Maple or Rosewood

[greenascanbe]

Hey folks, I'm buying an American Strat this week and I've been pondering the Maple / Rosewood fret board issue. I've played both and I haven't noticed much of a difference.

Just wondered if the other players on this board have a preference and if so is it based on playablity or looks?

[NL5]

I like ebony - both for looks and playability - but what do I know?

[apl]

Originally Posted by NL5

I like ebony...

So do I...

[Fenderville]

That is a personal choice.. I like rosewood myself but I have also enjoyed my tele with maple...

[Codmate]

Ebony's my favorite too.

[AGCurry]

Some people [over]analyze this issue to death, imparting sonic characteristics to fretboard wood. I don't think it makes much difference.

You should get what YOU prefer - what feels better and/or what looks better to you.

[Mr songwriter]

I've generally found that the maple necks feel a little bit stickier and therefore feel a bit slower than the rosewood ones, due to them having a different finish, though obviously the differences in finish will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, so the difference may not be so noticeable on the guitars you played.

[Halion]

I loved the maple neck on my fender strat, but I wouldn't touch something like an LP or SG with a maple neck (I don't know any either, but that's besides the point )

Try and see. The sound won't change that much but maple does seem to be a little brighter sounding than rosewood fretboards.

[-=¤willhaven¤=-]

The resin of the Parker is nice... but on the ESP I have, its ebony all the way. On a Fender, I would go rosewood.

Maple shows dirt and grime more easily. It is also succeptible to finish wear, unlike a rosewood board.

[Dani Pace]

I'm partial to rosewood but it's the feel of the neck that matters more to me. Width and thickness as well as neck shape have more to do with the comfort part of playing than the fingerboard materal to me. The more comfortable to play, the more I play it.

[guido #2]

Holy SMOKE!
You're gonna buy a $900 Am Stand this week and you're not sure if you are gonna get rosewood or maple!!??

I say wait until you know.
That said, I like maple. It's brighter sounding, for sure, and faster

[greenascanbe]

I did try out both rosewood and maple and as I said, couldn't tell a big difference. I'm going to get the maple with the Olympic White because the I liked the one I played and the ebony with the white and neutral headstock just doesn't look right to me. Crazy I know, but I'm sure others have bought guitars for sillier reasons.

The only thing I'm holding back on is the fact that I can get one at the local store for the "retail" price (which doesn't include local or state taxes). They don't bargan much expect for the free strings and guitar strap which I have plenty of. Or I can get one from MF for $100 off ($829) with an iPod shuffle and free shipping.

Support the local guys or save around $180.00 and get a free shuffle? That is an entire other thread on it's own.

[apl]

Originally Posted by greenascanbe

Support the local guys or save around $180.00 and get a free shuffle? That is an entire other thread on it's own.

I double dog dare ya to buy it from MF and donate the savings to the Salvation Army.

[SteveK]

Originally Posted by Mr songwriter

I've generally found that the maple necks feel a little bit stickier and therefore feel a bit slower than the rosewood ones, due to them having a different finish, though obviously the differences in finish will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, so the difference may not be so noticeable on the guitars you played.

I think this really only applies to nitro finished necks as they take longer to cure. The American Standard Strats and Teles have satin finished necks. FWIW, both my Tele and Strat have maple necks and boards. ALL my other guitars have either mahogany necks with rosewood boards, or rosewood necks with rosewood boards. The maple neck/board guitars are definitely brighter with a more pronounced attack to my ear. For feel alone I much prefer rosewood all the way around...just my $.02

[mrface2112]

Originally Posted by greenascanbe

Support the local guys or save around $180.00 and get a free shuffle? That is an entire other thread on it's own.

i'd have a VERY hard time buying a guitar i didn't play first...........but that's just me......


cheers,
wade

PS--my tele's got a rosewood fretboard and i like it plenty fine. whenever i get around to buying a strat, though, i'm looking maple.....

[ibanezrocks]

Ask them to match the musiciansfriend price, or find a store in a city near you that will. Just say that if they can't be competitive in pricing with MF you don't have to shop there.

[mrface2112]

Originally Posted by ibanezrocks

Ask them to match the musiciansfriend price, or find a store in a city near you that will. Just say that if they can't be competitive in pricing with MF you don't have to shop there.

IMO, this is a VERY shitty approach to take with the typical small-town, locally owned axe shop--especially one with which you've already got a good relationship. they don't (and can't) buy in volume from Fender like MF (and GC) does, so they don't get the same volume discount.....and in matching the price from MF, they'd likely be losing not just profit, but losing money on the back end as well.

if i were running a small axe shop and someone told me to "match it or i'll go to MF/GC", and the deal ended up costing me money, i'd tell them to go ahead and buy from MF. why take a loss to make a sale?

and that said, i'd rather give the extra $100 to the local axe shop, b/c that's where i'm gonna be taking it for setups and regular checkups, getting new strings, etc., and i know that if i buy the guitar from them that i'll further that relationship even more--and having your axeman be a friend is a HUGE benefit.

cheers,
wade

PS--if you REALLY have to save that $100.....and you're already friends with the folks at the shop, you can mention that MF/GC charges $100 less for the same guitar, and that you're REALLY rather buy from them and ask what kind of deal they can work you. chances are they'll cut you some sort of deal. but if it were me and the $100 really meant a lot to me (and i didn't care about buying sight unseen), i wouldn't even mention it to the local guys and just buy from MF without saying a word......

