What advantages does Maple have over Rosewood?

[Ric5]

What advantages does Maple have over Rosewood?

If you have a rosewood fretboard then you can't join the black and maple club!

 

[AustinxHxC]

There is little difference in the tone of the woods!!!!
Look at this thread: http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=385876&highlight=maple+rosewood+difference+tone

I know the majority think the opposite so.....
To each their own.

 

[Mushroo]

Im surprised no one mentioned that the visability of the fret markers is better with a maple board. You know, with stage lights, live show etc..

For some bizarre reason, my Pedulla has white dots on a maple fretboard--it is one of my only complaints about an otherwise excellent bass--they just disappear under stage lights.

 

[BuffaloBass]

Maybe it's just me and my playing ability , er lack of, but maple makes me try harder to get full round notes. If I play sloppy on a brite maple board, I get too much fret buzz. If I play sloppy on a rosewood board, it doesnt seem to matter as much. I like a subtle amount of fret noise in my mix.

So when I sold my Valenti and got into Lakland again, I chose maple, to help keep my chops growing in that subtle way. Catch me standing still, it means I'm dead.

I never see the fretboard dots during a live performance anyways. Practice blindfolded.

 

[ggunn]

What advantages does Maple have over Rosewood?

That's easy. None. They may be different sounding, but maybe not. There may be diffs in playability, feel, etc. They definitely look different.

But all that is immaterial; just as many folks prefer one as the other amongst folks who have a preference. There is no clear advantage either way.

 

[lpdeluxe]

What advantages does Maple have over Rosewood?

That's easy. None. They may be different sounding, but maybe not. There may be diffs in playability, feel, etc. They definitely look different.

But all that is immaterial; just as many folks prefer one as the other amongst folks who have a preference. There is no clear advantage either way.

+1
Can't improve on that...but, until I find a definitive difference, I'll continue to play maple fingerboards for the appearance.

 

[Dennis098]

in an active bass you can eq a lot so it hardly matters.
maple sounds brighter than rosewood. its noticeable.
a lot of people like maple for slapping and picking and that kind of stuff
I also feel like fender maple boards are wider and flatter than their rosewood
I would love a maple p-bass though.
maybe a '51 ri.
but i am broke and love my rosewood jazz. so its all good.

 

[TonyP-]

 

[WoodyG3]

Maybe I'm alone in this, but I've never felt any difference in playability or "feel" of a fretted bass due to the fretboard wood. I don't get the idea of the fretboard being "broken in," either. I do feel a big difference with different sized frets, which is mostly what contracts the string.

All this, of course, IMHO and YMMV.

 

[ThunderLizard]

I was just curious and can you really play faster on a maple?? is that because its harder??
cause i know i cant play faster with a glossy maple fretboard, but maybe ill try out a satin finish maple for my next bass...

I've always been lost on this one. I fail to see how the neck material on a fretted bass makes much sonic or playing difference.
Do your fingers touch the fretboard? They're on the strings!
If you can hear any difference, you've got a great ear; much better than any of the people that you'll be playing for.

 

[JanusZarate]

Maybe I'm alone in this, but I've never felt any difference in playability or "feel" of a fretted bass due to the fretboard wood. I don't get the idea of the fretboard being "broken in," either. I do feel a big difference with different sized frets, which is mostly what contracts the string.

All this, of course, IMHO and YMMV.

No, I feel the same way. The only debateable difference is sound.

And honestly, I'm not so sure of that, either.

Reconsidering my previously discussed A/B Stingray experiment...

Those instruments are comprised of a variety of woods. Natural variations in the body wood could be the explanation for the difference, as that's more likely to have an impact than anything else (although it'll be a subtle one, too). Fretboard wood is almost virtually a moot point.

But in the end... I'm sticking to maple simply because it looks better to me.

 

[Mulligan77]

wooo thanks for the awesome responses... I guess that covers every single difference known to mankind.
ive decided....

ill go to the store, and try out a couple maples see what I like....

im sure im gonna end up sticking with rosewood... im thinking of getting a MIA standard jazz... i cant w8!!!

 

[Visirale]

I see no real difference. I use maple for purely shallow reasons... I think maple looks a lot cooler. It keeps a bass aesthetically simple with the headstock. I dig it... that's all.

 

[roadkill2309]

Also, maple is better on pancakes than rosewood syrup.

Are you sure you're not Canadian?

 

[Mulligan77]

im as canadian as it gets... well maybe not quite, I see your from Monteal... im from north ontario...
i Still prefer the rosewood... unless were talkin syrup, id have to go maple

 

[EagleMoon]

I like that you don't have to mess with a maple board. You don't have to oil it, and it looks cleaner longer. Plus the fact that rosewood feels grainy to me. I don't feel like I get the fretting smoothness I get with maple. Plus it looks hot with black.

 

[manicbassman]

my preference is rosewood and it's purely cosmetic preference, i like how the color contrasts with the silver strings.

strange that, I like the way my black strings stand out against my maple fretboard...

 

[vinxbass]

Maple neck w/Maple Fretboard will give you a brighter tone, more snap to the notes. Maple is also supposed to be a quicker neck, easier to get around on. On the other hand, Maple neck w/Rosewood is a darker tone - think John Paul Jones. Hope that helps.

One other thing, sometimes the differences can be quite noticable and depending on the woods density it can be very suttle, hardly noticable.

 

[fretster]

i have never seen a fretless bass with a maple fretboard. why? or i haven't just not yet looked far enough?

Check out Scott Pazera's Fretless Nordy, with a Maple fingerboard:

Shamless photo time eh?

 

[Ten Four One]

For me, I simply prefer the looks of fretboard woods like maple and ebony. But the other day, I had the opportunity to A/B my black/maple single-humbucker Stingray to a black/rosewood single-humbucker Stingray with the same strings. My Stingray was built between 2006 and 2007; the one in the store was likely a 2008. I set the EQs flat, maxxed out the volume, I ran them into the same amp, and tested them both with my fingers and one pick.

The concept... comparing only the effects of the fretboard difference.

It was a bit of a surprise... mine (the maple-necked one) DOES sound brighter. I was going to cite the strings, but my strings were worn-in Slinkys, to the same spec as what comes on stock Stingrays.

Perhaps if I knew how old the strings were on the rosewood Stingray in the store, I could be confident in the results of my comparison. But it was literally the cleanest (and thus, the newest) looking Stingray in the shop... so it couldn't have been that old or played much at all. And I hadn't seen it the last time I went there, about two months ago.

Whatever the reason, there was a slightly noticeable difference, and while I'm not 100% certain that the fretboards were responsible for it, there's certainly some evidence in favor of citing them as the explanation.

But at the same time, it's a subtle thing. And an EQ adjustment could make up for the difference rather easily...

There's a shootout/blind listening test of maple v. rosewood.

The difference is blatant & obvious if you do enough A/B listening. I recommend Link Removed. I did a listening trial of these two files when I discovered the thread and found I was 7/7 in guessing which was which.

It totally gelled with my experience of owning a 1979 Sabre with a maple board - I always thought that aspect of the sound was due to the electronics, but it turns out the aggressive tone was due to the fingerboard all along.