Does switching from rosewood to maple visually throw you off?

[Killing Floor]

Not at all. I can’t see the fret side of my neck anyway most of the time unless I’m sitting in some position that my old teacher would worry about.

What about if I switch between a 1pc rosewood neck and a 1pc maple fretless neck? Ka-boom

 

[deepestend]

Yes. I have two necks with the same dimensions but one is maple and one is rosewood. I have issues flipping between the two for sure.

 

[bigdaddybass12]

I can’t do it! I am a rosewood fan. GC had a deal on a Fender with a maple fretboard. I attempted to play it. After 2 or 3 notes I had to pass on it!

 

[logdrum]

No. It doesn't. I only have one maple fretboard, mostly ebony and rosewood, Have one Cocobolo fretboard which is partially white/light colored (over 50%)

 

[GreyBeard]

No

 

[tlc1976]

No, and I’ve never given it a second thought.

 

[Tommy Sparks]

Had to think about this for a bit.
I have one maple neck bass and It Does take a bit (not long) of getting used to when I pick it up and yes The contrast of the dots make a big difference.
Think I’ll go grab that maple neck P bass now.

 

[Bass-ball]

I experience this more switching between 4 & 5 string bass.

I actually LOVE going from a 5 to 4. Way more than going from 4 to 5. It's like when batters use the weighted donut for practice swings before going to the plate, then when they pop it off, the bat feels a lot lighter for a few moments.

 

[FenderBassist]

In my case, no, because I've had numerous versions of both and my necks are all the same neck now on all the basses. So, I can switch easily enough.

 

[Clark Westfield]

With 2 maple and 3 ebony, I do not get thrown off at all.

I really do not notice the “feel” difference as well.

I fret the string with my fingers, and never feel smooth or porous fretboards.

 

[Matt Dean]

I go back and forth without thought of any difference... however, my two bass guitars are very different and play rather differently. So, maybe there is a noticeable difference.

 

[Slevage]

No,
I only glance at the neck occasionally for reference.

I had a great teacher in 1971 who taught me to read. I do some gigs now where I have to watch the conductor and the written music- very little opportunity to look at the finger board.
When I play a lot of clubs and parties, there were better things to look at than my instrument.

 

[sotua]

A little bit. I prefer dark fretboards for this reason (too many years of rosewood under my belt) but it's not a total dealbreaker (I have a short scale stingray with maple and an ibanez EHB with roasted birdseye maple - on that one, whatever genius that thought abalone on a roasted maple fretboard was a good idea, oof! Had to buy fretboard stickers off amazon because between size/position/color I could not tell where I was, and the side dots same story)

 

[Bassy Davy]

Nope. Never thought about it, never had any difficulty with it personally, and never heard about this being an issue until this thread

 

[Rip Van Dan]

Hey there bass friends! Just curious if this happens to anyone else. I’ve been a maple fretboard player for years and recently got a Lakland 44-02 with a rosewood fretboard. When I play it, I sometimes feel like I am thrown off a bit as to where the frets are. Meaning it takes a little adjustment visually to get my bearings. The maple fretboard with the black side dots are easy to see. The rosewood board with off white dots sometimes takes getting used to. It’s just a visual thing. It could also be that the 44-02, when played sitting sits a little further back than my Jazz bass with the maple neck so my positioning is off by a fret. I think I explained that clearly.

My first Jazz had a rosewood fretboard with MOP dots, and I played that from 1965 until 1976 when it was stolen. My current Jazz has a maple fretboard with black dots and I've been playing that since 1985 (38-years now). I never had a problem with that.

I also have a 5-string with a rosewood fretboard that I play when I need to use that B string. I have no problem switching between the two. I had more trouble from switching from the 7.25" radius on my Jazz to the 12" radius on my 5-string. A 12" radius is really flat for me. The rosewood vs. maple fretboards never made a difference. to me. Both necks also have side dots.

 

[Thom Fioriglio]

Yes. I have two necks with the same dimensions but one is maple and one is rosewood. I have issues flipping between the two for sure.

Haha, thanks! Glad I am not alone in this.

 

[satantango]

zero issues but I spend almost no time looking at the fretboard anyway. as long as it's got good side markers all's good.

 

[Smooth_bass88]

No. I would recommend practicing blindfolded

 

[Thom Fioriglio]

zero issues but I spend almost no time looking at the fretboard anyway. as long as it's got good side markers all's good.

Yeah, I think that is what throws me off a little is the side markers. They stand out on a maple neck and on an ebony neck. The rosewood or Indian Laurel isn't as dark and so the side dots don't stand out as much.

 

[Koog]

Maple can be great on dark stages.