Maple Vs. Rosewood Fretboard

asc67 · July 27th, 2008, 03:21 PM

I recently got a Classic Vibe 50's Strat with a Maple Board. Now this is the first Guitar I've had that hasn't had a Rosewood Fretboard.

It is a very bright Strat with the Alnico III pickups and I'm starting to think that I should return it and get the Classic Vibe 60's instead with a Rosewood Fretboard and Alnico Five pickups thinking that it will have a Fuller sound.

My question is how much of an effect does the Maple Fretboard have in giving a guitar a brighter tone ?

Doug Ferguson · July 27th, 2008, 03:34 PM

Personally, I don't think it makes a noticable difference in the tone. However, plenty of folks disagree. They say a rosewood board is warmer, etc. I've have both maple and rosewood board guitars, and about the only difference I can tell is in the way each feels. The maple's are a little harder. Other than that, each are the same tonally. I prefer the look of maple boards on strats and teles, but that's just asthetics. With an electric guitar, the output of a pickup, its height, and the guage/type of strings being used have a far more direct affect on tone in my experience. Then there's the amp it's being run through, how it's set, its speaker(s), the wood used for the cabinet and baffle, open or closed back. And finally the cables, number of effects and kind of patch cables, DC or AC powered. All these have a much bigger impact on tone than the fretboard. Just my observations and thoughts. As always, YMMV.

asc67 · July 27th, 2008, 03:36 PM

So do you think that the Alnico Fives would be a fuller less bright sounding pickup ?

Doug Ferguson · July 27th, 2008, 03:46 PM

Alnico's in general are warmer than ceramic, and fuller, IMO. Haven't had any experience with the 5's, but the 3's I have on a couple of guitars are nice and full; very punchy and responsive, too. Of course not all Alnico's are created equally; it comes down to the maker. It is my understanding, though, that the Alnico 5's are fairly bright, and, of course, SC's overall are brighter than humbuckers.

Are you looking for fullness and warmth in the bridge, or from all three P/U's?

Orlando Mike · July 27th, 2008, 03:51 PM

It's my understanding that the 5's are brigter than the 3's

thaus · July 28th, 2008, 09:18 AM

I also have both maple and rosewood and can hear a slight difference in tone but nothing that is too drastic. I prefer rosewood for the heavier distorted-type stuff and maple for the cleaner tones. Just a preference since rosewood just feels like it can handle more of that dig-into-your-strings feel and maple just naturally makes me play with a lighter touch! Go figure but I think the main thing for most people is aesthetics!!

xfsl0001 · July 29th, 2008, 09:18 AM

Sometimes it is very difficult to compare... the real tone in term of wood is in the body, so either you make a test of 2 different necks in the same body r you are nto really making any comparison. If you get 2 stock MIA in a shop maple&rosewood, the subtle differences in both of them will make you think that is because of the fretboard, it may not be the cause...
In my case I prefer maple, the feel of it, also the idea of having only 1 piece of wood in the whole neck instead of 2 (although it doesn't make any specific advantage). Personal preferences... to each his own taste!

If you like the guitar with your ears and with your fingers... keep it!

Doug Ferguson · July 29th, 2008, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xfsl0001

If you like the guitar with your ears and with your fingers... keep it!

+1. That's all that really counts.

Zman · July 29th, 2008, 11:03 AM

ASC67: A lot of the tone issues you are having have a lot to do with your amp. The blues junior will have a totally different sound when you play the Yamaha with the p90s and if you use the same settings for both you will need to adjust your amp. Also what pedals are you using? I find the exact opposite to you in that my CV sounds smooth and mellow. Also I always play with D'Addario 9.5s on all my strats. The 9s are always too trebly for me.
As for the board being maple or rosewood, I think it is cosmetic, and feel more than sound. The body wood's density will affect the tone more than the neck wood.
I have nine Strats and only two with rosewood. If they came in a maple board they would be maple as well.

asc67 · July 29th, 2008, 01:34 PM

Zman, Yes I figured out pretty quick that I needed to use different setting on my amp. I turn the bass up and Treble down with the Strat and the opposite for the Yamaha. The strings I have on the Strat are Ernie Ball 10's but I may go with 11's next time. I may try a different Brand of strings too as I've heard that the Ernies tend to be a bright string.

I'm leaning towards keeping her as she's starting to grow on me.

The only pedals I use are a Bad Monkey and a Boss CE-2 Chorus.

