Rosewood or maple fretboard?

[JRA]

I have no ideal which is a better fretboard. Help please!

i think you've gotten your best responses, OP: the one you think looks better = better!

if it's a fretted instrument it won't make any difference, anyway. you play on the frets, not the board. also: pickups and string choices have more to do with the sound of the instrument than any of the woods used to build it...as stated before, it's an electric bass, not a wood(en) bass! have fun with your decisions and good luck with them!

 

[Ric5]

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!

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[Phlipper]

I was a bar band lead guitarist for years and only played late model 4-bolt G&L Legacys, always owning two or three identical axes except the boards. And listening to playback on the 32 track via headphones thru identical cables, pedalboard and amp I could hear zero difference.

I could definitely feel a difference though.

 

[HardNHeavy]

you will own both oneday

 

[bass12]

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?

I’ve seen several posts here on Talkbass where a person has stated a preference for the feel of one fretboard over another. I always find the statement to be an odd one, as I can’t imagine anyone having enough contact with the actual fretboard on a bass for the feel of the wood to be an issue. The neck itself, sure, but the fretboard? Not for me.

 

[revd]

I prefer the look of rosewood so for that reason it feels better to me

 

[OptimalOptimus]

Never liked rosewood ... it looks like rust to me.

 

[nilorius]

Choose maple - more concentrated sound and a bit longer liver.

 

[bobba66]

Maple is best.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

This would have made an interesting poll, maybe I'll start one.
I prefer Maple, but ironically all the instruments I've owned for years & years have NOT had Maple fretboards. I've only owned two with Maple fretboards, a MIM Strat & a 4004:

Rickenbacker 4004 Laredo

• Killed_by_Death
• Mar 13, 2018
• rickenbacker

However, I do love the fretboard on my latest acquisition:

Panga-Panga fretboard

• Killed_by_Death
• Nov 5, 2020
• ehb;

 

[Jamin of NouS]

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!

This may be a really a matter of personal choice than anything else. I find the maple fretboards to be a little harder, almost a plastic feel. I strongly prefer darker fretboards on my basses and guitars. THe darker the better. Feels softer to me though there is probably no difference in sound...

 

[Stewie]

Doesn't really matter, but to me it depends on the bass, except for the big one. Rosewood, ebony, maple, all nice.

 

[JRT64]

I've been playing for over 40 years, and have owned basses with both maple and rosewood boards. I don't think one is really that much better than the other. Maple can be somewhat brighter sounding than rosewood, but that can also be affected by body woods and pick ups as well. To me, it really just boils down to what sound and look you are after, and what works best for you to achieve that.

 

[mcnach]

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.

Meanwhile, in the real world, there's no evidence that one or the other is more likely to have dead spots or any other detrimental characteristic. I wouldn't like to scare off a beginner with stuff like that.

 

[BlueTalon]

View attachment 4065538

They are equally bright and warm!

That made me laugh.

 

[staurosjohn]

Get 2 of each... dilemma solved !! (also note- 2 w/lollypops... 2 w/clover tuners <> 2 w/bridge covers... 2 w/o <> 2 w/tort... 2 w/o <> 2 w/Fralins... 2 w/Duncans... and so on- and so on...

 

[Phlipper]

I’ve seen several posts here on Talkbass where a person has stated a preference for the feel of one fretboard over another. I always find the statement to be an odd one, as I can’t imagine anyone having enough contact with the actual fretboard on a bass for the feel of the wood to be an issue. The neck itself, sure, but the fretboard? Not for me.

On six string I most certainly can. On my basses (I also have both there too) not too much. But on Strats/G&L's ... definitely.

 

[bass12]

On six string I most certainly can. On my basses (I also have both there too) not too much. But on Strats/G&L's ... definitely.

I don't have much experience on guitar but it would make sense to me that, given the size of guitar strings, one could be more aware of the feel of the fretboard wood while playing than when playing bass.

 

[BlueTalon]

I use jumbo frets & 45-105 strings, and I don't have enough strength in my hands to press my strings down hard enough to make them contact the fretboard when I'm playing.

 

[Yellow Bang66]

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 really love the FEEL of Rosewood, had maple early on never really noticed a benefit, but went back to RW as soon as it was Possible! couldnt replace the feel of raw wood under my fingers, opposed to plasticy varnish, I also dis like when maple wears it just looks so filthy & dirty,& not in a good wat either! dark fret boards just look classier to me, more of a finely made instrument,than maples plastic fabrication look. but its all soo subjective ( & the tonal difference are soo minute), go with what looks better to you or the aethetic(color combination) of the bass. GL