transition rosewood to maple fretboard

[Honk'n_down-low]

Recently picked up a Maple Board P/J - don't know if it is this particular Bass or the Maple Board - but there is a nice edge to each note and I am liking the tone - my initial instinct was to attribute this to the Mapley Goodness?

Wanted to add that playability is the same for me on either board type and find it odd that is would be different for some.

 

[rcarraher]

I think I'm a rosewood guy too but I was wondering how much thats in my head. I noticed that maple seems to be smoother and harder which takes some adjustment. Call me crazy but looking at a maple board bothers me.

However, I am looking at a Amer. Precision deluxe and love the look of the maple neck. I have a guitar with a tinted maple neck that I am pretty comfortable with.

I know its in MY head, I have basses with both, for instance a 78 Jazz with maple, and an 88/89 with rosewood. I prefer the maple because, to me (since I have never heard anybody claim that one was "faster" than the other) maple feels faster. I can hear the difference in tone with maple being "brighter". As far as which looks better, that depends on the color/finish of the bass, IMO. Dakota Red looks almost silly with a maple neck, but a natural or flame/curly maple top with a maple neck looks right. Black basses look better to me in rosewood, white basses, depends on the pick guard etc...that is all just astetic taste, doesn't make one actually better outside of prefered tonal quality.

 

[JTE]

I just did a quick count of the stable. All the bass necks are maple. However, one has a one-piece maple neck, one has a really pretty birds' eye maple fingerboard glued on it, one has a rosewood board, and two have ebony boards (both of which are fretless). No difference in playability. The only time I opted for a specific fingerboard has been for the fretless basses- I like roundwounds on my fretless basses and the ebony last forever. But on a fretted bass, after 30+ years of playing, selling, working on, and teaching basses, I can't pin anything down specifically to maple vs. rosewood.

Now, if we were talking about Ginger vs. Marry Ann in Gilligan's Island....

John

 

[Vic Winters]

Tranistion?

Seriously?

 

[JohNLA]

LOL, Mary Ann

I can't feel the difference either. I think I prefer the looks of maple but I also gas for a rosewood P bass.

 

[Mastermold]

Makes no difference to me. I own a few of both.

+1

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

I tend to prefer maple, but I've had lots of other woods on basses. If the bass feels good, plays good, sounds good - well, that's three out of four factors, right? The appearance of your fretboard is only one factor, and that should be the least important.