Can You Tell The Difference??? MAPLE vs. ROSEWOOD

[honeyiscool]

Yeah it was completely obvious to me that A was maple and B was rosewood and sounded exactly like I'd expect the two to sound.

I have to say that I love the tone and feel of maple for picking but that for finger style, I tend to prefer rosewood.

 

[Mastermold]

Ok, time for the big reveal!

Clip A is maple, Clip B is rosewood

Unlike my other recent tests of Alder vs. Ash, the majority of folks (77%) got this one right. I too thought it was VERY obvious which was which.

Thanks for playing!

P.S. A few "wood matters" zealots have denounced this type of test on the grounds that the rest of the neck, being made from different pieces of maple, could skew the tone. I assume they'll drop this complaint now that the results have gone their way.

Isn't this similar to what Danelectro said when they started making bass guitars from masonite? (e.g., that the body wood didn't matter to tone, but the necks matter, or words to that effect?)

 

[honeyiscool]

Over a difference that most would regard as subtle (even nil at high volumes), how does it make sense to fuss over this?

I don't think it's that subtle, honestly. Also, I think there are people with different approaches to equipment. Some of us like to have lots of versatile instruments, some of us like to build one-trick ponies that are ridiculously good at certain things.

I know that I love maple on a bass that I intend to play mostly with a pick. That doesn't mean that a rosewood fretboard wouldn't be acceptable, but it would go against the one-trick pony concept.

 

[MegaSwing]

It is a difference that most would regard as subtle (perhaps even nil at normal stage volumes), so how does it make sense to fuss over this?

I'm over it as anything but a style point.

 

[mongo2]

P.S. A few "wood matters" zealots have denounced this type of test on the grounds that the rest of the neck, being made from different pieces of maple, could skew the tone. I assume they'll drop this complaint now that the results have gone their way.

I wouldn't be so sure. One sample does not an axiom make.

 

[kosmicwizard]

just using my computer speakers i voted:
A: rosewood
B: maple

This is how I voted too John. If I am wrong it is nice to be in the minority with people like you. Cheers.

 

[NortyFiner]

Ok, time for the big reveal!

Clip A is maple, Clip B is rosewood

Unlike my other recent tests of Alder vs. Ash, the majority of folks (77%) got this one right. I too thought it was VERY obvious which was which.

Thanks for playing!

P.S. A few "wood matters" zealots have denounced this type of test on the grounds that the rest of the neck, being made from different pieces of maple, could skew the tone. I assume they'll drop this complaint now that the results have gone their way.

I got it right, pretty much instantly. I much prefer the sound and feel of maple, and the difference is very distinctive to me.

 

[mongo2]

That could be interpreted as "neck/fingerboard has more impact on tone than body wood."

Which I have always felt in my gut to be true.

I've come out and said it regarding necks in general here and elsewhere more than a few times.

 

[MegaSwing]

I don't think it's that subtle, honestly. Also, I think there are people with different approaches to equipment. Some of us like to have lots of versatile instruments, some of us like to build one-trick ponies that are ridiculously good at certain things.

I know that I love maple on a bass that I intend to play mostly with a pick. That doesn't mean that a rosewood fretboard wouldn't be acceptable, but it would go against the one-trick pony concept.

The timbre of the woods in my bass are enjoyed by me mostly in solitude. In a stage mix, my primary interest is to be heard at all. All those sophisticated shadings in the wood disappear when you're louder than an airplane taking off.

 

[mongo2]

The timbre of the woods in my bass are enjoyed by me mostly in solitude. In a stage mix, my primary interest is to be heard at all. All those sophisticated shadings in the wood disappear when you're louder than an airplane taking off.

Or if you play at a railroad station during rush hour and are told to be louder than the trains. What a gig that was.

 

[bassgod76]

Ok, time for the big reveal!

Clip A is maple, Clip B is rosewood

Unlike my other recent tests of Alder vs. Ash, the majority of folks (77%) got this one right. I too thought it was VERY obvious which was which.

Thanks for playing!

P.S. A few "wood matters" zealots have denounced this type of test on the grounds that the rest of the neck, being made from different pieces of maple, could skew the tone. I assume they'll drop this complaint now that the results have gone their way.

I got it wrong. I suck.

 

[Alper Yilmaz]

Even though I got it right, it was not very obvious to me. And I listened to the clips through some good studio monitors. Such listening tests are great despite the fact that the experiment itself can be criticized in many aspects (it even happens in serious scientific research). But, I would like to thank Dan for putting the time into this.

