Maple vs. Rosewood?

[BakerJ]

I'm more of a double bass player, so i've never had this explained to me. What kind of differences do different woods make when used as fingerboards? Do rosewood and maple fingerboards produce different tones?

 

[EddieN]

Doesn't answer your question but there was a thread here a couple months ago where the poster gave two sound samples using the same Jazz body & strings but one sample used a maple neck & other a rosewood. Something like 60% got it right. I'll see if I can find it.

*edit* Here 'tis: http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=385876&highlight=maple+rosewood+Jazz

 

[KJung]

Lot's of discussion on this in quite a few threads if you do a search.

In summary of all those posts, IN GENERAL, a maple board will have more upper mid content, a quicker response, and a touch more treble.

A true, soft RW board like Madagascar or Brazilian RW will, IN GENERAL, sound a little warmer (more low mid growl than upper mid presence), and have a little smoother top end.

The more common Morado/Pau Ferro boards that look like RW but really aren't sound and feel closer to maple boards to me.. they are hard, shiny, and have a little more 'snap' than most true RW boards.

The reason I say 'IN GENERAL' to all these comments is that:

1) There is a lot of variation within wood variety... you can have bright RW and darker Maple from different batches, different densities, etc.

2) All the pieces of an instrument work together, so just getting a maple board does not necessarily guarantee a bright, snappy tone, and spec'ing a RW board does not guarantee 'warm and fat'.

However, in general, the above describes my experience, and the 'general concensus' on the site IMO.

 

[Big String]

I second everything Kjung stated.

 

[ggunn]

Doesn't answer your question but there was a thread here a couple months ago where the poster gave two sound samples using the same Jazz body & strings but one sample used a maple neck & other a rosewood. Something like 60% got it right.

60% is only a little better than a coin flip and depending on the sample size that 10% diff may be in the noise. That tells me that no one could tell which was which.

 

[lpdeluxe]

This question comes up over and over, probably because so many people buy instruments unplayed over the internet. It's a matter of great importance to persons with lots of time on their hands, but it all comes down to, how does THIS bass sound?

The only way to judge is to play several basses and then buy the one with the sound you want, regardless of fingerboard

OR

decide which fingerboard you want, then play 'em all until you find the one with the killer sound.

Trying to debate the issue without comparing actual basses is futile and pointless, did I mention useless? Whatever the inherent sound distinctions may be, you ain't gonna buy an axe with a rosewood board, then rip it off and substitute a maple one. You're buying the WHOLE DAMN BASS, if you'll forgive my raising my voice.

 

[EddieN]

That tells me that no one could tell which was which.

At first that's what I thought too. But there is difference in the two tracks, admittedly not huge.

You also gotta figure that there's alot of younger guys here with scarce experience in the differences that probably took part in that poll with a mere guess. No offense to them. For what it's worth, I got it right & I felt my answer no guess.

 

[meev992]

60% is only a little better than a coin flip and depending on the sample size that 10% diff may be in the noise. That tells me that no one could tell which was which.

I was in the 60% category for the Maple Vs Rosewood comparison poll, and I was dead-on, in the "P-bass, versuses Jazz, versus Schecter" Thread. So I can say for myself that my ears are pretty sharp.

 

[meev992]

You also gotta figure that there's alot of younger guys here with scarce experience in the differences that probably took part in that poll with a mere guess. No offense to them. For what it's worth, I got it right & I felt my answer was no guess.

+2

exactly my sentiments, and well articulated.

 

[Valerus]

I got it wrong on the poll, too. haha.

I guess there's not much of a difference to me.

 

[ggunn]

At first that's what I thought too. But there is difference in the two tracks, admittedly not huge.

OK, but I didn't say that no one could hear any difference between them. Statistically speaking, the sample group could not tell which was rosewood and which was maple.

 

[funkybassplayer]

I was in the 60% category for the Maple Vs Rosewood comparison poll, and I was dead-on, in the "P-bass, versuses Jazz, versus Schecter" Thread. So I can say for myself that my ears are pretty sharp.

so there was a P vs J vs Schecter thread? how odd

 

[EddieN]

On the other hand, would I have been able to tell the difference between those two necks in a band setting? HELL no!

 

[meev992]

so there was a P vs J vs Schecter thread? how odd

Yeaup, it was a nice thread, and a real challenge for me, as there were three basses to pick out from one another, rather than just two.

It's good fun, you should find it, if you can.

 

[meev992]

On the other hand, would I have been able to tell the difference between those two necks in a band setting? HELL no!

how about during your bass solo ?

 

[KJung]

I got it wrong on the poll, too. haha.

I guess there's not much of a difference to me.

This goes back to the points I was trying to make in my post. There is a lot of variation in individual pieces of wood, and also by types of rosewood (i.e., much of the 'rosewood' that is put on production basses is actually Morado, which is very hard and shiny like maple).

It's not that there is no difference on average, rather it is impossible to assess the impact of one small part of a bass formula across two different instruments, even if similarly spec'd.

I had two Celinders identically spec'd.. same woods, same electronics, etc. etc. and they sounded quite different.

However, if you take 100 similar basses with true RW boards, and 100 other similar basses (by similar I mean spec'd as close to one another as possible) with maple boards, ON AVERAGE you would hear the subtle differences that most describe.

That being said, I've always said 'buy the one that looks the best' to you

 

[ggunn]

However, if you take 100 similar basses with true RW boards, and 100 other similar basses (by similar I mean spec'd as close to one another as possible) with maple boards, ON AVERAGE you would hear the subtle differences that most describe.

No offense intended, but that is conjecture on your part.

 

[meev992]

I think we should all agree to disagree, and say that the only significant difference is cosmetics...and possibly flavor.

 

[Big String]

1) There is a lot of variation within wood variety... you can have bright RW and darker Maple from different batches, different densities, etc.

2) All the pieces of an instrument work together, so just getting a maple board does not necessarily guarantee a bright, snappy tone, and spec'ing a RW board does not guarantee 'warm and fat'.
QUOTE]

I say again ... what Ken stated here is very true and just repeated to me by a noted Luthier/builder the other day.

 

[A9X]

Aaaaaarrrgggh!