Maple vs ebony fingerboard on old upright

[Ukiah Bass]

I have an old Czech bass made between WWI and WWII. It has a maple fingerboard, maple body and spruce top. What are the pros and cons of replacing the maple fingerboard with ebony? Any tips on how ebony would affect tone and playabliltiy? Thank you.

[nicklloyd]

I can't think of any cons... only pros. A bass with an ebony board is a beautiful thing. I don't know exactly the whys of this, but every time a maple board is replaced with an ebony board, the lower end comes out and the instrument is fuller sounding.

Some slap players like a lighter board (rosewood or maple) because it really rings out when slapped. What kind of music do you plan on playing with this bass of yours?

[Ukiah Bass]

The Czech bass will be used mainly for jazz, blues, and some latin music. My luthier just restored the bass. It was a mess. Turned out great. I may still replace the fingerboard depending on feedback here and elsewhere. Thanks.

[wolvertone]

Have you ever ran your hands down real black ebony that has been polished?

nuttin like it on earth.

I'd consider the strength as well. An ebony board will be more stable than maple. An ebony board will have some "spring" in it, but is stiifer and will wear longer as well.

Anther alternative may be to thin your existing fb, and put a layer of ebony on top. I have not had any experience with this setup, I'll leave it to the experts to comment on this method, if in fact anybody actually does it.