Double Bass Ebony v ebonised fingerboard

[Doc Yarram]

So, mainly for for slap bass, is there a big difference in sound with the different fingerboards?

 

[Slaphound]

As one dummy who plays slap bass but know nothing really about the upright bass in this case, I'd venture to say no.

 

[Don Hergert]

It depends on what kind of wood is under the ebonizing. And technique comes into play here also.

I can hear the difference between some fingerboard woods in slapping tone, especially since I do a slap-tap.

Exclusive string slap sound may not reveal the difference as much as tapping or slap-tapping does.

 

[HateyMcAmp]

Ebonizing a softwood fingerboard is, at its core, a cost saving measure. I would be concerned about the general build quality of an instrument where this technique is present. Other than a period of time engelhardt was doing it, though in later years they switched to an alternate hardwood. I don’t know any other reputable manufacturers who are willing to cut that corner.

For slap, an ebony fingerboard is a no brainer. Aggressive slapping will pit out the softwood and coating, while ebony will wear MUCH better.

 

[Doc Yarram]

So it is more for the durability of it rather than the sound?

 

[turf3]

Ebonizing a softwood fingerboard is, at its core, a cost saving measure....

Well, first of all I very much doubt anyone's actually using a softwood (this means it comes from a conifer) for a DB fingerboard; I expect when they "ebonize" fingerboards they're made of something like rock maple or one of the various species called "rosewood". These are all hardwoods (deciduous trees) that are softer than ebony and thus more wear prone, but hard enough to function OK in a DB fingerboard.

Personally, given that fingerboard-size pieces of quality ebony are a diminishing resource that, while technically renewable/sustainable, takes decades to grow, I wouldn't use an ebony fingerboard on a bass intended for slap playing; it's a waste. Even the ebony board is going to get big grooves in it from the slapping. Use maple or something like that, that we have a vast supply of, and replace it when you need to. Frankly I'm surprised that something like Corian hasn't been used more often.

 

[Don Hergert]

Use maple or something like that, that we have a vast supply of, and replace it when you need to

Agree!

And in doing so, use a tone hardwood for the fingerboard... The quest for slap tone is subtle, but there are those who prefer one wood over another, and/or who find the tap/slap location that is most resonant and pleasing for tone.

 

[unbrokenchain]

Never actually tried one but I've seen some non-bass instruments made with local wood around here, usually black walnut for fingerboards. Seems like a pretty good idea to me.

 

[blindeddie]

it's definitely more about durability than sound. different strings are going to affect your tone way more that what type of fingerboard wood you have. that being said, i've worn grooves in my nice ebony board and had to have it planed so i would never go with a softer wood ever again. i say again because my first upright was an engelhardt with an ebonized fingerboard. it didn't take me very long at all to wear off the ebonized finish leaving exposed wood that appeared to be a maple fingerboard. it sounded fine but i knew it wasn't going to last much longer but luckily i sold the bass before i was forced to have it planed. but, no, i would not buy an ebonized fingerboard ever again.

 

[Ed S]

My banjo has a persimmon fingerboard - which is much harder than maple, tho softer than ebony. I think it is pretty cheap and available.

 

[Persona87]

Isn’t ebonized just a fancy term for “dyed black”?

 

[Don Hergert]

Well, it may include literally painting black too. But yes, it's a polite way of saying it's another wood pretending to be ebony. And fwiw, this has been done for many necked instruments, not just double bass, and it's been done for many, many years.

 

[Doc Yarram]

Thanks for that - pretty much answers it

 

[TomB]

Ebanol is a different matter entirely. I’ve had a couple EB’s with ebanol boards that were very durable over the short term. Has anyone used it for a DB board? Would it be too expensive?

 

[Persona87]

My EUB from NS Design uses something similar to ebonol called richlite and it’s a durable material and sounds pretty good. No EUB sounds just like an acoustic DB so I can’t do a direct comparison, though.

 

[Steven Ayres]

I've had several slappers tell me that they prefer the sound of the maple boards on the cheaper Kay basses. Those were always ebonized, and Kay would ebonize any fingerboard that didn't have a smooth grain pattern, including ebony.

Ebonization is a chemical process that interacts with tannin to blacken wood. It's not a coating, and not really a dye either (although some people probably use the term differently), which makes it more appropriate for wear surfaces like fingerboards. But to the OP question, no, I can't see it changing the sound of a given fingerboard.