Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Why do, if you do, prefer one fingerboard material over the others?
- Thread starter Dlew919
- Start date
Ebony for me. There is a certain "ping"
that it gives the higher frequencies that I love. Rosewood is my second choice. Maple has a bit of a "clack" that I don't like.
that it gives the higher frequencies that I love. Rosewood is my second choice. Maple has a bit of a "clack" that I don't like.
Something I've never considered when buying a bass.
However, if I were in charge of bass production, I'd go Blackwood Tek, and I'd go BT big!
However, if I were in charge of bass production, I'd go Blackwood Tek, and I'd go BT big!
I used to be strictly a rosewood person, but now as I've gotten more into funk and slap I prefer maple for those applications and rosewood for a more traditional sound. I don't mean to re-litigate the debate over whether the fingerboard makes a difference in sound, but I certainly hear a difference, and so my preference is driven by what I hear.
Aesthetically, a dark rosewood board can be beautiful as can a figured maple one, and I have one of each, but in the end I see the instrument more as a tool to accomplish things musically.
Aesthetically, a dark rosewood board can be beautiful as can a figured maple one, and I have one of each, but in the end I see the instrument more as a tool to accomplish things musically.
I know that Rosewood is twice as hard as Rock Maple so maybe that allows my ears to not hear what my eyes might be suggesting.
The warm, dark, rich, brown, soft visual of a Rosewood fretboard is really nice looking attached to an Ash body.
Based on tonewood theory I prefer rosewood and ebony. Based on aesthetics it depends on the other components of the bass. Based on actual sound it depends on the individual instrument. I think wood has a noticeable impact on tone. I also think that trying to predict how a bass will sound based on how a given type of wood is supposed to sound is a roll of the dice. You just never know: I've owned maple boarded basses that lead to my swearing off maple fretboards - until I tried my current main bass (which has a maple fretboard). 
i like rosewood. it's attractive, and it's very easy to see light-colored fretboard markers on it.
I like basses that play and sound great! There are basses with maple necks that play and sound great and basses with rosewood boards that play and sound great.
il have both please!
il have both please!
Last edited by a moderator:
When I started playing I preferred maple because I liked the clean look and didn't love how porous a lot of rosewood was, but now I have basses with tighter Indian rosewood that looks more uniform, chocolatey, and gorgeous. I like wenge and ebony but they definitely change the tone character a bit, and depending on the style of music I'm playing not necessarily in a good way.
The first dirty, old maple board I got a look at, ages ago, turned me immediately off maple — that and paint traps the soul of wood
I prefer maple necks because they require less maintenance and have a slightly snappier sound, which I personally enjoy.
I like the new roasted maples that I've been seeing.
In general, I prefer ebony for looks and feel.
In general, I prefer ebony for looks and feel.
Ebony is my first choice, then rosewood. I have never owned a maple necked bass.
Im in the same boat in regards to the "brown" woods. I traditionally was more of a JBass style with maple fretboards, i wanted to switch it up completely and get a P but with almost the inverse. My original laklad skyline Joe Osborn (Jbass) was black with black guard and maple fretboard with black dots.. so i wanted White... long story short they messed up my order.. i returned it but then stumbled across this limited edition in a local store when i was looking at others of the same model.
Normally im not a huge rosewood fan... but the grain on this is so consistant and dark, its like a step away from ebony IMO and i actually love it. Not a huge fan of pau ferro, especially the orangy looking stuff or streaky or lighter rosewood.
Always preferred rosewood. I love the dark color contrasting the neck material. Liked the open grain. Liked oiling it once a year or every other year after a real deep clean and setup of my basses.
Last two instruments had maple fingerboard. I like them too but it's all an aesthetic thing. I love how a worn maple neck and fingerboard looks. It's also nice that they're easier to clean
Last two instruments had maple fingerboard. I like them too but it's all an aesthetic thing. I love how a worn maple neck and fingerboard looks. It's also nice that they're easier to clean
I like the "waxy" feel of a good rosewood. Not really greasy, but kinda slippery--hard to describe. I have an ebony board mandolin, and it has that feel too. Both pao ferro boards I've gotten have felt very rough/dry until I took 1500 grit sandpaper to them--after that plus some f-one oil, they also have that same feel. So any of those in my top category.
Maple, satin board is OK, but not totally happy with a hard glossy board. Also, there are some colors I think don't look good with a pale maple. Roasted maple/rosewood/PF can go with anything.
@pcake touched on another issue--side dot readability. One of my PF boards has cream side dots on orangey PF and it's very hard to see the dots. I've been working up the courage to drill the dots and install Luminlay glowing dots. OTOH, black dots on pale maple a joy.
Maple, satin board is OK, but not totally happy with a hard glossy board. Also, there are some colors I think don't look good with a pale maple. Roasted maple/rosewood/PF can go with anything.
@pcake touched on another issue--side dot readability. One of my PF boards has cream side dots on orangey PF and it's very hard to see the dots. I've been working up the courage to drill the dots and install Luminlay glowing dots. OTOH, black dots on pale maple a joy.
I like them all but in my experience ebony (as beautiful and dense as it is) has been the wood thats most prone to cracking, fret sprout, and frets becoming uneven. I wouldnt walk away from an amazing bass with an ebony board but if have the choice I opt for maple or rosewood.
It's all about aesthetics for me and I don't like pale fingerboards at all so maple is out. Darker is better but anything from pau ferro to ebony is fine with me.
