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IME fretboard material does make a difference sonically. This one sounds like Maple.
IME fretboard material does make a difference sonically. This one sounds like Maple.
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Fingerboards :Rosewood vs Maple vs Ebony
- Thread starter Lechuzon
- Start date
I've have basses with ebony and rosewood fingerboards and I think it's entirely an aesthetic issue. I've never noticed a sonic difference and since my fingers are on the strings most of the time, to me, the the feel doesn't mean that much. As long as the material fits the context of the rest of the bass, it's fine.
i think that the coating involved has something to do with it as well. Ebony and Rose wood dont require coatings. Maple and paoferro do. I have nitrocellulose on my maple 5 string. I am not quite happy with it yet. I think its the pickups. My pau ferro frettless 5 has an epoxy coating ala jaco. Its the best sounding most versital frettless I have ever played, and it has emg selects in it.
This thread amuses me. Some said fingerboard is not shaping any tone to the bass tones, some is opposite, including Roger Sadowsky.
I have two bass only with ebony and wenge fingerboard. They are unique to each other. I also played rosewood/mapleneck/alder body bass which is giving a warm sweet midrangey tones. I love them all. No preference.
However I would like to share an article from Helmut Fleischer about deadspots. I am not talking about deadspots here, but you can read that wood solid body instrument is too big to be vibrates by the string vibrations, so in bridge it reflects back and vibrates the neck. Fingerboard has a special functions, for it is the other witness point from bridge saddles. In that sense, it is impossible to say fingerboard is having a little effect on the tone shaping.
here is the link in case somebody interested.
Invalid Link Removed
I have two bass only with ebony and wenge fingerboard. They are unique to each other. I also played rosewood/mapleneck/alder body bass which is giving a warm sweet midrangey tones. I love them all. No preference.
However I would like to share an article from Helmut Fleischer about deadspots. I am not talking about deadspots here, but you can read that wood solid body instrument is too big to be vibrates by the string vibrations, so in bridge it reflects back and vibrates the neck. Fingerboard has a special functions, for it is the other witness point from bridge saddles. In that sense, it is impossible to say fingerboard is having a little effect on the tone shaping.
here is the link in case somebody interested.
Invalid Link Removed
That information proves that the neck particularly the fretboard plays the most important role for the quality, type of sound and sustain.
That is perhaps the more rigid the neck i.e . neck thru construction makes the sustain longer.
I also notice that 4 strings has abetter sound quality than 5 strings of the same make.
That is perhaps the more rigid the neck i.e . neck thru construction makes the sustain longer.
I also notice that 4 strings has abetter sound quality than 5 strings of the same make.
Originally posted by embellisher
Those of us who beleive that we can hear the difference in fingerboard woods on a fretted bass and those of you who swear we can't(just because you can't doesn't mean that I can't!) will always have this debate. It will never be settled.
Oh, I agree that we can agree to disagree on this issue! I'm always very careful to put "IMO" when I state my opinion, because that's all this debate is, a matter of opinion.
My acoustic has ebony wood. the feel on the ebony is a lot harder. it's also a sweet black. I like to be different. eBONY
Ebony would be the best. The black wood just looks the coolest. I had an ebony fretboard on my old Ibanez musician fretless. I loved the feel.
although loving ebony wouldn't be reflected by my current basses. my "geddy jazz" has a maple with black blocks, my "maiden p" has maple and my 77 p-bass has rosewood.
I would personally love: an ebony fretboard on a fender jazz neck, 24 frets, "white blocked" neck, with mother of pearl blocks/squares (like a les paul custom).
i love jazz necks (but p bodies), les pauls, i love 70's basses, 24 frets, so that's the best of every world. hint---fender! fender is getting closer. just make the FMT deluxe jazz bass with 24 frets and ebony and i would be in heaven.
my "geddy" is my main bass because the neck is thinner than my P-bass, making long sets easier and the big black blocks help my find my frets when stage-lights are low, drinks are plentiful,guitars are out of tune and there is too much smoke in the air, plus my "night vision" isn't the best. i could never play a bass with no fret/position markers. i won't pretend to have the best hearing to play all night with my eyes shut.
mm
although loving ebony wouldn't be reflected by my current basses. my "geddy jazz" has a maple with black blocks, my "maiden p" has maple and my 77 p-bass has rosewood.
I would personally love: an ebony fretboard on a fender jazz neck, 24 frets, "white blocked" neck, with mother of pearl blocks/squares (like a les paul custom).
i love jazz necks (but p bodies), les pauls, i love 70's basses, 24 frets, so that's the best of every world. hint---fender! fender is getting closer. just make the FMT deluxe jazz bass with 24 frets and ebony and i would be in heaven.
my "geddy" is my main bass because the neck is thinner than my P-bass, making long sets easier and the big black blocks help my find my frets when stage-lights are low, drinks are plentiful,guitars are out of tune and there is too much smoke in the air, plus my "night vision" isn't the best. i could never play a bass with no fret/position markers. i won't pretend to have the best hearing to play all night with my eyes shut.
mm
Sinker said:
me too. i like being different so a light colored fingerboard is the way to go. i dont think it makes a tonal difference. thats mostly electronics and strings.
