Fretboard or neck - what means most to tone?

[Arlaman]

Hi,
What is most important to tone: neck or fretboard? Or are those component equally important? I am mostly thinking in terms of brightness. The reason for my question is I am going put my first bass together (assembly project). Main plan was to go with alder body, maple neck and rosewood fretboard (for tone I like and am familiar with). Now I have started to think of going for Goncalo Alves neck and Pau Ferro fretboard. Brightness wise, it would be about the same as maple/rosewood, if neck and fretboard contribute equally to brightness . Or I might be thinking totally wrong here.

[treebranch13]

If you want bright go with maple neck/ pau ferro(or ebony) fb. you could even do maple/maple. In terms of tone, the neck has much more wood(obviously) so it should affect tone more, especially with a fretted. if it is fretless fingerboard can make more of a difference, i dont know if it would be equal to the neck. Also, a brass nut/bridge will help with a bright sound.

If you don't want completely bright I would probably go with a maple neck/ rosewood fb since you said you already like the feel and tone.

[Nelson Guitars]

Tone production from wood selection is subtle compared to your electronics, strings and scale length. Not to mention playing style! For first (second, third... twentieth) builds I would not worry too much about tone issues as related to wood selection. You have enough to deal with just getting the joinery, frets, bridges finish, electronics etc. right.

Free yourself from worry about tone production from your wood until you have mastered the basics at least. So much of it is subjective anyway.

Greg N

[Rodent]

that's some good and solid advice from Greg that all new builders (and many who aren't so new) should give heed to

all the best,

R

[Arlaman]

Thanks for the advices. I think that was exactly what I wanted to hear .

[maddrakkett]

Well, my Warwicks are based on "The Sound of Wood" and it's not hype. I have a bolt on Corvette with an ash body and an ovangkol neck with wenge fingerboard. I also have a Thumb NT made of bubinga with bubinga/ovangkol laminate neck and wenge fingerboard. Of course plugged in, the Thumb has a distinctive signature sound, but even unplugged, they sound nothing alike.

I also have a Corvette fretless with bubinga body, ovangkol neck and ebony fingerboard and I just acquired a Thumb Dirty Blonde bolt on with an ash body, birdseye poplar top, flame maple neck and ebony fingerboard. It had the frets professionally removed before I bought it. Even unplugged, it definitely has its own tone and amazingly, it's even a slap monster without the frets! Nice and bright midrange.

Of course the electronics have a huge effect between my Warwicks, but the technique is the same since it's me playing each of the basses when comparing them. I also have Bartolini systems on two of the basses, yet they sound nothing alike because it IS the wood that makes a MAJOR difference.

And if the wood wasn't so much a factor other than mere marketing hype, then why not save the money and go for balsa in the body and something stiffer yet cheap for the neck?

[Dirk Diggler]

+1 with Greg, spot on.
Dirk

[69nites]

I have a very different view.

Playing style, electronics, and strings are the biggest factors in tone. All of which can be toyed with and learned from basic modifications to current basses. When it comes time to build you are building for acoustic tone and aesthetic purposes.

Wood choices are important to tone. Particularly if you are running a very very clean sound with low output pickups.

That said as far as fingerboards go I choose entirely on feeling/look which almost always leads me to ebony. I've changed out a rosewood fretboard for an ebony one and heard next to no difference in tone. I recorded a sample of some scales with the rosewood. Then I recorded the same thing with the ebony. I put the two on repeat with higher quality over the ear headphones and could hear a slight difference but nothing substantial. Definitely nothing anyone would notice that isn't sitting there listening to 2 samples on repeat....

[Nelson Guitars]

I never said wood does not have an effect on tone, just that other things have greater influence. I think the point here is that new builders should not frustrate over their wood selections thinking that the selections will make or break the instrument.

Often the acoustic effect of wood has more to do with the players perspective than what the audience hears. The player feels vibrations in the instrument that never make it to the speakers. This is one place where wood selection will have a significant effect on the players perception of how the instrument "sounds". Like 69 said above, he notices little difference in ebony and rosewood FB's. Others will perceive big differences. Sometimes it can be quantified. Other times the emperor simply has beautiful new garments.

BTW balsa makes wonderful instruments. It is passed by though because it dents so easily. Don't believe me? Pick up last summer's quarterly edition of "American Lutherie" put out by the Guild of American Luthiers (luth.org) and check out the article on Doug Martin's violins and cellos. Built from balsa available from hobby shops and in blind tests stand up to the old masters. Doug is a boat builder and used his knowledge of lamination to create these outstanding new innovations to instruments that have not had any substantial changes in over 300 years.

Greg N

[69nites]

I didn't say you said that they don't have an effect.

what I'm saying is that if you aren't going to worry greatly about the wood choices you aren't taking the care you should as a builder.

I think it's bad advice to say "don't worry too much about the wood" as that is the only part you can not change without a horrible headache after completion.

For example a mahogany/rosewood neck/fretboard is not going to yield the bright snappy results he is looking for and would be a great mistake.

It's these small details that you need to care for in a custom bass.

Also the closer you get your acoustic tone to what you want the less you have to tone sculpt with the pickup selection which is always a plus IMO.

even from my first build I was obsessed with every detail of a build and how it would effect the tone and aesthetics of the bass/guitar.

of course YMMV

[Nelson Guitars]

I didn't say you said that I said... Oh let's not do that.

I appreciate your point of view and I am sure Arlaman and the other new builders do as well. It just seems to me that way too much emphasis is put on this for new builders. It becomes the holy grail and isn't healthy in my opinion. Perhaps I am over stating things a bit, but I have seen this sort of discussion totally discourage new builders from even starting or becoming so convinced that wood will magically create a stellar instrument that they don't pay attention to the basics.

I simply think that learning how to set frets level and true has more value than discussing the relative effect of Maple vs Wenge's effect on tone for a first time builder. I am attempting to liberate the newbie from the oppression of wood snobbery.

Peace.

Greg N

[69nites]

Originally Posted by nelson_luthier

I didn't say you said that I said... Oh let's not do that.

I appreciate your point of view and I am sure Arlaman and the other new builders do as well. It just seems to me that way too much emphasis is put on this for new builders. It becomes the holy grail and isn't healthy in my opinion. Perhaps I am over stating things a bit, but I have seen this sort of discussion totally discourage new builders from even starting or becoming so convinced that wood will magically create a stellar instrument that they don't pay attention to the basics.

I simply think that learning how to set frets level and true has more value than discussing the relative effect of Maple vs Wenge's effect on tone for a first time builder. I am attempting to liberate the newbie from the oppression of wood snobbery.

Peace.

Greg N

No argument with anything here from me.

[Rodent]

I am attempting to liberate the newbie from the oppression of wood snobbery.

and the truth shall set them free ... preach it brother!!!

all the best,

R

[Arlaman]

I think what both of you makes sense. First bass will be a trial project and I won't dig too deep into wood theory. No point in doing so until I know the basics and can put a descent bass together. Alder + maple/rosewood it is for this one .

Thx for help guys, I appreciate it.