+1 to Ken's +1 on the maple finish. Gloss maple boards have much different vibe. I would say an unfinished board is very close to pau ferro/morado but a thick glossy finish on the maple scoops out the sound (to my ear).
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+1 to Ken's +1 on the maple finish. Gloss maple boards have much different vibe. I would say an unfinished board is very close to pau ferro/morado but a thick glossy finish on the maple scoops out the sound (to my ear).
Its not only hardness that effects tone but also density,oil or mineral content,tightness of grain,etc
I personally don't think finish on the board has any influence...
I personally don't think finish on the board has any influence...
Not sure I agree with that. I can't see how hardness doesn't affect tone.
Exactly. This would make maple effectively "harder" once actually implemented on the instrument as opposed to in nature, which IMHO would translate to what we hear on an instrument vs what we'd expect just by looking at those numbers on raw wood and not considering the finish.
Not sure if that logic is true. There's no way a simple poly finish would move maple up the scale all the way to rosewood. I think people tend to associate maple with bright due to its 'hardness' and RW with warm because of its 'softness' (it feels a little bit oily and 'soft' to the fingers). It doesn't seem that is the case.
I find it better to use your ears when it comes to this stuff. The 'numbers' can lead you down the wrong path sometime!
Not according to a couple of well respected TB'r that have Sadowsky basses with ash/ebony.... their claim is this combo is stupendous on the Sadowsky brand.
Talking about the difference in fretboard material always makes my head hurt, and this is coming from someone who spent an extra $200 to get an Ebony board (though honestly it was mostly about looks).
If you mean the 4 string, i don't think so, as of yesterday afternoon.
You better call Jimmy today though ...
?...
Are you talking about feel or tone here? Are you saying that maple doesn't sound bright or that it feels bright so it sounds bright? You completely lost me with this one...Morado is in the Rosewood family but doesn't feel soft to me at all...
Peace,
T
Based on what? Has someone posted the results of the "hardness test" with a plain piece of maple vs a finished one, and done so with something applicable to the environment of a stringed instrument? I mean with the small amount of pressure we use on the fingerboard, it might make a huge relative difference.
Here's the thing... when you put a coat of poly on something, that's basically a layer of very hard plastic. I find it very hard to believe that wouldn't brighten up the tone noticeably.
Always.
In a mix, how noticeable is any of this? After awhile, it just becomes moot. Sometimes too much time is wasted debating or trying to prove stuff that could only be heard in a very controlled studio environment and almost never in a day-to-day playing situation.
I am speaking generally here...Most people call a reddish brown colored wood on the fingerboard "Rosewood" whether it is or not... i may have chosen the wrong way to make my point but my point is how does he make such a generalization...I will take another approach and say Indian Rosewood nor Honduran Rosewood feel soft to me and the Honduran has virtually no oil content when processed and dried properly before use in instrument building...
Peace,
T
Gotcha. It was just the capitalization and "Family". Morado definitely seems to have less oils/resins (if any) than true rosewoods. I know alot of builders use it, but its not my fave. I never thought I'd have a maple board, but that's based on the thick poly that I encountered when I started out.
Back on track: Do LM-5's have a thick poly on the maple necks/fretboards? On the youtube clip where dude (Brian Harp?) is playing the LM-5 with pearloid blocks, it looks like the poly is thick. I'm guessing Jimmy does that to get the certain period accurate thing going on; like of late 70's maple necks. Whereas the other LM-5's I've seen pics of don't look to have that thick poly.
I know you said LM5 but the Modern 4 I had was not thick at all. FWIW I think Morado/Pau Ferro is a very good middle ground between Maple and Rosewwod. To me it seems to have desirable properties from both types of wood without having to commit to Maple or Rosewood...
Peace,
T
Spoke to Jimmy today, he's still got some smokin' basses still available. Somebody snatch these up.
Booker king model 5 string, the trans red one with the matching ash neck!
Limited 5 string with Koa top
LM-5 with orange sparkle finish and white sparkle stripe
A custom LG-4 blue sparkle finish w/ indian rosewood fingerboard
A classic LG-4 (nitro) fiesta orange finish w/ indian rosewood fingerboard
A KBP4 (nitro) trans-blonde w/ maple fingerboard
and that NF5 is also available. From the sounds of it, I think Jimmy is really impressed with how well the NF5 turned out.
Booker king model 5 string, the trans red one with the matching ash neck!
Limited 5 string with Koa top
LM-5 with orange sparkle finish and white sparkle stripe
A custom LG-4 blue sparkle finish w/ indian rosewood fingerboard
A classic LG-4 (nitro) fiesta orange finish w/ indian rosewood fingerboard
A KBP4 (nitro) trans-blonde w/ maple fingerboard
and that NF5 is also available. From the sounds of it, I think Jimmy is really impressed with how well the NF5 turned out.
but isnt that part of the reason why we're spending boutique money in the first place? if im spending 4k on something im going to want some noticeable differences. if i lived by "its not going to make a difference at the gig or to the audience" id be saving a ton of bread
but isnt that part of the reason why we're spending boutique money in the first place? if im spending 4k on something im going to want some noticeable differences. if i lived by "its not going to make a difference at the gig or to the audience" id be saving a ton of bread
Truer words have never been said....You sir win the prize of the day, a shame it is just the sentiment and not one of the NAMM basses Jimmy brought back to the shop! LOL...I know for me personally I do hear the differences and that is why I choose to buy the gear I do and I would hope it is the same for everybody else out there. I know Bernie meant his comment in a general way and I agree to some extent with what he is saying for most people. I agree with you here though once you get into the price range we are talking about here the buyer really should be getting EXACTLY what they want to get and not just guessing at the end result...just my $.02...
Peace,
T
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