Members Uria7286 Posted January 1, 2006 Members Share Posted January 1, 2006 what are the advantages over per-se maple and rosewood ive never played a ebony fretboard but what are advantages /disadvantages of ebony? thank you guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Codmate Posted January 1, 2006 Members Share Posted January 1, 2006 There are none IMO - it's personal preference. I prefer Ebony personally, but couldn't give you a solid reason as to why. I find maple a bit 'slippery' and rosewood a bit 'sticky'. Ebony seems to have just the right feel for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Uria7286 Posted January 1, 2006 Author Members Share Posted January 1, 2006 what are the charecteristics of ebony though? it is fast, is it easier to play then rosewood? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vendor Defendor Posted January 1, 2006 Members Share Posted January 1, 2006 I honeslty can't tell a difference between my rosewood and ebony fret boards, but I am tone deaf. I never played a maple board so, can't offer any advice there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TheStoveMan Posted January 1, 2006 Members Share Posted January 1, 2006 I think ebony *looks* way nicer than rosewood, and feels somewhat nicer. That's just a personal opinion, but that's about the only real difference. Some say it would have a brighter tone, too, since it's harder than rosewood. I still like maple the best for looks and feel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Donzi Posted January 1, 2006 Members Share Posted January 1, 2006 I like the looks as well but I also have found that the boards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Attila Posted January 1, 2006 Members Share Posted January 1, 2006 To me, a nice tight-grained rosewood board, looks and feels every bit as nice as an ebony one. -Attila Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members unclebobscircus Posted January 1, 2006 Members Share Posted January 1, 2006 The right piece of rosewood can look and feel just like ebony, but in most cases ebony is much smoother and more playable. Also, because ebony is so much harder than rosewood, it's also brighter. Tonally, think of ebony as a midway point between maple and rosewood - rosewood being a warm, fat tone and maple being a bright tone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tlbonehead Posted January 1, 2006 Members Share Posted January 1, 2006 Originally posted by Uria7286 what are the charecteristics of ebony though? it is fast, is it easier to play then rosewood? Ebony is my favorite. I have about 10 guitars that are ebony. Most of mine are rosewood. I only have a couple maple. You'd just have to play it for yourself. Fast and smooth is how I'd describe it,maybe a little brighter tonally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LaXu Posted January 1, 2006 Members Share Posted January 1, 2006 I don't notice much of a difference in feel - after all your fingers are mostly touching strings, not the fretboard. Ebony does give a brighter, snappier attack that's somewhere between maple and rosewood. It also tends to look very good due to having tight grain. I do wish more guitars had ebony boards but that's mainly because way too many come with rosewood fretboards and most of my guitars have that as well. Not that there is anything wrong with rosewood, but it'd be nice to have more choices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Verne Andru Posted January 1, 2006 Members Share Posted January 1, 2006 I just had this conversation yesterday with a dealer. I'm thinking of getting a fretless neck for my bass and pondered getting a fretted neck [cause I can't find a fretless that fits] and just stripping out the frets ala Jaco. I was told true ebony is a much harder wood and if you strip the frets and use roundwounds on a rosewood fingerboard, the strings will chew away at it until they wear out grooves. Ebony is the wood of choice - particularly for fretless - because it can withstand the strings grinding away at it better than any other wood. This isn't as much of a problem with fretted instruments, as the frets tend to buffer the strings from the fretboard. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jkater Posted January 1, 2006 Members Share Posted January 1, 2006 All my guitars except my LP have ebony fretboard. To me it could be that i'm used to the feel of it and usually look for it when choosing a guitar. As to the sound, all my guitars are so different that it's clear that this material is only part of the whole equation. My Lag Louisiane (Tele type configuration) and my SA2200 (semi-acoustic) couldn't be more different in sound but both have a very smooth fretboard which I feel when I bend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members do art Posted January 1, 2006 Members Share Posted January 1, 2006 Generally ebony is denser. This will give slightly more sustain. It's also harder and will wear better. It's stiffer than rosewood. So it will be slightly brighter and less likely to warp or twist. It's also more resistant to changes in humidity than rosewood. I think it's a little harder to work than rosewood e.g. inlays etc.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Sparkytfl Posted January 1, 2006 Members Share Posted January 1, 2006 Originally posted by Verne Andru Ebony is the wood of choice - particularly for fretless - because it can withstand the strings grinding away at it better than any other wood. Well I got an old bass with a rosewood board and it has some major grooves/gouges on the end of the board from somebody playing slap bass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members t60 fan Posted January 2, 2006 Members Share Posted January 2, 2006 I've got guitars with maple (T-60), rosewood (EC1000) and ebony (314CE L7) and love them all, however the guitars themselves are so different that it is tough to compare the effect of the fretboard materials. All things otherwise equal, I'd opt for ebony over the other two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dinrodef Posted January 2, 2006 Members Share Posted January 2, 2006 Originally posted by Codmate There are none IMO - it's personal preference.I prefer Ebony personally, but couldn't give you a solid reason as to why.I find maple a bit 'slippery' and rosewood a bit 'sticky'. Ebony seems to have just the right feel for me. THats' exactly my observation. Rosewood is kinda sticky and slows me down... I hate maple cuz it's slippery. Ebony is also brighter... so it balances well with a dark mahogany guitar. I can play fastest on ebony guitars. But I've got a guitar with a really dark rosewood board that almost plays as fast as the ebony. Just personal preference I guess Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Verne Andru Posted January 2, 2006 Members Share Posted January 2, 2006 Originally posted by Sparkytfl Well I got an old bass with a rosewood board and it has some major grooves/gouges on the end of the board from somebody playing slap bass. Dude, your sig is so right on - Rochester is the most poluted place I've ever been to. Had a tour of Kodaks plant. They have a buidling there that's 1 mile wide by 7 miles long. Apparently the largest covered structure in the world! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Burn Posted January 2, 2006 Members Share Posted January 2, 2006 Ebony is way nicer looking to anything else... but it feels like a piece of rock when I'm fretting a note... I personally prefer rosewood for playability, ebony for looks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members anathema Posted January 2, 2006 Members Share Posted January 2, 2006 Originally posted by dinrodef THats' exactly my observation. Rosewood is kinda sticky and slows me down... I hate maple cuz it's slippery. Ebony is also brighter... so it balances well with a dark mahogany guitar. I can play fastest on ebony guitars. But I've got a guitar with a really dark rosewood board that almost plays as fast as the ebony. Just personal preference I guess I've lived in Crotchester all my life and I hate the town with a fucking passion. It's a goddamn cesspool, I tell ya. On topic, though, ebony fretboards are the shit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members KoaFreak Posted January 2, 2006 Members Share Posted January 2, 2006 I like (and have) all three, but if I could only have one, it would have to be rosewood. Ebony does have a nice sharp attack and looks great though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Treborklow Posted January 2, 2006 Members Share Posted January 2, 2006 I like Ebony for the look and feel. Also I thought I read somewhere that guitars with Ebony boards have to be fretted by hand and not machine. I think that gives a higher quality fret job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dylannelson Posted January 2, 2006 Members Share Posted January 2, 2006 Originally posted by Attila To me, a nice tight-grained rosewood board, looks and feels every bit as nice as an ebony one. -Attila such as my new les paul fingerboard. dark, dense rosewood, that feels like ebony, but sounds like rosewood [/url Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members OrvilleGibson Posted January 2, 2006 Members Share Posted January 2, 2006 Ebony is a whole lot more fun to inlay than the rosewoods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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