[Light]

The biggest single concern in the difference between a maple and rosewood fingerboard is the cost of maintenance down the road. There IS a very real - and noticeable - sound difference, and that is also of concern.

Maple boards tend to be brighter, and noticeably so. Rosewood fingerboards are therefore, of course, warmer. Ebony fingerboards are brighter than rosewood, but warmer than maple. These differences are quite noticeable on an electric, but on an acoustic they become negligible because so much of the kinetic energy is lost in the vibration of the top (in particular) and the body (in general).

Maple fingerboards, however, have one major disadvantage. If you want the guitar to last your lifetime, they must be protected by a hard finish. They simply MUST. Without it, you are looking at shortening your guitars useable life to less than ten years, even if you play infrequently. Maple is simply too vulnerable to finger oils and environmental humidity changes. This finish leads to several problems. First of all, if you play at all, you will eventually need your frets dressed. This is quite a bit more expensive on a maple fingerboard, simply because the finish is a lot more delicate than on a rosewood fingerboard, and so it takes greater effort to avoid marring it. Second, if you keep the guitar for a long enough time, you are going to need a refret. This requires refinishing at lest the face of the fingerboard. It turns a $300 refret into a $400-500 refret. In most cases, it makes more sense to replace the neck than to refret them, but unless you get one of the few guitars which Fender regularly sells, you will not be able to get an exact replacement, as Fender has recently stopped selling replacement necks. The only time they send out exact replacement necks is on warranty work. They have always been a bit stingy with their exact replacement necks, but they have gotten much more so. Because of this, you are getting a neck from someone like Warmoth, and while there are companies whose quality is at least a match for Fenders, it is illegal for anyone to put a Fender decal on them, so you are looking at a blank peghead guitar (if that matters to you, and it matters a lot to some people.)

Personally, I like rosewood boards on Strats.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

[NL5]

Light -

What about ebony - I don't believe it's available on a strat, but in general, what is your opinion?

[greenascanbe]

Light -

So what do I need to do to properly protect the neck and get it to last longer before I need to get the neck replaced?

[apl]

Originally Posted by NL5

Light -

What about ebony - I don't believe it's available on a strat, but in general, what is your opinion?

There are aftermarket non-fender strat necks with ebony boards available.

[Light]

Originally Posted by greenascanbe

Light -

So what do I need to do to properly protect the neck and get it to last longer before I need to get the neck replaced?

Maintience on rosewood and ebony fingerboards is easy. A few times a year (every three to six months), the fingerboard should be cleaned with a good quality, oil-free OOOO steel wool, and then you wipe on some lemon oil, let it sit for a minute or two, and wipe off the excess. If there is no excess, wipe on again, and repeat until there is excess, which you then wipe off. That's it.

As for maple fingerboards, wipe them down with a clean, lint free, dry cloth when you are done playing, and polish them with some guitar polish (I like Bioterra Industries Power Chord, but most companies make fine guitar polishes). As for the frets, which are the problem, if you want them to last, don't play. Which of cousre would suck. If you could get the guitar with stainless steel frets, that would change things, but of course Fender doesn't put them on their guitars (yet, it is just a matter of time I am sure). And of course, putting them on would be a full refret, only worse because every shop I know doing stainless frets (including mine) charges an extra $150 or more for them, because they are a fricking nightmare to work with.


To me, the sound of a Strat has a rosewood fingerboard, but I do use ebony fingerboards on many of my guitars, and I do like them.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

[Codmate]

Originally Posted by NL5

Light -

What about ebony - I don't believe it's available on a strat, but in general, what is your opinion?

I've got an ebony fingerboard on my Strat.
It's one of these:
http://www.guitartek.com/product_inf...oducts_id=5826

[bileshake]

Maple all the way, I like ebony too but if your buying a fender. Maple and strats go hand in hand. I'd feel kinda cheesy if I came home with my first strat and it had a rosewood fingerboard.

[ggunn]

Originally Posted by bileshake

Maple all the way, I like ebony too but if your buying a fender. Maple and strats go hand in hand. I'd feel kinda cheesy if I came home with my first strat and it had a rosewood fingerboard.

To each his own. I agree with Richie Blackmore; the only thing a maple neck on a Strat is good for is breaking it off on stage and shoving the stump through a speaker grille. ;^)