards will sound brighter than some maple boards, even if on average maple boards have more "snap."

When I've played U.S. G&L basses, I've been impressed with the resonance of their necks with maple boards, and I generally prefer maple, so that's what I ordered on my L-1500. I'm told I have another 12 weeks to wait for it! :crying: But when it arrives...:bassist: :bassist: :bassist: !

It really depends on the kind of tone you are looking for.

I usually swear by maple but my honeyburst rosewood L1K is pretty "snappy".

Tim page of Buffalo Brothers said fretboard wood can affect the sound by 10% on an instrument.

Works for me.

Jim

If you want some extra snap, go for the ebony board.

maple.

I think it is 90% esthetics, 10% tone, I never liked a maple until I bought my G&L and now I'd never buy anything else.

I agree with Todd on the percentages, but for myself at least, I prefer the darker look of Rosewood and Ebony boards.

I agree with Todd on the percentages, but for myself at least, I prefer the darker look of Rosewood and Ebony boards.

I'd agree with this, on both points... FB wood does make a diff, but not so much as you may think. But, darker wooded FB's look sweet!

Interestingly, i think much of what I perceive, might actually be FEEL, instead of tone alteration.

I'd agree with this, on both points... FB wood does make a diff, but not so much as you may think. But, darker wooded FB's look sweet!

Interestingly, i think much of what I perceive, might actually be FEEL, instead of tone alteration.
I agree. The Maple boards feel different to me than Rosewood ones. Not that they are worse or better...just different. For what it's worth, I'm really diggin' the look of the gun oil tint maple necks and fret boards. Does the gun oil make them feel any different or is it just looks?

Does the gun oil make them feel any different or is it just looks?

GOT, gun oil tint, is always a glossy finish not satin.

Jim

For what it's worth, I'm really diggin' the look of the gun oil tint maple necks and fret boards. Does the gun oil make them feel any different or is it just looks?

Yes, they are gloss, which definitely feels different from satin. Sometimes sweaty hands will stick to gloss, so I avoid it. I much prefer satin even without the "sticky" factor. Too bad, because I think GOT looks awesome, and a local shop offered me an amazing deal on a cobalt blue L-1500 with GOT neck and fretboard. I just couldn't do it. (But I did order an L-1500 a couple of weeks later. :D )

I'm a Maple man, myself.

If you want some extra snap, go for the ebony board.

i think ebony is actually softer than maple.

I've tried to narrow down a consistent tonal difference, and the most noticeable to me is ebony- it really does seem to have a clearer, livelier/snappier tone to my ears. All the ebony-fretboarded basses I've ever owned have played really fast too, though that could all be coincidence. I also have noticed a certain percussiveness I get with a finished maple board that I can't recreate nearly as easily with rosewood. Its been awhile since I've had a rosewood board though...

Karl

I have four L2000s (three US one Trib) and they all basically sound the same with the same strings. Different body woods, different fretboards, different years of production...so I would say, get whatever you want! The differences, in my opinion, are so small that they disapear as sound as you play with a drummer.

John

Holy 3 Year Old Thread Batman!

As previously noted: folks generally say maple sounds brighter than rosewood...but, folks will say a lot of things. A softer piece of maple, compared to an old, dense peice of rosewood...hmmmm...

What I've always said is "if you can hear the difference blindfolded, I'll buy you a beer."

Personal opinion: I get rosewood because I prefer the feel of rosewood. That said, I have an ASAT bass with the GOT fretboard.

edg

Rosewood is definitely darker than Maple. Maple has a "snap" to it that lives... probably in the octave around 800 to 16k. Depending on your style, and especially if the rest of the band uses rosewood, that could really help you cut. Or it could really be something you want to dial out of your tone as it's very un-bass like. Depends on where you want to sit in the mix, I guess.

I could probably tell the difference blindfolded if conditions were right - like put two basses in front of me & let me play them and I'll tell you which is which.

Holy 3 Year Old Thread Batman!


You can still get by playing the classics.

Holy 3 Year Old Thread Batman!

As previously noted: folks generally say maple sounds brighter than rosewood...but, folks will say a lot of things. A softer piece of maple, compared to an old, dense peice of rosewood...hmmmm...

What I've always said is "if you can hear the difference blindfolded, I'll buy you a beer."

You DO realise that any cat has a 50/50 chance of picking the maple board out in an A/B blind test? :)

Reminds me of this webcomic: http://xkcd.com/628/

c-

All I know is I never really understood the tonal characteristics of one of my basses until I played another bass with a maple fretboard. It was then that I realized a lot of the "snap" (lots of pick noise, for example) was down to the fretboard.

It's also somehow... deeper. Sort of scooped sounding, whereas rosewood is more "mellow" and low-mids focused.

I'd suspect I have better-than-chance odds of picking it out of a blind listening/playing test.

In fact... I remember a maple vs. rosewood tone shootout on a forum somewhere (probably this one...) where a guy just happened to be changing necks & decided to give us an A/B comparison, so I did a blind listening test using an ABX comparitor & was able to choose the maple or rosewood every time.

Found it.

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=385876

And here's a screen shot of my ABX score - 7/7 correct before I stopped.

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showpost.php?p=5856735&postcount=13

Maple is more brighter, I prefer maple because of the tone and I like how it seems

Well, I have absolutely no basis for my opinion, but it is my opinion.

The first Trib L2500 I ever played was a maple neck. I didn't like the feel. Why a fretboard, which is under the strings upon which I am applying pressure, should "feel" different I don't know. I also did not like the fret markers--just seemed gray.

I do know that if G&L only sold maple, I wouldn't own mine. There is no logical basis for this; it is what is--opinion.

I have changed my mind on a lot of things in life and may change on this too. But not today.

It really just comes down to personal preference. I prefer maple but rosewood is never a deal-breaker. Try both if you can.

I just listened to the "Rosewood v. Maple" thread in the Basses forum. Got it exactly wrong. So take my opinion with a grain of salt.

Ebony for me.