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Comparing Fretboard Woods Rosewood, Maple or Ebony?

thevintagesound

thevintagesound

Sep 23, 2006
199
7
Wilmington, NC
www.mojotone.com
#1
Hey guys,
Well I am starting in on my next project bass. This time around a P Bass body with a Jazz neck AND a thunderbird pickup. Yeah I know I am really stuck on these Thunderbird pickups. For those that havent seen my "madness" see the link in my signature for an explanation. So far I havent found a jazz pickup that comes close to the big fat thundering sound (no pun intended) of the tbird pickups. So far I am in the process of gathering parts to start building.

Right now I am up to the part of figuring out what kind of fretboard to have on the neck. On my Jazz project I have a maple fretboard. Are there any tonal/playability differences between maple, rosewood or ebony? I play mostly rock thru a Hartke rig.

Let me know what you think on the fretboards.
Thanks,
Steve

PS - I'll put up a post later with updates on the PBass/Tbird project.
 
#4
don't forget cocobolo! You can buff/sand it to an extreme level of shine, and it's also supposed to be quite hard. There are lots of "niche" woods that you don't hear much from.

As for sound differences, being a Carvin devotee, every time someone places an order it comes up, since we can choose from Ebony, Maple, or rosewood fretboards without any upcharge. For most people, it's more of a feel issue than anything else. Some people can't stand the open porous feel of rosewood, while others love it. Ebony has a much smoother feel. Maple is also smooth and hard but requires a finish on top of it or else it will stain.

From what I've heard on other boards, rosewood is supposed to be "warmer" than ebony due to its porosity. Maple is more like ebony and is brighter. As for me personally, I've never owned a bass with an ebony fretboard, but I do have maple and rosewood, and haven't really noticed much of a sound difference. The main difference i notice is simply with the feel.
 
#5
tbonesullivan said:
From what I've heard on other boards, rosewood is supposed to be "warmer" than ebony due to its porosity. Maple is more like ebony and is brighter. As for me personally, I've never owned a bass with an ebony fretboard, but I do have maple and rosewood, and haven't really noticed much of a sound difference. The main difference i notice is simply with the feel.
Click to expand...

+1 on all counts. The difference in sound is negligible. I prefer maple because I can see the black side markeres against the maple board more easily on a darkened stage than I can see white side markers against rosewood/ebony. But YMMV.
 
#6
Ebony's hardest and so will probably give the brightest sound.
Oddly enough Rosewood is a lot harder than Maple, so in theory would be brighter than Maple, but most folks don't think so. I can't tell the difference, except for fretless where I feel Ebony is superior.
 
#11
OK. If you are willing to follow a small set of directions, you can hear sound clips that compare Alder/RW, Alder/Ebony, and Ash/Maple combinations of fingerboard/body woods.

Here's how. Go here:
Link Removed
Click on GS5 button on upper left
Click on Video and Audio Clips center right
Choose the clips you would like to hear.

Let me know what YOU think. :bassist:
 
#12
From experience as a builder and repairman I've found that the differences in fingerboard wood are subtle, but distinct. It DOES make a difference. So, all things being relative....:

Rosewood: contributes to a warm, open sound. Good with an alder or ash body, might leave a mahogany bodied bass a little inarticulate.

Maple: contributes to a brighter, more focused sound. Will cut through in the mix but might sound a little "plinky" on its own.

Ebony: contributes to a hi-fi sound, with the clarity of maple and openness of rosewood. It's a very stiff wood (more so than rosewood or maple) which really helps with the clarity factor. Ebony sounds great on modern, hi-fi basses, but might be a little out of place if you're looking for a more classic Fender sound.

Good luck!
 

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