Why are Maple Fretboards unpopular for bass? - Page 6

cybersnyder · #**101** 01-24-2013, 12:28 PM

IMO, you see fewer maple/maple necks because the fretboard is typically sprayed and finished along with the rest of the neck. Then you have to clean the finish off of the frets which is somewhat labor intensive. Much cheaper from a labor perspective to have someone throw some tape over an unfinished rosewood fretboard and then spray it. Then to "seal" the rosewood board you just run a bit of oil over it and you're done. I've noticed that the recent Fender rosewood fretboards that I've seen look very dry. Don't know if they've changed their process or just coincidence on the ones that I've seen.

Reaper Man · #**102** 01-24-2013, 12:32 PM

I love maple fretboards- most of my basses have them

JimmyM · #**103** 01-24-2013, 07:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Webtroll

I like maple well enough, just not a big fan of the thick lacquer they usually come with. Also if I were buying a used Fender with worn frets maple would be a minus due to the extra cost they usually incur with refret jobs.

Don't know why that would be. They're only slightly harder to get out and replace than rosewood. Just cut along them with a single edge razor.

petrus61 · #**104** 01-24-2013, 07:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

Don't know why that would be. They're only slightly harder to get out and replace than rosewood. Just cut along them with a single edge razor.

Depends on the finish. Gloss has a tendency to flake when the frets are pulled, so more care is needed in their removal, hence the usually higher cost of a fret job on a maple board.

Dan Knowlton · #**105** 01-24-2013, 10:00 PM

They are NOT unpopular. I have maple, rosewood and ebony fret and fretless boards.

Dan K.

Noot · #**106** 01-25-2013, 01:15 AM

Is it just me, or do rosewood fretboards have more overtones than maple? Maple seems to have a fat clonky sound, and I attribute the brightness to the laquer finish on it. On rosewood there seems to be more stuff going on, I (think I) can hear more tone waves on top of each other and the brightness comes out of the wood, as there is no laquer on it. Maple sounds more raw, while rosewood sounds more refined. Since classical instruments usually have a fretboard which is of a different material than the neck itself, I would say the "natural" recipe is the roswood neck, while the maple neck is sort of a gimmick. A great gimmick none the less.

shackled · #**107** 01-25-2013, 05:04 AM

A gimmick?

Shardik · #**108** 01-25-2013, 05:14 AM

I started out a rosewood man on guitar, and thought for a long time that was the supreme fretboard material for me.

Then I actually got a telecaster with a maple fretboard and neck, and discovered that to me it's not much of a difference.

Nowadays I find the neck finish and shape, the fretboard radius and width, strings and their height is much more important than the selected fretboard wood. When it comes to fretless, that may be an entirely different matter, but with frets I no longer think fretboard wood is important.

YMMV and all that, of course.

Tony Flow MMMM · #**109** 01-25-2013, 05:52 AM

I was a maple fan for years. Now I absolutely hate the look

gumbynotpokey · #**110** 01-25-2013, 07:40 AM

I don't think maple is unpopular per se. Basses are a different breed, however. I wonder what the % is of fretboard woods used in basses vs guitars by the big makers. Hmmm.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tony Flow MMMM

I was a maple fan for years. Now I absolutely hate the look

I understand it's all personal taste. My first has an ebony board, but when it came time for a second, I went with something different. Have a look:

mcblahflooper94 · #**111** 01-25-2013, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gumbynotpokey

I don't think maple is unpopular per se. Basses are a different breed, however. I wonder what the % is of fretboard woods used in basses vs guitars by the big makers. Hmmm.

I understand it's all personal taste. My first has an ebony board, but when it came time for a second, I went with something different. Have a look:

That's a beautiful Carvin, there. I wish I was more into J Basses.

phillybass101 · #**112** 01-25-2013, 12:43 PM

I made a concession on my Single Cut. I wanted a maple board but they didn't come with maple boards. I prefer maple over any other kind of board.

phillybass101 · #**113** 01-25-2013, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gumbynotpokey

I don't think maple is unpopular per se. Basses are a different breed, however. I wonder what the % is of fretboard woods used in basses vs guitars by the big makers. Hmmm.

I understand it's all personal taste. My first has an ebony board, but when it came time for a second, I went with something different. Have a look:

That's a really nice axe. real perty too.

joebar · #**114** 01-25-2013, 01:12 PM

the differences tonally probably are too miniscule to matter
to me, it is an asthetic thing; some basses look better with one or the other
i could care less about any minute sonic differences because in a live band setting, those discrepancies are lost in a mix anyhow.

sratas · #**115** 01-25-2013, 01:13 PM

it's time to give an opposite opinion.
I truly don't like maple as a board, and I truly love to feel the wood under my fingers when playing. maple is usually finished, the worst for my tastes is the gloss finish. When I sweat and dig in it feels like glue with that gloss.
But I must admit that it is only a feeling, and consequently it is impossible to measure and put into science. a matter of personal preference, I think

The other thing is that, probably, this is one of the more useless threads on TB. No offence, but the matter is rather non consistent.

GregC · #**116** 01-25-2013, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joebar

the differences tonally probably are too miniscule to matter
to me, it is an asthetic thing; some basses look better with one or the other
i could care less about any minute sonic differences because in a live band setting, those discrepancies are lost in a mix anyhow.

+1. Except for my Lakland Dunn--I ordered it with a rosewood board and abalone blocks, 'cause I wanted a warm sound with ocean wave overtones.

sven kalmar · #**117** 01-25-2013, 01:25 PM

my roadworn onepiece p neck seems very resonant. the bass is loud unplugged. I suppose a onepiece will vibrate differently from a twopiece neck.

CJAtheBassman · #**118** 01-31-2013, 08:36 AM

I myself prefer maple fretboards because I like the look of them more than rosewood (although rosewood fretboards look nice in their own right). I used to have a Squier Standard Jazz Bass with a rosewood fretboard, but I now have a Squier VM Mustang Bass with a maple fretboard and it looks very pretty.

I'm sure they're not unpopular. In fact, based on many YouTube videos I've seen, there are more maple-players than rosewood-players.

los100malditos · #**119** 01-31-2013, 08:43 AM

In most fretless basses maple may be impopular .... but not always, as you can see above!!!

bigsnaketex · #**120** 01-31-2013, 08:47 AM

I LOVE MAPLE.

I have a few rosewood boards but maple is my go-to. And I also agree with you that the fretboard is a huge contributor to the overall tone and timbre of the bass. I happen think the tone that maple puts out as well as the slicker action is perfect for the bass.

Others may choose for aesthetics. I happen to hate a sunburst bass. And it seems to be the most popular!!

I think there are thousands of factors that go into choosing a bass but it starts with the fretboard for most folks.

Personally, I can't stand active basses - I simply don't like the sound. And that in no way means anything to anyone but me. I love what an active bass can do and in the hands of a master, the tone palette is quite amazing. It's just not the sound in my head so it's not for me. There are Alembic's and Fodera's that can make me weep - but it's not the sound for me so I have no "gas" for that.

The bottom line is that they make so many different kinds of basses because there are so many different kinds of people (and opinions)!!