Members Slats Posted February 1, 2008 Members Share Posted February 1, 2008 Gassin' for a Lakland USA and would like to hear your thoughts on differences to help me decide which one to get. If I had two side by side to play I wouldn't be asking for your opinion....Yo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rowka Posted February 1, 2008 Members Share Posted February 1, 2008 The color. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Kindness Posted February 1, 2008 Moderators Share Posted February 1, 2008 Rosewood appears darker and is unfinished. Maple is a lighter color wood and needs to be finished or it gets ugly. I have both and believe that for any practical analysis they sound the same. In the long term, rosewood is easier to care for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BlueEcho811 Posted February 1, 2008 Members Share Posted February 1, 2008 Gassin' for a Lakland USA and would like to hear your thoughts on differences to help me decide which one to get. If I had two side by side to play I wouldn't be asking for your opinion....Yo! In general I see people leaning more towards Maple, why, I have no idea. I don't know if there is a sound difference but aesthetically I think it depends on the color scheme of the bass. Whichever looks better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members shnoogumz Posted February 1, 2008 Members Share Posted February 1, 2008 maple tends to give a brighter sound than rosewood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fretless Posted February 1, 2008 Members Share Posted February 1, 2008 If Fender and a few ( very few ) other builders Maple usually means 1 piece neck , my fav . IME Rosewood is a wee bit warmer with a wee less attack , but I don't care all that much and it has never been the deciding factor for me , but yeah maple Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Super Bass Posted February 1, 2008 Members Share Posted February 1, 2008 I have, ebony, rosewood, ebonal and now a maple fretboarded bass. Out of all those my favourite would be the rosewood. I love the feel of it and the colours running through it. I agree with Kindness, I don't notice much difference in the tone of the various wood fretboards. I think with a fretless you would notice it more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members L-1329 Posted February 1, 2008 Members Share Posted February 1, 2008 I have two absolutely identical basses except one has a rosewood board, the other maple. The Rosewood sounds noticibly brighter. So much for that theory. Get which ever one you think looks better with the bass, you'd never notice any difference in the tone with either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Kindness Posted February 1, 2008 Moderators Share Posted February 1, 2008 I have, ebony, rosewood, ebonal and now a maple fretboarded bass. Out of all those my favourite would be the rosewood. I love the feel of it and the colours running through it. I agree with Kindness, I don't notice much difference in the tone of the various wood fretboards. I think with a fretless you would notice it more. Between maple and rosewood on a bolt on neck, I find the difference to be minimal, possibly non-existent. Ebony and some other woods I have played or owned have seemed to stand out more, but I've never played otherwise identical instruments that have different fingerboards like I have with lots of Fender and Lakland basses. Someone that has a lot more experience than I do (Roger Sadowsky) is very vocal about maple being brighter and snappier and preferred on his five strings to add that brightness to the low B. I haven't played enough of his basses, and will never play as many as he has, but I have not heard that effect on the limited number of basses I've played. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Super Bass Posted February 1, 2008 Members Share Posted February 1, 2008 Between maple and rosewood on a bolt on neck, I find the difference to be minimal, possibly non-existent. Ebony and some other woods I have played or owned have seemed to stand out more, but I've never played otherwise identical instruments that have different fingerboards like I have with lots of Fender and Lakland basses.Someone that has a lot more experience than I do (Roger Sadowsky) is very vocal about maple being brighter and snappier and preferred on his five strings to add that brightness to the low B. I haven't played enough of his basses, and will never play as many as he has, but I have not heard that effect on the limited number of basses I've played. Both my SB's have the same body woods although they do have different fretboard woods, one is ebony (new SB) and one is rosewood (older SB). Each is neckthru. I think that the differences in them is minimal, except that the Rosewood boarded SB is brighter but that has more to do with the electronics. (It's been noted by a lot of owners of the new basses that they are darker sounding). