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Rosewood/Maple Finger Boards - Tone difference?

#281
Fuzzbass said:
Finally: sometimes maple is brighter than maple. That says a lot... think about it. Example: swapping rosewood-to-maple on the same J-bass body doesn't prove anything. Any difference in tone might be due to differences in the neck wood rather than the fingerboard. Again: maple is sometimes brighter than maple!
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A number of different maple species are used for necks, ignoring the Pacific northwest soft maple for the moment, all sold as hard maple. Yet we don't hear about those tone differences. We would if we could see the difference :ninja:

You have a good point, we usually assume all maple variations are inert and attribute all tone changes to the visible segments.

Interesting to note that Warmoth makes some major tonal claims for the steel bars they put in their necks yet they rarely come up in discussion of the tone of those necks. It's usually just wood species. Yet if we put the metal on the outside (fatfingers) it once again becomes a major tone contributor.
 
#282
Fuzzbass said:
Speaking of wherefores, here's another question. Maple fingerboards are almost always finished whereas rosewoods usually aren't. So, to those who believe maple is brighter: is it because of the wood, or because of the finish?
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If it's a clear finish it does not effect the perception of tone, and that's not as sarcastic as it looks :)
 
#283
Quote:
Originally Posted by SMASH
Then shouldn't someone do the playing who does not have expectations, or at least doesn't know for what purpose they're playing?
JAUQO III-X said:
In this experiment that Moo and I are working on I have no expectations at all(I will be playing the Basses)and my purpose is to only assist in providing an outlet for those who may be interested in what the outcome of this particular experiment may bring.
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I do agree with Smash, ultimately I'd like to hire Will Lee and tell him he doesn't get paid if we detect any differences in the playing from track to track. I think Jauqo will do fine but for a fully legit double blind test we would need someone who didn't know what we were testing. For our budget we're thinking blindfolding Jauqo and have a helper hand him basses is about as scientifically clean as we're going to get.

Maybe I should apply for a grant :)
 
#284
SMASH said:
You've stated strongly that you can easily hear the difference so you do have expectations, and therefore as long as you're seeing the fingerboards and you're doing the playing that goes against one of Moo's main points which is that someone may make things sound the way they expect them to sound, perhaps subconsioucly.

Because of this, if a lot of people score highly then any skeptic wishing to debunk the sound samples would point to that first I'd expect, and as far as methodology goes they'd be correct in doing so. In that light, while it very cool what you're trying to accomplish, it seems a bit of a waste IMO if it can be so easily shot down from the start.

Good luck whatever methods you choose.
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Again, good points and once this is built once it would be quite simple to pop in another set of sound files and try another version. It could also be argued that the player should not be able to hear the bass while they play. Ultimately I could shoot this down on many details and most of them valid but my goals are more to be educational than conclusive and while our technique will not be "proper" it will be relatively superior to the non testing that is at the base of these claims in the first place and should hold more weight than a personal evaluation of ones skills.

One small step for Moo, one giant leap for Mookind.
 
#289
this started a huge argument where the clear answer is that it DOES make a difference...but if you really want a warm sound you can just build every other component to match that warm sound..n then get a fingerboard to match the colour of the instrument..thats what everyone usually does..as it seems...
 
#292
after listening to that...i think that when i'm going to order my custom bass next time..and its either rosewood or maple...it'll be the wood that looks better with the body. i could hear a difference, but not enough or not something that playing with the eq can't change..
 
#293
That still doesn't clear anything up, as has been posted before, you take one tree, cut 10 different basses out of it. Not a single one will sound exactly like another one from the same tree. The sterlings did sound pretty damn close to each other. However following that philosophy, the difference could simply be the wood of the body. I am not saying it is, but it is possible. But in all, after those clips, can anyone really say one wood is advantuous over the other? At least as far as the fingerboard is concerned between maple/rosewood. And by the way, I don't care what anybody says, pro or not. THE FINGERBOARD DOES NOT CONTRIBUTE MORE TO THE SOUND THAN THE BODY. PERIOD. It may cause some difference, but nowhere near the difference of let's say, a mahogany body to one made of ash, and not enough difference to keep the eq, effects, etc. from completely drowning it over.
 
#294
bigd4207 said:
And by the way, I don't care what anybody says, pro or not. THE FINGERBOARD DOES NOT CONTRIBUTE MORE TO THE SOUND THAN THE BODY. PERIOD. It may cause some difference, but nowhere near the difference of let's say, a mahogany body to one made of ash, and not enough difference to keep the eq, effects, etc. from completely drowning it over.
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My feelings exactly.

Well worded sir. ;)
 
#296
bigd4207 said:
Anytime, by the way phattduckk, thanx for the clips. MAYBE, we can finally end this black hole of never ending back and forth bull$#!t
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You have went out of context here!!!!

He asked: Rosewood/Maple Finger Boards - Tone difference?
Not: Rosewood/maple.. fingerboard/BODY WOOD... tone difference.
and here we are trying to ge a match as close as possible by having exact same bass but different fingerboard.

Why not compare the ions and alloy content in the metal hardware too?
And if you were wearing silk or leather?

natselection: There is definitely a difference, how much? you decide... and i respect you going for the looks instead. We are all trying to help here.

What i suggest is go for the brand/model of the bass and do a direct comparison then.
IME, I hear the difference night and day between Fender and F Basses, but also agree with you with phatduckk's stingray, its not.
 
#297
brandonwong said:
You have went out of context here!!!!

He asked: Rosewood/Maple Finger Boards - Tone difference?
Not: Rosewood/maple.. fingerboard/BODY WOOD... tone difference.
and here we are trying to ge a match as close as possible by having exact same bass but different fingerboard.
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He didn't go out of context at all, just simply pointing out what many of us fee; no matter whether there is a difference or not, we're less interested in it from a scientific viewpoint and more concerned with how it affects us onstage or in the studio with regards to getting the tone we want happening.

Which is why we've brought up body wood etc, because most of us believe that, be there a difference measurable or not, it will be one of the most insignificant differences compared to the other elements that make up a bass.
 

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