Maple or Rosewood fretboard?

[Marko]

Really newbie question here.

 

I

[MojoFilter]

Different feel on your fingers, and a slightly different tone.

 

Maple necks tend to be a little bit "brighter" sounding, which means that the treble is more pronounced, especially on the higher strings. They also feel different on your fingers...most people would describe maple as a little "smoother" to the touch.

 

These may sound like plusses, but they are not, in and of themselves. Nor are they negatives...

 

Rosewood necks tend to have a little less "bite" when strumming chords, which some people feel gives the instrument a slightly more rounded, balanced sound, especially when using single coil pickups. Rosewood is not as smooth as Maple to the fingers, but some people feel that this gives their fingers a little more control, especially when doing bends on strings. Also, rosewood will not show dramatic differences in wear over time to the same degree that maple will.

 

The differences are not major, but they are there. Some people pick one wood or the other strictly for cosmetic reasons. Other people swear by one or the other. I find that the differences, while they are there, will not make any differences in your playing. A good player on a rosewood- neck Strat will be a good player on a maple-necked Strat, and vice versa.

 

Go to a store, try them both out, and see which one appeals to you more...and good luck!

 

[Jealousblues]

it should also be noted that rosewood needs to be oiled periodically to keep it up, maple does not.

 

do you oil ebony?

[Marko]

Thank you so much Mojo and Jealousblues for your considerate replies.

 

I'll try them, as you suggested.

 

I mostly want to focus on blues, if that makes a difference.

[W4H]

^^^ Hit it right on.

 

Gotta try them both out. I cheap rosewood board will feel "scratchy" so some people get turned off by them. I personally loved the "smoothness" of maple and the ease of doing bends.

 

For some reason the notes feel more pronounced / resonant on maple but it's my imagination.

[MojoFilter]

 

Originally posted by Mark G. Hinge Thank you so much Mojo and Jealousblues for your considerate replies. I'll try them, as you suggested. I mostly want to focus on blues, if that makes a difference.

 

 

It won't make a bit of difference. Hendrix used both Maple and Rosewood boards. Clapton tended towards Maple strats. Beck used both.

 

It comes down to personal preference...but both are appropriate for blues/rock.

 

And Jealousblues is right that rosewood does have to be oiled, but very sparingly. Once a year is about right, with heavy playing.

[Hudman]

 

Originally posted by Jealousblues it should also be noted that rosewood needs to be oiled periodically to keep it up, maple does not. do you oil ebony?

 

 

Yes ebony needs oil too. Depending on the humidity level where you live, you may need to oil your fretboard 1 to 2 times per year. I usually oil mine in the fall and in the spring. It gets really dry in my house during the winter.

[Jealousblues]

I dunno, you probibly know more than I do, but mine seems to look dried out more than that.

[Jealousblues]

so you DO oil ebony?

[Hudman]

 

Originally posted by Jealousblues so you DO oil ebony?

 

 

Yes as stated in my first post.

[Jealousblues]

I swear that wasnt there when I first read it ;-)

[EdMan63]

I personally like rosewood boards. All my guitars are rosewood with the exception of my tele which is maple. My tele plays great. I just like the way rosewood feels. The tone difference is not great enough to influence my preference. It's more about feel for me.

[deva_da_man]

you want a maple necked strat, with 2tone sunburst. (SSS ofcourse)

 

that is all.

[JoshW]

Maple

[hutchtoo]

I have 2 strats, one with each kind of fretboard. I can't really tell you the sonic difference since my two strats are so distinct anyways due to pickups, etc.

 

Aesthetically, I find that maple is more appealing especially with the matching neck and headstock, it's a really nice presentation.

 

Maple is also somewhat unique to Fenders, i.e. you don't see it often on other makes. I like that.

 

So I would say go get a maple board.

[StratAttackJack]

I honestly think you should just go with which one you think looks best. After the looks you're really just splitting hairs, I've got both and believe that there are million other factors that make them sound different aside from the fretboard.

[bluehuricane]

what type of oil do you use? and this oil can be bought at any guitar shop right?

[cratz2]

Generally, I prefer maple. But I've owned maple, rosewood and ebony so it certainly isn't a deal breaker to me. I think it comes down to the guitar. Pretty much all maple fretboards seem to be decent to my fingers, but some rosewood just doesn't feel right.

 

And I started on rosewood... the first probably 5 guitars I owned were rosewood so that is what I was used to. Actually, at that point, I didn't really realize there were some that were ebony and some that were rosewood, but I preferred how the darker boards looked. Then I got a Kramer with a maple fretboard and my main guitar playing buddy had several guitars, but his main one was a Robin with a maple fretboard and that's been my preference ever since.

 

As far as oiling and whatnot, spending a half hour twice a year shouldn't be a dealbreaker either.

 

I definately think you should go out and try a variety. Also be sure to check out some used guitars with both fretboards to see how they may feel in the future.

[bsman]

I own and like both. It's never a deal breaker for me. However, when it comes to telecasters, it's gotta be maple for me. It's purely aesthetics and has nothing to do with sound, but to me, a tele only looks right with a maple board.