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tedmich Posted February 1, 2008 Members Share Posted February 1, 2008 both are crap...ebony, specifically Madagascar ebony, jet black and dense as friggin granite, is the bomb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Super Bass Posted February 1, 2008 Members Share Posted February 1, 2008 both are crap...ebony, specifically Madagascar ebony, jet black and dense as friggin granite, is the bomb That's very harsh. Care to explain why you think that maple and rosewood are crap? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bbl Posted February 1, 2008 Members Share Posted February 1, 2008 I have both and believe that for any practical analysis they sound the same. Hogwash! Maple is MUCH brighter than rosewood! You just can't hear the difference without a L*va Cable! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Death Hands Posted February 1, 2008 Members Share Posted February 1, 2008 I dunno if it was the maple on my Peavey Foundation Fiver, but it was noticeably different from any other bass I have, and it's the only one with a maple board. Oh, wait, it's a fiver. Low b, duh. No, I kid. It really does stand out to me tone-wise. I also like the look of the maple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SpaceGhost Posted February 1, 2008 Members Share Posted February 1, 2008 both are crap...ebony, specifically Madagascar ebony, jet black and dense as friggin granite, is the bomb And also a brighter wood then both maple and rosewood. I may be a weirdo but I think I can hear a difference between a maple and rosewood fretboard when I play one. I prefer the snap of the maple. - Edit - I should add that it depends on the bass and the body wood of the bass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bbl Posted February 1, 2008 Members Share Posted February 1, 2008 both are crap...ebony, specifically Madagascar ebony, jet black and dense as friggin granite, is the bomb So what woods fall between crap and the bomb? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jugghaid Posted February 1, 2008 Members Share Posted February 1, 2008 I have two absolutely identical basses No such thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bbl Posted February 1, 2008 Members Share Posted February 1, 2008 Is it time for a maple vs. rosewood shootout with sound clips? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members L-1329 Posted February 1, 2008 Members Share Posted February 1, 2008 No such thing. They're as close as you can get though! Reverend 5L's. Barely any wood in the body, just a center piece of mahogany, same one piece maple necks, electronics, pickups, hardware, and same strings. The maple string set is a few months newer than the rosewood and it still sounds darker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jugghaid Posted February 1, 2008 Members Share Posted February 1, 2008 They're as close as you can get though! Reverend 5L's. Barely any wood in the body, just a center piece of mahogany, same one piece maple necks, electronics, pickups, hardware, and same strings. The maple string set is a few months newer than the rosewood and it still sounds darker. I still want to find a Rev. I'm waiting for one with the Engine Turn finish though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Scary Bill Posted February 1, 2008 Members Share Posted February 1, 2008 There was a shoot out on talk bass. Some one took a bass and recorded clips, the only difference was he changed the neck. I could hear more brightness in the maple clip(very slight) . I am still willing to bet that there isn't enough a tone difference to make this a rule. It could have just as easily been the fact that the necks had been made with 2 different peices of maple. On a side note, I have heard a difference between 3 different MIM jazz basses at GC. Is it the wood or the strings? I don't know. But the bass that feels/sounds good in your hands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Super Bass Posted February 1, 2008 Members Share Posted February 1, 2008 I think its more of a feel/ looks thing than a difference in sound. There may be one but I ain't noticing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members REMUS Posted February 1, 2008 Members Share Posted February 1, 2008 There are trace differences, I would just go with whichever one you think looks the best really. Might sound shallow, but someone elses experiences on a subject like this probably won't apply to you since it is case sensitive, the subtle variation between pups on identical spec instruments can give the impression of extra brightness for example. And of course one neck with a rosewood board might sound brighter than another of the exact same spec. So like I say, forget about it and just go with your gut Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Kindness Posted February 1, 2008 Moderators Share Posted February 1, 2008 I still want to find a Rev. I'm waiting for one with the Engine Turn finish though. I learned how to turn aluminum... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Super Bass Posted February 1, 2008 Members Share Posted February 1, 2008 I learned how to turn aluminum... Is there anything you can't do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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