I can usually hear the differences in body or neck/fingerboard wood only after long listening sessions and in a band setup. First time I realized this was in a rock band I was playing. The guitar player was assembling his Strat-style guitars from USA Custom Guitars parts. After 25-30 rehearsals/live performances, I realized I enjoyed the sound coming out of his swamp ash/maple guitar more than his alder/rosewood guitar. He had the same set of Fralins played through a '65 Fender amp with pretty much the same settings.

When applied to bass, I hear the tonal difference between an alder/rosewood and an ash/maple bass. But when I mix and match the bodies and the necks, I am having difficulty in identifying the difference.

Anyone who has similar experience?

Ok, time for the big reveal!

Clip A is maple, Clip B is rosewood

Unlike my other recent tests of Alder vs. Ash, the majority of folks (77%) got this one right. I too thought it was VERY obvious which was which.

Thanks for playing!

P.S. A few "wood matters" zealots have denounced this type of test on the grounds that the rest of the neck, being made from different pieces of maple, could skew the tone. I assume they'll drop this complaint now that the results have gone their way.

 

[metron]

The timbre of the woods in my bass are enjoyed by me mostly in solitude. In a stage mix, my primary interest is to be heard at all. All those sophisticated shadings in the wood disappear when you're louder than an airplane taking off.

Ahh timbre. Not an often mentioned word in these discussions. For whatever reason I don't know.

I think these experiments are cool. One can easily use them to dispel the opinions of either extreme of the tonewood debates. On one hand yes they sound different but it obviously doesn't sound "totally different" i.e. they are both p basses with slightly different timbre. On the other hand the difference is not zero. I think the outcome represents what a majority of us experience. Different woods result in subtle differences in tone, they may or may not be predictable, and it is certainly not the primary variable in the overall tone of an instrument.

 

[jtc_hunter]

Ok, time for the big reveal!

Clip A is maple, Clip B is rosewood

Unlike my other recent tests of Alder vs. Ash, the majority of folks (77%) got this one right. I too thought it was VERY obvious which was which.

Thanks for playing!

P.S. A few "wood matters" zealots have denounced this type of test on the grounds that the rest of the neck, being made from different pieces of maple, could skew the tone. I assume they'll drop this complaint now that the results have gone their way.

It was really pretty obvious to me. Maple gives a more percussive, tighter sound. Rosewood is warmer and softer, less percussive. Thats why I like rosewood on a jazz and maple on a precision.

 

[honeyiscool]

The timbre of the woods in my bass are enjoyed by me mostly in solitude. In a stage mix, my primary interest is to be heard at all. All those sophisticated shadings in the wood disappear when you're louder than an airplane taking off.

I don't care about live tone as much as I care about recorded tone and I think it makes my life 10 times easier to have a nice maple fretboard that needs almost zero EQ to sit nicely in my recordings.

 

[fish slapper]

I don't care about live tone as much as I care about recorded tone and I think it makes my life 10 times easier to have a nice maple fretboard that needs almost zero EQ to sit nicely in my recordings.

Wow. I got this one right. I think you were correct in the first body thread. Fretboard wood does matter more.

This confirmed what I kind of knew. There is a local tech here that used to work for Fender and he told me that he kind of preferred maple boards on P basses to help give them more snap and rosewood on J's to give them a little more boom.

 

[fish slapper]

It was really pretty obvious to me. Maple gives a more percussive, tighter sound. Rosewood is warmer and softer, less percussive. Thats why I like rosewood on a jazz and maple on a precision.

What he said.

 

[Swift713]

I'm kind of surprised how clear the difference was on all 3 of these tests. I still think that "tonewood" tends to be a little overhyped.

 

[Chris K]

Thanks Dan - was fun!

 

[R Baer]

IMO, it's these subtleties that make one instrument appeal to us over another. The neck wood difference is subtle. The body wood difference is subtle. The brand of strings is subtle. Pick ups, hardware, setup, etc... all subtle. Now start putting all these subtleties together and you start to get some real personality!

I wonder how many people taking part in these polls are listening to the clips on very good playback equipment? Just like the body woods clips, I hear a definite difference. Yes, it's subtle, but without question, there are difference in the tonal makeup of these clips.

HOT TIP: For anyone looking to upgrade thier computer speaker setup, I am using the M-Audio AV40 monitors. If you look around, these can be found for around $150 and are far better than any "computer speakers" I've ever heard. Very clean and accurate, with very good bass response. These subtle differences in Dan's clips jump right out on these speakers and mixes done with them come out great. I can't say enough about what a bargain these great speakers are!