Maple or Rosewood fretboard? (electric)

  • Thread starter Thread starter monty
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…stressing, stressing, stressing…aaarrrggh…somebody kick my ass!!! It seems like a lot of the websites I have checked say that Rosewood has a darker, warmer sound, and Maple has the brighter, snappy sound. I have noticed that about 95% of the guitars I see on TV are Rosewood or Ebony...that makes me wonder. Some people have told me Maple has the best and faster feel, and some people say the opposite. Maybe I'll just do the unthinkable and buy both kinds. It's only money, right? Aaaagggh...stressing...stressing...and then there's the pick-up opinions...aarggh...stressing...
 
The one thing I like about a dark fretboard is the greater contrast between the inlays and the wood. A quick glance down and I know right were I am on the fretboard. As far as sound goes, I haven't really heard a difference between the two. The action on both are similar, but I've noticed that the maple needs to be cleaned more often than the rosewood. Maybe it's just because the finger gunk is more visible on the maple. After practicing, sometimes I'm in a hurry and don't clean the guitar.

I'm curious difference between the speed/smoothness of a maple neck that uses Polyester thick finish as opposed to the nitrocellulose found on American Series Strats.
 
if you spend 90% of your time worrying about the very subtle differences between the two necks ..that only leaves you 10% of playing time. goto the store give a good hard listen and your ears will tell you what sound your looking for. I assure you that the real tone is in your fingers.


now get that guitar and get to work!
 
Hehe...ya, I know...it's just that it's a lot of money and it's impossible to hear anything in these stores with little Jimmy playing Led Zep on the right and little Billy playing Motley Crue on the left. The money part...I just want to be as sure as possible about my decision, or I’ll be kicking myself in the butt afterwards. I do play mostly with my fingers, and I like old strings, so maybe a Maple board would be good since that way of playing may need to be brightened up anyway.
 
Hell, ask to take an amp out to the curb and plug in there. I'm sure the store wouldn't mind the free advertising. Be sure to print out flyers before you do this though. :eek:
 
Nobody's mentioned this but do you get sweaty hands, Monty ?
If so, those laquered maple fingerboards may not be for you. My hands sweat at the least exertion, and the maple necks I've played just screw with bending strings for me.
I've got a 76 tele with a rosewood board, and it is a sweet thing to play.

JMHO,
Mike
 
No, I don’t get sweaty hands. I find the Maple boards to be pretty slippery, maybe even more so than the Rosewood. I find that if the neck starts to drag, I can run my fingers across what’s left of my hair and get grease from my scalp, or spray on some string lubricant. And yes, there is definitely a difference between the sounds of the two types of necks. I found 2 identical Strats, except for boards, and the Rosewood was definitely warmer and more melodic, and I didn’t need an amp to hear it. The Maple was sharper and sort of tinny in comparison. So I probably played about 20 different Strats today and wasn’t too impressed with any, including the ones with the Pearly Gates pickups (Fat Strats). Came home and picked up my old Squire, which does have the same pickup configuration as the Fat Strat, and it felt better than any I had played. Of course the strings and neck are clean and slippery. I think I must have one of those really good Squires and didn’t realize it until I started looking around for something better.
 
See! I told you so.

You already have a good one. Who gives a f**k if it's a Squire!

;)
 
...don't hurt me...please...whaaaa...:(

Anyone ever hear about that? This lady who works at the local Fender dealer told me there had been some really awesome Squires coming from Japan sometime in the past, and the American Fender people were shitting because they were being outdone. I’ve had this Korean since around ’89 and it doesn’t have any wear on the finish, neck or body. The frets are wearing out but the finish looks like the day I bought it. Must be some kind of transparent metal. I played some through a POD at the store today, so I could have a frame of reference since I play through a POD at home, and I think my pickups sound better. They’re actually noiseless too. Maybe it’s not as bad as I thought it was. Maybe it’s just me that’s bad…gonna kill myself now…
 
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About 5 years ago a good freind of mine wanted a Strat. We went to just about every store in L.A. and the valley. Couldn't find one he liked. We stopped in to Norm's and he picks up this pink '62. Fell in love with it. Unfortunately he didn't have $8K to spend so we left. He was starting to get discouraged. On the way home we stopped at a store in T.O. and he spies a maple-neck-ash-bodied Jap Strat. Played it for about 10 min. and says "This is the one, brother!" I think he ended up paying about 5 bills for it and I have to admit it's one of the best Strats I've played. It weighs a freakin' ton though! Looks nice- clear finish w/ white pickguard.
 
I own 2 identical guitars(aside from color) with one being a Maple and the other being a Rosewood. I notice no appreciable difference in tone.. There is however,a marked difference in sustain.. The Rosewood model sustains much better. Both have Floyds on them so one stays in standard tune these days and the other stays in Eb.

http://www.guitar.com/artists/Axeslinger
 
Rosewood all the way. It is what I generally use. All though I have an old Peavey Predator with strat pickups and a maple neck that does rock solid (some of the best I've ever heard) power chords.
 
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