• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Maple P Bass???

pil

pil

Feb 17, 2005
248
2
Pimlico, UK
#1
Are there any mexican (or just cheap!) precisions that have been made with maple fretboards?? I want a p, and i want maple and theres no way i'd pay for an american (the mexicans ive tried sounded as good - with some exceptions)...but i cant seem to find one!

Everything i find is telling me no...but i thought i'd ask as you lot are good at this type of thing :help:

Thanks
 
#2
pil said:
Are there any mexican (or just cheap!) precisions that have been made with maple fretboards?? I want a p, and i want maple and theres no way i'd pay for an american (the mexicans ive tried sounded as good - with some exceptions)...but i cant seem to find one!

Everything i find is telling me no...but i thought i'd ask as you lot are good at this type of thing :help:

Thanks
Click to expand...
The cheapest Fender p-bass you can get with a maple neck is one made in Japan. MIM basses do not come with maple necks.
 
#4
thanks for the quick reply - i thought a japanese would be the most likely but the only ones ive seen with maple necks are the old style (sting type)...and that doesn't really do it for me - sounded good, i just dont like the looks. Then again maybe it's just living in england...we do tend to miss out on the niceities in life :crying:
 
#12
Hi - Since I'm both new to this thread and new to playing bass, what is the benefit of using a maple fretboard? I am a guitar player, and for my strats, I always prefer maple over rosewood or ebony, but I'm not really sure why - I think they sound clearer and a little brighter, even though to me, they aren't quite as soft and comfortable. I have always wondered because I would think it is more supply & labor intensive to add on the extra wood for the rosewood or ebony, but I see that maple fretboards are at least as expensive.

Is this the same with bass guitars?
 
#13
MIM - Steve Harris sig P-bass - out of production but had a maple fingerboard.

Skel - you pretty much hit it. It's largely personal preference, but maple and ebony have a bit sharper attack than rosewood. Maple fingerboards usually have a hard finish coat of lacquer on them as well, which certainly changes the feel over ebony (very dense & hard, with super-tight grain) or rosewood (not soft, but not as hard as ebony, with a wider grain). All Fenders that I know of with maple boards have a finish coat on them (I'm sure the Custom Shop would make an exception though).

I greatly prefer maple fingerboards on my guitars & basses, with ebony as my 2nd choice. I used to be a strict rosewood-only guy, but a weird Les Paul - with a maple fingerboard! - converted me to the joys of maple...and I've never looked back :)

--chiba
 
#15
Chiba - I was going to say something about some guitars like Les Pauls and Ricks, that are never available with a maple fretboard. Wow - a Les Paul with a maple fretboard....works for me. I wonder if one could really tell the difference in tone between maple and non-maple on record, or if it is more of a feel thing.

Skel
 
#19
Skel said:
Chiba - I was going to say something about some guitars like Les Pauls and Ricks, that are never available with a maple fretboard. Wow - a Les Paul with a maple fretboard....works for me. I wonder if one could really tell the difference in tone between maple and non-maple on record, or if it is more of a feel thing.

Skel
Click to expand...

Gibson has the Zakk Wylde sig model which feautres a maple neck on a guitar. I notice the difference, but I'm tuned in to that, I loathe all things rosewood, its like a phobia.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back