PROOF! That fingerboard wood makes a difference.

[Felken]

Okay, okay, maybe not proof. There seems to be people freaking out every time I say the word "proof".

Anyways, here's the video.

And you might say "pish pish, it's because it's a different bass (same model)!"

But I've seen many videos of comparisons, so why does the maple neck always sound brighter than the rosewood one?? I've never seen a video where the rosewood was brighter.

This video may not be proof, but these are the only two results I've ever seen in these comparisons:

1- They sound the same. The player always plays very lightly in this type of video.
2- Maple is brighter and rosewood is mellower. The player plays with a harder, heavier pluck.

Besides, you will only ever hear a difference when you pluck harder. Fingerboards will all sound the same when you lightly touch the strings.

EDIT:

Look at this video. No tone difference BUT, he plucks with the power of a feather:

 

[Fat Freddy]

I say "Pish Posh".....

 

[ZenG]

Happens on keyboard synths too.

Play bass on a synth with plastic keys and then play bass on a synth with wood keys....no comparison.

 

[S-Bigbottom]

I wonder why my ads for this Thread are for Crocs shoes.

 

[elgecko]

Did they install the fret boards onto the same neck?

 

[Ironbar]

Yeah, I literally can't hear any difference.

 

[BAG]

PROOF??

NOT!!

If it makes you feel better about the bass you have then cool, but the reality is that any differences between the sound of different fretboard woods is very easily and quickly negated by turning the tone pot or some amp EQ settings just a tiny little bit.

 

[5544]

This video proves as much as the memes saying that if the earth was flat cats would have pushed everything off.

If you look very closely, you will see that on the bass with the rosewood neck, the control knobs have a white reference line. On the bass with the maple neck, the control knobs do not have a reference line. One can argue that the tone control settings were not equal.

I will go a step farther and say that even if both control knobs had reference lines and both were in the same spot, who is to say that the tone controls were set different but the knobs appear to be set the same?

I won't get into how the video could have used different pickups with the same covers or add capacitors / resistors to the pots or have effect pedals in the chain out of site.

 

[Bryan R. Tyler]

But I've seen many videos of comparisons, so why does the maple neck always sound brighter than the rosewood one?? I've never seen a video where the rosewood was brighter.

If you were born in, say, China, in the early 1800s, you would likely only see Chinese people for the majority of year life. You could walk hundreds of miles in any direction and come across nearly a billion different people and every one of them would be Chinese. Based on that personal experience alone, you might conclude that every person in the world was Chinese. Clearly this is not the case. And that's with nearly a billion examples, which is exponentially more than the number of bass comparison vids on YouTube.

If you want to know the objective truth, you need to put aside personal experience and look for objective, repeatable testing to prove it. Unfortunately, there really isn't any on the subject. I believe there are some small differences in tone due to the wood types based on my personal experience, but I am fully aware that I am likely mistaken on it this issue.

 

[Nashrakh]

But I've seen many videos of comparisons, so why does the maple neck always sound brighter than the rosewood one?? I've never seen a video where the rosewood was brighter.

Maybe because the wood is brighter, so you have some sort of visual bias...? I don't know. The real question is, would you be able to tell without looking? People even have trouble figuring out what basses McCartney used on specific songs and recordings, how are you supposed to hear maple vs rosewood in a mix?

 

[HaphAsSard]

Happens on keyboard synths too.

Play bass on a synth with plastic keys and then play bass on a synth with wood keys....no comparison.

Besides, everyone knows black keys sound warmer and white keys sound bright. Duuhh...

 

[NoiseNinja]

You know metal wire is very sensitive to wood, it's a scientific fact!

Also have you tried to play live in a pyramid shaped building?

Man, you should try that, makes you sound like Geddy Lee no matter what equipment you use, some claim it is due to his nose though, I know that's a lie.

Wearing a genuine mountain crystal around your neck might help too.

It's all about catching the right vibrations!

 

[guy n. cognito]

This will go well....

 

[Aqualung60]

..........I was told there would be carrots here.......

 

[Gorn]

Blinded experiment - Wikipedia
Sample size determination - Wikipedia

The video not only isn't proof but it's barely usable data. Do the test more objectively and repeat a hundred times and maybe we'll have something.

 

[roller]

But... but... [panicking, sweating]... but my Southern Madagascar rosewood fingerboard is THE BEST.

My luthier told me it was!

 

[B-line]

I don't know that the video, or any other demo, test, etc. can "prove" that there's a difference between fb woods.
It's in the ear of the beholder in the end. We have different attacks, strings figure in all this, etc etc etc.

However I do have to say that I feel and hear a difference between my bass with ebony fb and another that has BE maple e.g.
Of course that can be diminished or even negated with EQ; but I still think that the density and character of the woods used produce different sonic results from the instrument, whether from the fb or from the woods used in the bodies & necks.
IMHO; YMMV, etc.

 

[Ant Illington]

This video proves as much as the memes saying that if the earth was flat cats would have pushed everything off.

If you look very closely, you will see that on the bass with the rosewood neck, the control knobs have a white reference line. On the bass with the maple neck, the control knobs do not have a reference line. One can argue that the tone control settings were not equal.

I will go a step farther and say that even if both control knobs had reference lines and both were in the same spot, who is to say that the tone controls were set different but the knobs appear to be set the same?

I won't get into how the video could have used different pickups with the same covers or add capacitors / resistors to the pots or have effect pedals in the chain out of site.

Haha, "cats would have pushed everything off."

 

[catcauphonic]

Haha, "cats would have pushed everything off."

 

[Coolhandjjl]

Where's the tort fretboard?