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Maple Vs. Rosewood fingerboards

What is your favourite type of fingerboard?

  • Maple

    Votes: 57 38.8%

  • Rosewood

    Votes: 63 42.9%

  • Wenge

    Votes: 10 6.8%

  • Others (I.E. Graphite etc.)

    Votes: 17 11.6%
  • Total voters
    147
#24
I have 3 maple, 1 rosewood, 1 pao ferro, and 2 Ebony-boarded basses. To me, maple boards sound more 'alive' and are less forgiving to bad dynamics. I like rosewood for its warmth , and I can seemingly play harder without incurring harsh transients in my sound. I can't really say for ebony because I have never played passives with ebony boards, and the preamps do mix things up quite a bit.

I voted for maple because I can emulate the warmth of rosewood, but can't make rosewood do the attack-properties and clarity of maple. Also, maple makes me play 'cleaner' :o
 
#26
I have one of each with my Roscoes. They have identical pups and electronics but the Rosewood (Chechen actually) is definately warmer and richer in tone but with plenty of attitude! The Birdseye maple is more compressed and a bit brighter in tone. I never thought there was a difference but I am totally convenced there is! But all in all I need both tones withinin arms reach at all times!
 
#28
I think you'll always need both.

DSC06246.jpg
 
#30
Sufenta said:
+1
Click to expand...

Well, the post was more an indication of preference than anything else. Didn't think that there'd be some who didn't think there was any difference at all.

I've got a Maple fingerboard on my FBass, a Wenge on my Warwick and Carbon Fiber on my Modulus. I like the bright Maple on the FBass. I think of the three it gives the best tone especially for slapping and popping. The Carbon Fiber neck is snappy and very nice because it really stands out. The Wenge is just so warm its great.

Of the three I must say, Maple gives me the best tone and greatest ease of playability. The Carbon Fiber is a close second but I feel its not organic enough at times.
 
#32
Every bass is different. To say that maple is bright and rosewood is warm is not really correct. Some of the warmest sounding basses I have played were maple boards. Vice versa, some rosewood basses have been super bright. I don't buy it. Don't let the fingerboard wood keep you from owning a bass that is perfect for you.
 
#33
Fuzzbass said:
I didn't vote because there was no option for "doesn't matter"!
Click to expand...

I agree. I have 4 basses currently with rosewood and one with wenge. My next bass is going to have a light colored maple fretboard, chosen on aesthetics rather than tone.

I personally can't hear a difference no matter how I've tried. I don't 'feel' a fretboard while I'm playing since my fingers make contact with the strings not the wood. I've had other maple FB basses and guitars and I've liked them just fine. As my sound has a fair amount of EQ and I pull off the top end anyway, if maple did give it more on top I'd never know.
 
#34
i thought i preferred maple, but i just picked up a 4401 that has a rosewood FB...and ya know i don't have one single problem with it, sometimes depending on the look i prefer a maple neck with block inlays of course! ;)
 

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