Rosewood or maple fretboard?

[Kubicki Fan]

Both look pretty good to me, I do like the dark rosewood. It sucks being a beginner LOL

Hundreds of (perhaps more) veteran players have grappled with this very same dilemma and many never achieved enlightenment. Those that did, did only for a short while, their GAS addled brains resurrecting the age old question. Kudos that the question was pared down to its essence - maple or rosewood - ignoring ebony, wenge, koa and other distracting options.








You didn`t really expect an answer, did you?

 

[Kerem Koseoglu]

Check the "Fingerboard" section in this article: From Components to Sound: Composing Your Perfect Bass

 

[Kubicki Fan]

...

...For years I’ve heard that maple is brighter and rosewood is warmer. I’d like to see some blind testing on that.

They are equally bright and warm!

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

I am looking at a short scale bass one is white with rosewood fretboard the other has maple fretboard. I have no ideal which is a better fretboard. Help please!

Whichever looks better. That's the difference. The only difference.

 

[limmlimm]

Both

 

[micguy]

Check the "Fingerboard" section in this article: From Components to Sound: Composing Your Perfect Bass

That article shares a lot of "common beliefs:, but as far as a definitive source there are at least a few places where what they say is dead wrong. A prime example: The common belief about a pickup with a wider aparture "sampling more of the string, so it hears more frequencies" flies in the face of the science that easily proves otherwise.

 

[Rip Van Dan]

Well, I've had the pleasure of owning both. I also found (and your mileage may differ!) the maple neck had a wicked dead spot on it. But, again, you may not have that problem. Whichever you like best!

You know I hear about dead spots on necks all the time. Guess I'm really lucky. Didn't have a dead spot on my '65 Jazz (rosewood fretboard) and don't have one on either my current Jazz (maple) or on my 5-string (rosewood fretboard).

 

[mcnach]

I am looking at a short scale bass one is white with rosewood fretboard the other has maple fretboard. I have no ideal which is a better fretboard. Help please!

which one you like best?

that's the better one.

 

[Ricky Rioli]

I once heard Clapton talking about having a very strong preference for the feel of maple over rosewood on Strats - but then he was bending very thin little strings all over the place (his comments were something like, the grain of the rosewood seemed to be fighting against him, whereas maple felt smooth like marble)

Presumably the combination of bass frets and bass strings makes that degree of physical interaction between finger and fretboard impossible? At any rate, does anyone ever talk on TB about perceiving a difference in feel?

 

[Volker Kirstein]

I prefer maple for aesthetic reasons only. The sound really depends more on you, and how you interact with the strings.

 

[LetItGrowTone]

Due to the layer of dissimilar material,
there's a small chance that a maple neck with a non-maple fretboard will be less resonant,
and so might be less likely to have dead spots or weak areas.

The dissimilar fretboard is likely to be less cooperative when the whole neck wants to vibrate at, let's say, the frequency of G string 6th fret.

 

[jj.833]

I have maple on one bass and rosewood on two. There is a difference in sound character. Little maybe, I don't want to argue. But you won't be able to hear it until you are good with your playing technique and quite far with your amplification.

If I were to choose for a new bass, I would probably prefer maple, as good rosewood is quite rare nowadays, and I don't much trust those new woods like pau ferro or ebonized wood. But I started in early 90s, when 'new' woods were used only for cheap instruments, whereas maple and rosewood were on the real ones. I also had a Squier Telecaster guitar once, with maple neck, and this one maple was deaf as stone.

Choose whatever you like more. If you can, play it before you buy; some basses just fit better to some hands, regardles the wood. Some play better, regardless the wood.

 

[retslock]

Both are solid and serviceable. My instruments - bass and guitar all have rosewood or similar. Some are almost 50 years old and sure, there are normal signs of wear but nothing that requires rectifying. My ‘73 Precision shows wear but is still going strong and is gig or studio ready if called upon. It comes down to taste. Maple is often gloss coated which don’t like so I prefer rosewood or if I could get it, ebony but that’s just my preference. Maple is fine if you prefer it.

 

[mongo2]

I prefer a rosewood fretboard but a nice maple fretboard isn't a dealbreaker for me.

 

[retslock]

Due to the layer of dissimilar material,
there's a small chance that a maple neck with a non-maple fretboard will be less resonant,
and so might be less likely to have dead spots or weak areas.

The dissimilar fretboard is likely to be less cooperative when the whole neck wants to vibrate at, let's say, the frequency of G string 6th fret.

I bought a beautiful G&L L2000 with maple neck and rosewood fretboard back around 1982 but it had a killer dead spot at D on the G string. I got rid of it. Pity, the neck felt great and everything else about it was great.

 

[39-Bassist]

Just buy 3 basses. 1 Maple, 1 Ebony & 1 Rosewood.
Then you will have them all covered & the only question to ask is which one do I play today?...(answer: ALL OF THEM, LOL)

Actually to answer your question you really need to try them. Each neck will also have a slightly different feel.
Final Answer is: go with the FEEL.

 

[Hopkins]

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

I have a 25 year old rosewood fretboard that has had zero maintenance other than a wipedown with a damp cloth.

 

[fhm555]

Having seen way too many maple necks with random clear coat flaking and the resultant random gray spots where there was once a uniform blond fretboard, i’ve always preferred dark boards, but like body color, when buying used if a bass meets the required criteria of playability, personal preferences for other aspects are relative and only effect what I’m willing to give for a particular bass. If i run across a killer deal on a blond neck bass i’ll get it, but the more I like the looks, the more inclined I am to pay more.

 

[fhm555]

I have a 25 year old rosewood fretboard that has had zero maintenance other than a wipedown with a damp cloth.

I’ve got a rosewood board on a bass i bought new in 1990, and used 3~5 nights a week for the first ten years and other than the usual wipe down after use all i’ve ever done is play it. I’ve bought used rosewood fretboard basses with crud buildup around the frets and used a worn out toothbrush with dampened with warm water to scrub it clean then a wipe down with a slightly dampened chunk of an old T shirt and went from there. If you wash your hands before you play then wipe down your bass right after you play, and do those things every time you play you should be fine.

 

[Benj-jammin]

I have both - my Fender P Special, as you can tell by my avatar is maple with the black block inlays. For some reason, I've always loved Fender maple necks- so smooth, you just glide up and down, but JMO. My Schecter has the Rosewood - it just feels and sounds great as well. So yeah, get both!!