Rosewood vs maple or vice versa and why

[jk_bass]

I don't like maple because of the clear coat...i prefer the feel of wood.

 

[Blake Bass]

I have one of each and they both sound equally great. But I do slightly prefer the look of rosewood.

 

[smtp4me]

Maple. Maple with either white binding and block inlays, or black binding and block inlays. But always maple.

 

[ShawnG]

On the one hand, I defy any player to be able to identify the type of fingerboard wood from a recording.

On the other hand, highly knowledgeable folks, like Roger Sadowsky and Mike Tobias will tell you that the fingerboard wood is extremely important to the tone of a particular instrument.

So, does the fingerboard wood matter or not? IMHO, both the inaudible differences on recordings and the statements by well grounded luthiers can be true. How is that? Well, the musician gets a significant sensory feedback from the instrument while playing, which affects playing (everything does), but doesn’t carry over on to tape.

And, while you are mulling over that little tidbit, I like my carrots sautéed in butter with just a bit of honey added.

I think your statement makes an excellent point (also, I believe, referenced in Sadowsky/Tobias interview), and that’s that tone as defined by the player is often very different than the audience’s definition.
There are many aspects of tone as experienced by the player that are transparent to the audience, such as that discussed above.

 

[HardNHeavy]

Like them both, maple seems a bit brighter in tone. Prefer the look of Rosewood and it's smoother/warm tone, but i have a cpl maple neck basses i'd never part with.
Rosewood seems to go with any color body, but someone could argue the same thing about maple....Block inlays, bound or not, maple necks certainly have their positives.

 

[Mantis Tobaggan]

I like them both but with lighter colors I think rosewood looks better. I do not believe there is a difference in tone or sound. Exhibit A: Geddy Lee. He sounds like Geddy Lee no matter what he plays. And he has played all the basses just about. The defense rests.

 

[SamJ]

for me it's Ebony > Rosewood > Maple

 

[J-Bass RMR]

I prefer rosewood. (or ebony)
It's both look and feel for me, having coming from upright, and starting on electric fretless.
I do have a few maples necks for variety, including a coated roasted maple on a BFR Fretless Stingray, which I was surprised how much I like it.
I'd like to pick up a dark roasted, fretted P-Neck for a "project", and, of course, I wouldn't balk at maple if it's a 50s P!

 

[backin82]

I prefer rosewood.

I have only owned two basses with maple fingerboards.
One was used, and had an "un-coated" finish. I didn't like how the maple stained and looked gross over time. It always had this kinda faded, dirty, tacky, grimy look/feel. Cleaning it didn't help much, and used different solutions compared to cleaning my rosewood boards.
The other was a glossy finish, and it looked really cheap to me. I just don't like that look. That's just me, though. Everyone has their own preferences on the aesthetic.

I didn't find a discernable difference in tone on any of the various fingerboard woods.

 

[Williethump]

I’ve always preferred a rosewood board, no tonal reason, just prefer the look.

I'm just the opposite. Though RW and ebony also are pretty. An evergreen topic.

 

[Cleezmo]

I have ebony (fretless), rosewood, maple and composite (Modulus). I genuinely like them all, but satin finished maple is my fave for fretted, and ebony for fretless. But the satin finish is the key - I hate gloss finish maple boards. I'd go rosewood every day over a gloss maple board.

I know an earlier poster mentioned the same thing about 'feel' of the board even through technically we don't actually touch the boards, and maybe it is psychological, but ebony and satin maple feel 'faster' to me, rosewood feels good, and gloss maple feels weird.

Do the maple boards have more snap than the rosewood? Maybe, maybe not, I just know I love how those two basses feel, play, and sound.

 

[crankypants]

Ebony

 

[Dirk Diggler]

You already have your answer, it's all about the aesthetics, especially fingerboards.
Listening with our eyes doesn't achieve much. LOL

 

[Muttleybass]

Rosewood or Pao Ferro. I don't know why it just feels better. It's probably psychosomatic.

 

[OldSchoolFlats]

In the great TB “does the type of wood matter in a bass” debate, it seems like the answer tends to be “no”: except for the neck.

I am no expert: just parroting back the “conventional wisdom” on TB.

 

[Joeykun]

Maple. I like Ebony too. Bust must be black without grain. Never bonded with Rosewood.

 

[misterCRUSH]

I like the look of rosewood. I have a Pau ferro neck that has a little bit of brightness to it. I like that sometimes.

 

[amoodymule]

Having a hard time NOT stripping the varnish from the maple neck, I have done it to my guitars that have maple necks, preferred.

I'm trying to leave this one be, so far I'm liking it, as is

I did change the pickguard
(see sig)

 

[juancaminos]

I have three Rosewood, three Maple and three Ebony at this point in life. I used to prefer Maple but have lately only been playing Ebony (fretless) out in the wild. I do practice at home with a fretless rosewood neck but never bonded live with that neck and I've tried it on several other basses.

I do however have a Warmoth Maple fretless neck on order...since mid July.

 

[scubaduba]

Rosewood (but ebony or wenge is preferred).