I'm going to vote maple, why ?
This is going to sound stupid, I know, so don't flame me to bad !
But, to me it's a visual thing ?. If I go from light to dark I get lost ! ?, I know it sounds dumb. I have always played a maple type fretboard neck guitar, bass and regular 6 string, I even put a white fretboard on my pedal steel ?.
I couldn't hear a difference in sound between the two.
This is going to sound stupid, I know, so don't flame me to bad !
But, to me it's a visual thing ?. If I go from light to dark I get lost ! ?, I know it sounds dumb. I have always played a maple type fretboard neck guitar, bass and regular 6 string, I even put a white fretboard on my pedal steel ?.
I couldn't hear a difference in sound between the two.
i really love the look of maple, and i mean seriously generally, bass players i c wiv maple fretboards, GENERALLY have a growly, more trebly tone, and more punchy! i mean in general!
I like Rosewood/Brazilian rosewood, palisander for fingerboards,
maple sounds clear and great but I prefer the depth of Rosewood for a fingerboard.
Ebony doesn't necessarily sound better than Palisander rosewood. Another option that I played is a carbon fibre fingerboard,
it adds clarity and dynamic balance to your neck, it may sound a bit too sterile for some players.
maple sounds clear and great but I prefer the depth of Rosewood for a fingerboard.
Ebony doesn't necessarily sound better than Palisander rosewood. Another option that I played is a carbon fibre fingerboard,
it adds clarity and dynamic balance to your neck, it may sound a bit too sterile for some players.
For fretted, I prefer rosewood. For fretless, I prefer ebony. But, I think that it also depends on the other woods used. Also, I have never played similar quality fretless basses with different fingerboard woods.
I have heard great things about wenge, but I honestly haven't had much experience using it.
It's pointless. So many of the assertions that one species has a particular sound are based on flawed comparisons. Even comparing a huge number of Fender maples to Fender rosewoods utterly fails the test of controls. Why? Because Fender maple necks are one-piece maple necks with the frets on the same timber that is the neck itself. The rosewood boards are glued on to a maple neck. So, those tests totally fail to account for the impact of the glue joint.
Now, is someone were to make about two dozen bodies as identical as possible and set them up wtih the exact same electronics (and BTW, control for variances in pots and wires), and make two dozen necks that except for fingerboard material were identical, and then swap each of those necks onto each of those bodies, then we MIGHT be able to come up with some concrete assertions. Until then, it's all just conjecture.
My limited experience with simialar instruments is very inconclusive. I had a Lakland maple neck (maple board glued to a maple neck) and a Lakland rosewood (rosewood board glued to a maple neck). They were very similar, but the rosewood one was just a bit darker in A/B comparisons. Not so similar that I can tell from live board recordings which bass was used. And, the rosewood neck was on an alder body, not the ash/maple combination of the Deluxe. So that's another variable.
Having been a Fender dealer from 1977=1988, I can say that the whole "maple is brighter" is wrong about as often as it's right. And thats across not only basses, but also guitars. So, unless you're talking fretless basses, then base your choice on cosmetics rather than some ill-based aural consideration. Or, even better, ignore stuff like this totally, and focus on what THIS chunk of wood and metal sounds like in YOUR hands when YOU play it.
That's a great way to get rid of GAS. Ignore the catalog, ignore TB's pronouncements of what's appropriate, and just play the freakin' bass. It either sounds good to you or it don't. Only buy the bass that says "Hi, honey, I'm home!!". You'll save a lot of money, and you'll be not only a happier, but a better bassist for it.
John
Now, is someone were to make about two dozen bodies as identical as possible and set them up wtih the exact same electronics (and BTW, control for variances in pots and wires), and make two dozen necks that except for fingerboard material were identical, and then swap each of those necks onto each of those bodies, then we MIGHT be able to come up with some concrete assertions. Until then, it's all just conjecture.
My limited experience with simialar instruments is very inconclusive. I had a Lakland maple neck (maple board glued to a maple neck) and a Lakland rosewood (rosewood board glued to a maple neck). They were very similar, but the rosewood one was just a bit darker in A/B comparisons. Not so similar that I can tell from live board recordings which bass was used. And, the rosewood neck was on an alder body, not the ash/maple combination of the Deluxe. So that's another variable.
Having been a Fender dealer from 1977=1988, I can say that the whole "maple is brighter" is wrong about as often as it's right. And thats across not only basses, but also guitars. So, unless you're talking fretless basses, then base your choice on cosmetics rather than some ill-based aural consideration. Or, even better, ignore stuff like this totally, and focus on what THIS chunk of wood and metal sounds like in YOUR hands when YOU play it.
That's a great way to get rid of GAS. Ignore the catalog, ignore TB's pronouncements of what's appropriate, and just play the freakin' bass. It either sounds good to you or it don't. Only buy the bass that says "Hi, honey, I'm home!!". You'll save a lot of money, and you'll be not only a happier, but a better bassist for it.
John
