Does fretboard wood make a consistent difference in tone that you can hear?

[GrapeBass]

Whether it's maple or rosewood or pau ferro or ebony or ebanol or carbon fiber or a weirwood tree's face carved by the children of the forest into a fretboard.....does the material of which the fretboard is made make a difference that you can hear? "Maple is brighter and rosewood is warmer......" and such. There are certainly differences from one piece of wood to another that scientific instruments could detect, but the question is whether or not a person can hear it, or thinks they can. That's what I'm asking. We're not gonna prove anything here but I think poll results might be interesting.

 

[Clef_de_fa]

no one ever talk about fret, nut and bridge ... you know what the strings actually touch

 

[GrapeBass]

Which leads us to the most importend question:

What is the best fretboard wood for metal?

Wise(b)ass

Organic or processed METAL?

 

[Aberdumbie]

Not that I can hear. I have worn through the finish on two maple necks in my time. Never wore out a rosewood fretboard though.

 

[maplenecked]

All about the looks for me, I have tin ears from playing drums for 20 years

 

[Robroy]

I’ve never played identical enough basses to isolate the effect on board. My suspicion is that it matters but is subtle

The huge giveaway for me was the youtube video where the guy actually compares guitars with lexan bodies to various wood bodies. No sound difference. At all.

I'm of the impression that though there may be differences in sound, it is not audible to any humans on the planet. If you want to make of bass carved out of a single block of stainless steel it will sound exactly the same as another bass made of "tonewood" or any exotic wood and any "choose your wood" neck, neck through or bolt on, as long as the electronics and playing surface dimensions are the same.

This means, of course, I don't think it has anything to do with sustain either.

But this is all my personal opinion.

 

[GreyBeard]

In my experience maple has a more open sound than rosewood regardless of pickups etc.

 

[Robroy]

In my experience maple has a more open sound than rosewood regardless of pickups etc.

Open?

 

[GreyBeard]

Open?

The opposite of closed. Upper harmonics are more pronounced and clearly defined. Much like the differences between a heavy brass bridge and a light aluminum bridge.

 

[maplenecked]

In my years of drumming, buying/selling/trading cymbals in the same way basses are treated here, our argument was often about alloys of the cymbal. B20 vs. B8 vs. B15. And It all came down to the manufacturing processes. Paiste can make B8 sound like Zildjian's B20, Zildjian can make their B15 sound like Paiste's B15, it goes around an around. I see a little less discussion about "how the sausage is made" here in bass land, and people seem to focus on the materials or manufacturer location instead.

 

[GBBSbassist]

In my experience maple has a more open sound than rosewood regardless of pickups etc.

Lol....ok.

 

[pudgychef]

Here's a quote from a recent article by Roger Sadowsky, who has had a fair amount of experience working with various woods.

"Fingerboards: I feel very confident in saying that I have found the fingerboard to be the most important factor in relationship to wood and tone. Here are my observations:


Maple: Tightest and brightest. Best for slap on basses and for bright, glassy tones on guitars. Can produce more string and fret noise than other woods.


Ebony: Not as bright as maple. Most immediate attack and punch of all fingerboard woods. Virtually no “bloom” to the note after the initial attack. Note has more fundamental with less overtones.


Rosewoods: Sweetest and warmest of the fingerboard woods. South American Rosewoods are tighter and punchier than Indian Rosewoods, which are darker and rounder.


Pau Ferro: (Also known as Morado, Caviuna or Bolivian Rosewood): Pau Fero is not a true Rosewood, but I have been a fan of this wood for fingerboards for over 35 years. Grain is very tight and silky smooth. More warmth than Maple or Ebony but tighter sounding than the other Rosewoods."

To play devil's advocate, one could suggest he may have some vested interest in contributing to this sort of lore/mystique to wood selection, bass construction etc.....much like Michael Tobias, one could argue, has reason to support the idea that layering of body woods contributes specific tonal recipes/magic.

 

[Robroy]

The opposite of closed. Upper harmonics are more pronounced and clearly defined. Much like the differences between a heavy brass bridge and a light aluminum bridge.

So kinda like new strings vs old, only more subtle?

 

[DangYankee]

I think this poll needs another option. "Wood affects the tone, but not critically"
Rosewood is warmer and maple is brighter, You guys all proved this here:
Can You Tell The Difference??? MAPLE vs. ROSEWOOD

Yes, the fret-board wood effects your tone. BUT, The effect is so subtle and nuanced that I seriously doubt anybody, yes, even you with the golden ears, could pick out the difference when used in a full band setting, in a recording or live. Yes, you can pick out the differences in tone when soloing or when A-B testing, but in real world practical applications, nobody will know the difference.

Because of this, I personally think its best to just choose the fretboard wood you think looks best. Its all just carrots when you actually get out and play the instrument.

Edit: Other TB "scientific studies" with cold hard facts.

Body wood does not matter: SCRAP LUMBER BASS vs. ALDER BASS - Can You Tell The Difference??

Ash vs Alder bodies, it doesn't matter: Can You Tell The Difference??? ASH vs. ALDER

The last ones data is corrupt because he left the poll open after giving the results, this allowed many people to retroactively vote on the correct answer. He posts the real results in post 79.

 

[pudgychef]

Yes and more important to tone than the body wood

I could see that on a fretless....

I think the total package (heavy emphasis on PU and strings) far outweighs body or fretboard tonewood on a fretted, electric, solid body bass.

 

[MotorCityMinion]

This means, of course, I don't think it has anything to do with sustain either.

Feedback?

 

[Robroy]

I could see that on a fretless....

I think the total package (heavy emphasis on PU and strings) far outweighs body or fretboard tonewood on a fretted, electric, solid body bass.

I tend to agree. I have a hard time understanding how the wood the string "touches" BEHIND the fret affects the sound. At all. Frankly, the whole thing sounds like asking if a tire pressure of 35.01 lbs will handle differently than a tire pressure of 35.00 lbs. It sort of gets into arguing "how many angels can dance on the head of a pin" territory.

Now, do stainless frets sound different than rubber frets. I tend to think they do.

 

[GoLeafsGo]

Not sure, but to my eyes anyway rosewood sounds better....

 

[GrapeBass]

I’ve never played identical enough basses to isolate the effect on board. My suspicion is that it matters but is subtle

It's actually pretty incredible the difference it makes. I had a maple board for the first few years of a custom hybrid bass (Kali-Koa body) and changed it to a rosewood. I have not looked back... I personally prefer the rosewood as it is a warmer and seems more 'organic.'

 

[Robroy]

Feedback?

Well, yeah, feedback is an issue with my acoustic/electric, which is why I have a sound hole plug. But not on solid body.

Thing is, I think that all material makes a difference. I just think the difference is too small to matter. And I mean WAY too small to matter. Heck, two pieces of the exact same type of wood will sound different because they are not the same piece of wood. But again, it's not noticeable.