Do you dislike maple fingerboards? I do not. With a flexible preamp and a treble roll off, it's easy to manipulate the tone of the maple fingerboard.
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Do you dislike maple fingerboards?
- Thread starter MAJOR METAL
- Start date
- Oct 7, 2000
- 18,619
- 38,943
- Disclosures
- Endorsing artist: Musicman basses
No. I like them.
You used to ask much harder questions. Are you OK?
You used to ask much harder questions. Are you OK?
My p bass and my Stingray have maple.I love the look of a maple neck and finger board.
I don't think that fingerboard wood makes a appreciable difference in tone. I prefer maple fretboards because Steve Harris was my idol in my nascent bass playing days. I thought that a white p bass with a maple board was the bees knees. My first bass also had a maple board.
I still like maple. I think it looks better than rosewood. I like the wear and tear you can see, especially on guitars. Rosewood is pretty boring looking to me.
That said I have a soft spot for figured fingerboards like zircote or the right kind of Brazilian rosewood.
I still like maple. I think it looks better than rosewood. I like the wear and tear you can see, especially on guitars. Rosewood is pretty boring looking to me.
That said I have a soft spot for figured fingerboards like zircote or the right kind of Brazilian rosewood.
As a former acoustic guitar player, I'm more used to playing on rosewood/ebony fingerboards. The darker it is, the more visually appealing to me.
Do I actually DISLIKE maple boards? Yes. Maybe it's the finished surface, I don't know...
Being from Canada, I really should be into maple, right? But I'm not.
I do LOVE pure maple syrup, though.
Do I actually DISLIKE maple boards? Yes. Maybe it's the finished surface, I don't know...
Being from Canada, I really should be into maple, right? But I'm not.
I do LOVE pure maple syrup, though.
Wood has nothing to do with tone, so let's just set that aside before we begin.
Now, I don't like the look of maple fingerboards. I much prefer darker woods, and also ones with more visually interesting things going on. Maaaaaaaaaybe I could be convinced to be interested in something like a heavily birdseyed maple board, but that's about it. Additionally, I don't care for what they look like when they wear down...ugh.
Also, I don't like the feel of a maple finished fretboard. I prefer the unfinished wood underneath my fingers. I actually prefer that for the neck too - I don't really care for maple necks either, but that's a different story for a different thread.
Given that I don't care for the look or the feel of maple, that pretty much rules it out for me. I've only ever briefly owned one bass with a maple fingerboard, and while I enjoyed the bass, the maple board was one of two things about it that resulted in me selling it (the other was the weight). I only bought the bass specifically for a tribute band I was briefly in, otherwise seeing a maple fretboard on a bass completely rules it out for me.
To each their own though, these are only my personal opinions and I don't expect anyone else to necessarily agree with them or be otherwise converted over. I know lots of people out there like the look of maple fretboards, and more power to them, especially since it leaves more of the other good looking and feeling basses without maple boards out there on the market for those like me.
Now, I don't like the look of maple fingerboards. I much prefer darker woods, and also ones with more visually interesting things going on. Maaaaaaaaaybe I could be convinced to be interested in something like a heavily birdseyed maple board, but that's about it. Additionally, I don't care for what they look like when they wear down...ugh.
Also, I don't like the feel of a maple finished fretboard. I prefer the unfinished wood underneath my fingers. I actually prefer that for the neck too - I don't really care for maple necks either, but that's a different story for a different thread.
Given that I don't care for the look or the feel of maple, that pretty much rules it out for me. I've only ever briefly owned one bass with a maple fingerboard, and while I enjoyed the bass, the maple board was one of two things about it that resulted in me selling it (the other was the weight). I only bought the bass specifically for a tribute band I was briefly in, otherwise seeing a maple fretboard on a bass completely rules it out for me.
To each their own though, these are only my personal opinions and I don't expect anyone else to necessarily agree with them or be otherwise converted over. I know lots of people out there like the look of maple fretboards, and more power to them, especially since it leaves more of the other good looking and feeling basses without maple boards out there on the market for those like me.
I've noticed no tonal pattern whatsoever based on whether a fretboard is maple or rosewood. I love them both and choose between them purely based on esthetics. Some basses look best with maple. Some with rosewood. It depends on the color of the body and the style of the bass.
Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
Let's see. Maple board. Check. Ebony board. Check. Rosewood board. Check. Carrots in the 'fridge. Check... I am CroMagnon. Czeck.
Tonally, it doesn't matter. Aesthetically, it depends on the rest of the bass.
I love both rosewood and maple fretboards. I seem to be drawn more to maple boards when dealing with Fender style instruments.
I think they both look cool with the right colored body/pick guard. Tone wise, there is a slight difference but I doubt that it would be noticeable in a mix. Maple being harder and having the finish on it, is a little brighter with a faster attack. Rosewood is softer and oily, and has a darker tone with nice midrange.
I am a self-avowed "tone-wood skeptic", so my thoughts on them are purely aesthetic.
Although I prefer rosewood or similarly darker woods for a fretboard, I don't "dislike" maple boards. However, I've found I'm only interested in them when they're inlaid with black or dark-pearlescent blocks. Furthermore, I think a black binding, while not 100% necessary, completes the overall, visual package. It's a very cool and classy look!
Although I prefer rosewood or similarly darker woods for a fretboard, I don't "dislike" maple boards. However, I've found I'm only interested in them when they're inlaid with black or dark-pearlescent blocks. Furthermore, I think a black binding, while not 100% necessary, completes the overall, visual package. It's a very cool and classy look!
I don't dislike them.
Nor am I drawn to them.
But certain body finishes either complement the look or detract.
My very first bass and the last bass I just bought had/have a maple fingerboard.
All the others were either rosewood,Ebanol or even rarer ebony.
Nor am I drawn to them.
But certain body finishes either complement the look or detract.
My very first bass and the last bass I just bought had/have a maple fingerboard.
All the others were either rosewood,Ebanol or even rarer ebony.
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I love them more than all the others. They look the best to me, and they're easy to see in the dark.
