In my own personal experience and my humble opinion, I have always noticed a difference between rosewood and maple necks. My father's '77 Fender Precision has a highly glossed one piece maple neck/fret board. Mine had a rosewood fret board. I think that one has to take into consideration the finish on the neck and fret board and more importantly the weight of the neck. The 77's neck is very heavy and if you use anything other than a leather strap the bass will slip on your shoulder until the head is pointing straight down. Mine was much lighter because rosewood is much lighter than maple. My bass, with the same strings, was much snappier than my Dad's. He was always used to maple neck basses and it was the first thing he pointed out when I got mine. Same amp, EQ, and tone control settings as well. My uncle also tells me that his rosewood strat has more sustain than his maple necked one. Don't know about that one.
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I have a theory about maple fingerboards
- Thread starter jazzbass1967
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I've heard a difference on every bass that I have switched the neck on, but won't begin to try to claim that it definitely was because of the fretboard. That being said, I definitely seem to fall in love with instruments with maple or ebony fretboards far more easily, and one of my biggest qualifiers for decideing to keep an instrument/neck is how percussive my tone can get without altering my normal technique- the maple and ebony necks I've had always seem to win out in this test for whatever reason...I tried both on my L2000 and stuck with maple, tried both on my last Jazz bass and chose ebony, even tried both on my last G&L ASAT guitar and ended up with maple. I also won't claim that there isn't some sort of psychological trick going on here, but because any factor happening in my mind is as real to me as anything I actually sense, so it doesn't really matter what (internal or external) factor is causing the preference! It's like attempting to logically argue the existence of God- no matter what "facts" you may present to prove its nonexistence, it won't change the minds of the true believers who have no trouble seeing it's presence. My opinion is that it just doesn't matter- and not a single person here can "prove" it right or wrong!
There is definitely a difference. The maple has upper brightness/crispness the rosewood doesn't. It's pretty subtle, but it's there.
If there is a difference, it is so subtle that it would never be discernable in a gig situation, and it's so small that, even in that recording, almost no one would be able to differentiate the two in a double-blind test.
Which leads me to the conclusion that neck woods should be chosen primarily on aesthetics.
I usually base my decision on FB wood by feel, not tone. IMO, it would take a VERY transparent set of pickups and electronics for you to hear any difference. Also, 2 basses built identical may also be totally different sonically simply by the cut of wood used. Because wood is natural and grows in a variety of climates, 1 piece of ash may cause a bass to weigh 8 lbs. while another may cause it to weigh 10. So really, it depends on the cut of wood, not only the wood itself, in which it would be so insignificant that this thread wouldn't need to exist.....for the 1000th time.
making a list of debates that will never have a winner
1. 4 vs. 5
2. Budget Fender vs. new Squiers
3. Fender vs. Fender clones
4. Tone of Maple vs. Rosewood fretboards
5. J vs. P
1. 4 vs. 5
2. Budget Fender vs. new Squiers
3. Fender vs. Fender clones
4. Tone of Maple vs. Rosewood fretboards
5. J vs. P
- Feb 16, 2008
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i'm talking about that swapping only the necks (which BTW weigh the same too @ 1lb 9.3 oz) on the same bass, (not on two completely different basses) and i can hear the difference. it's not drastic, so you might not be able to hear it in a video like the example above, but it's definitely there. the maple sounds just a little brighter and more resonant to me. the rosewood is a little duller and darker.
Engine207
Losing faith in humanity...one call at a time.
I can't decide whether the people who can hear and discern these differences (fretboard woods; body finishes; bridges; etc.) have bionic ears compared to my siren-worn pair, or they hear what they want to hear...
- Feb 16, 2008
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- John K Custom Basses
All I know is you can take two basses from the same maker with the EXACT same electronics, and see consistant differences in tone between ash/maple and alder/RW.
If wood had no ability to dampen certain overtones and sympathetically enhance others, the Fender dead spot would be a myth as well.
If wood had no ability to dampen certain overtones and sympathetically enhance others, the Fender dead spot would be a myth as well.
I have no idea why youd think it allows the basses voices to breather more. Maple givers brighter sound then does rosewood. Ebony isnt as bright as maple but accents a bit of note attack. Of these 3 rosewood is often thought of as the woodier sounding. Which would more imply breathing more then maple imo. However, anytime you have a coated fretbaord, your creating the same effect found on poly body compared to matte or warwick style finish etc. So Id say maple breathed less then the other two. Wenge is another nice fretboard wood that doesnt require finish on it like maple does. somewhere inbetween rosewood and ebony to me from my breif experience with wenge fretboard bass. Graphite, a non wood material sometimes used for necks and fretbaords has a tone add many like. Perhaps graphite breathes?
Ok, lets say your useing the term air or breath same as sometimes used to describe speakers that seem to have more air to their voice then others. A desired qaulity in most cases for hifi sound. In basses, and guitars thats going to depend more on the pups and electronics if active I think. Such and such a brand of bass pups for example lending what might be called more air to the sound. A more organic tone.
As far as woods go. I dont think one sounds more organic or airy then another. Better qaulity wood picks from a given wood type will imo give a more musical sound. That could be loosely described as haveing more air. But I dont think any one wood does that better then another. Unless perhaps someone comes across some zombie wood. Which would be less alive and thus possibly less airy then nonzombie wood. Then again them zombies do get quite animated around fresh brains. Lol.
Ok, lets say your useing the term air or breath same as sometimes used to describe speakers that seem to have more air to their voice then others. A desired qaulity in most cases for hifi sound. In basses, and guitars thats going to depend more on the pups and electronics if active I think. Such and such a brand of bass pups for example lending what might be called more air to the sound. A more organic tone.
As far as woods go. I dont think one sounds more organic or airy then another. Better qaulity wood picks from a given wood type will imo give a more musical sound. That could be loosely described as haveing more air. But I dont think any one wood does that better then another. Unless perhaps someone comes across some zombie wood. Which would be less alive and thus possibly less airy then nonzombie wood. Then again them zombies do get quite animated around fresh brains. Lol.
After listening to this link, I definitely hear a difference. The maple is more "nasal" and maybe a tad brighter. The rosewood is more "muh", thicker girth to the tone. I've swapped necks on both P and J basses and ALWAYS hear a difference. The proof is whenever I go to play straight ahead jazz or OLD school R&B, it's ROSEWOOD I go for ALL THE TIME! The Maple just comes off as having a tad too much "edge" and not enough mid "thickness".
There, I said it..
I can definitely hear the difference, especially when he plays higher on the neck. The maple has a more pronounced high mid character. When he did the AB test with toward the end, it was like panning a filter knob back and forth.
i compared my 05 MIA jazz with a maple board to an 09 MIA jazz at GC with a rosewood board and when i cranked the tone knobs on both basses mine sounded more growly and punchy and the one with the rosewood board sounded clankier and duller so imo wood plays a big part in the sound of a bass
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