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Rosewood or maple fretboard?
- Thread starter Maloy Poor
- Start date
They are both good fretboards. Which one do you think looks better?
Both look pretty good to me, I do like the dark rosewood. It sucks being a beginner LOL
maple = zero maintenance (& less likely to suffer fret-sprout in low humidity)
there are videos out there of a comparison, but the entire neck has been changed, so not really conclusive
there are videos out there of a comparison, but the entire neck has been changed, so not really conclusive
I must have some form of ocd because I feel uncomfortable with different looking fretboard and headstock. So of these two you mention, it's only maple for me.
You don't need a reason for your preference. Simply having a preference is enough.
I prefer maple, but most of mine are a darker wood.
I can’t tell a difference sound wise.
I can’t tell a difference sound wise.
Both basses are pretty much guaranteed to sound different but how exactly is impossible to know without trying them first. In theory the maple is supposed to be “brighter and snappier” sounding, with more upper harmonics content, while the rosewood is supposed to sound “warmer” with less upper harmonics content and a stronger note fundamental. Wood can vary a lot though (even when it’s cut from the same tree) so reality doesn’t always line up with the theory on this.
No no I really can't stand them, it's more an allergy than a preference and it feels so stupid LOL
You're going to need at least one of each. 
You're welcome!
You're welcome!
Tonal differences will be minor and unpredictable. You could have a softer sound with maple than rosewood, or vice versa. No way to tell due to all the variables, including the fact that woods are organic and unpredictable.
I prefer the look and feel of rosewood, but it depends on the overall aesthetic of the bass.
I prefer the look and feel of rosewood, but it depends on the overall aesthetic of the bass.
If you’re inexperienced you’ll have to play the two of them and see which you prefer. If you are unable to play them, you can tell us what kind of music you anticipate playing. I personally find the typical adages about rosewood being warmer and less snappy than maple to be true. The body woods can also make a difference. Again, it’d be best if you told us what kind of music you anticipate playing.
Go for the rosewood. Dirt and grime shows easily on maple. Tonal differences have been argued since Leo Fender started using both.
I have a Mustang with pearl green body and maple neck. If it was rosewood I wouldn’t like it as much. How that affects your decision, I have no idea.
For years I’ve heard that maple is brighter and rosewood is warmer. I’d like to see some blind testing on that.
For years I’ve heard that maple is brighter and rosewood is warmer. I’d like to see some blind testing on that.
No such thing as better, except which might look better.
Personally, I can't stand unpainted headstocks...looks like they didn't finish painting the bass on Friday, went home for the weekend, and forgot to finish the job on Monday.
Looks much better with a painted headstock.
Unless we're talking about maple...they don't need to have matching headstocks to look good
I prefer maple but on some basses the darker fingerboard looks better so I wouldn't stress about it. Sonically there are very subtle differences but most people don't notice.
They're both great. I had a rosewood fretboard on my '65 Jazz that I bought in '66, and I have a maple neck and fingerboard on my '82 Jazz that I bought in 1985. Didn't really feel any difference between them, although it took me almost 10-years to find another MIA Jazz with the same neck shape, profile, and radius that my '65 had. My '65 was stolen in 1976 and I bought my '82 Jazz in 1985 (the one in my avatar). My '82 Jazz has significantly more sustain than my '65 did. A lot of folks attribute greater sustain to a maple neck and board.
My Jazz also has different pickup spacing than my '65 did too though. My '65 had that 60's pickup spacing of 3.6" center to center whereas my '82 has the 70's era 4" center to center spacing. I think the 60's spacing is used on the current Jazz Bass but don't quote me on that. I also think that spacing has more to do with the ability to make my Jazz growl more easily than my '65 did because that bridge pickup is located closer to the bridge itself. If I want growl, I just dig into the strings a bit over the bridge pickup and that large cat comes out to play.
I'm happy to play either one as long as the bass sounds good. I would play both basses if you can and see which one sounds better and feels better to you. I wouldn't let the fretboard's appearance alone determine which bass I bought. I would be more concerned with how the neck feels because you are gong to be spending a lot of time with it. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention my 5-string is a rosewood fretboard too. I do think that maple fretboards go better with some colors than rosewood does, but that's really just a personal preference. Don't really know that one is better than the other.