No Vibe 55 · July 31st, 2008, 04:45 PM

All of my guitars, including my Strat, have rosewood fret boards, except my Tele. My next purchase will probably be a Strat w/ a maple board.
Obviously, a Tele sounds different from a Strat and they both sound different from an LP, but I have to say that the Tele, with that maple board, has a brighter spank than my other guit's with the rosewood boards. I do prefer the feel of rosewood, but what the hey, vatiety is the spice of life!

cdt194 · August 2nd, 2008, 10:59 AM

For me personally I prefer rosewood over maple. It does have slightly warmer and fuller tone. The most noticable difference is what you feel in your hands. Maple is much harder than rosewood. I have 2 american strats one with rosewood and one with maple and a Warmoth with an ebony board. The tones are similar using the same pickups. Alnico V pickups are a little fuller. You really have to decide for yourself in the end. If you like the softer deeper thicker tone then I'd go with Alnico Vs. Let your fingers decide weather you want maple or rosewood. Try different PUPs and let you're ears decide on those. Most music stores with a vast selection will have strats with various types of PUPs that you can try out so, you can make up your own mind.

Bruster · August 2nd, 2008, 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xfsl0001

If you like the guitar with your ears and with your fingers... keep it!

+1

These are wise words...I think.

kennycaster · August 3rd, 2008, 11:17 AM

As for the feel, maple requires a hard finish such as poly or lacquer, whereas rosewood is usually treated with an oil finish and feels much more like natural wood.

Ken

dan P · August 3rd, 2008, 05:53 PM

I never have been able to tell any difference, in sound, a little different feel on the board though, just like the way a tinted, laquered maple neck looks !

Ryan · August 5th, 2008, 10:08 PM

I agree with those that said there is a bigger difference in feel rather than tone, when it comes to the maple/rosewood debate.

While I could agree that in a vaccuum test, rosewood would be 'darker', I think the brightness you're getting from your guitar is a combination of many things, such as amp settings, pickups and strings.

Also, picks play a crucial part in your tone as well. As well as where you strum on your guitar relative to the pick up that is active.

If you find rosewood feels better, by all means, find a rosewood-necked guitar and have at it.

I personally love the slinkiness and smooth feel of maple.

Boris Bubbanov · August 6th, 2008, 12:04 AM

Well, I can tell you that an all rosewood neck sounds very little like a maple neck with a rosewood board. Not all that great so far either, actually.

Depending on your fret size and playing style, the fretboard itself is either close to the periphery, sound wise, or in the periphery. The body isn't bolted to rosewood, the tuners aren't mounted to rosewood, the truss rod isn't in contact with the rosewood. Sonically, the board wood gets lost in the mix unless it is a wood with a serious signature, like ebony, pau ferro, or brazilian rosewood.

I love the way all (unfilled) rosewood soaks up sweat and gets it out of your way while you play. And I love finishing a maple neck with a rosewood board; a little masking and you're covered, no cleaning lacquer off of frets 4 months later once the stuff is dry.

thaus · August 6th, 2008, 10:38 PM

I seem to recall reading that Leo made the change because the maple boards showed wear to quickly and that made the guitars look like they were falling apart! Now people pay big bucks for boards that have the fake wear on them......go figure!!

hal hawkins · August 19th, 2008, 06:06 PM

I recently read a piece of an article on Yngwie Malmsteen. He apparently likes to trade necks and bodies on his Strats for fun(intresting hobby). He said the tone always went with the neck. Interesting...

cajunman831 · August 21st, 2008, 05:46 PM

i love them both.two strats rosewood and three teles maple.i think it,s the persons personal
preference.i think a rosewood will last longer in my experience with strats since the late sisties.

Boris Bubbanov · August 21st, 2008, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hal hawkins

I recently read a piece of an article on Yngwie Malmsteen. He apparently likes to trade necks and bodies on his Strats for fun(intresting hobby). He said the tone always went with the neck. Interesting...

I'm not a fervent Malmsteen fan, but trading necks is really worth exploring, if you can afford it. It really does matter a lot, one neck to the next. Not really rosewood board versus maple, but neck A versus neck B.

tylerangle1990 · August 22nd, 2008, 10:03 AM

rosewood is where it's at!

ajgus · August 22nd, 2008, 01:36 PM

I have to say something. I too felt that Maple is harder than RW, but was recently corrected on another forum. Appearently, RW is the harder of the two woods, not the other way around. But for me, maple feels harder in the hands when it comes to finger boards. But from a wood standpoint, its RW.

krunchkrunch · August 22nd, 2008, 07:07 PM

Enormous difference !! I have swapped necks and bodies on literally 100's of strats over the years - I have no doubt that most of the sone/sustain and characteristics of each guitar originate from the neck and I reckon I could tell you which is a maple neck and which is a rosewood if you blindfolded me - and in case anyone thinks i'm full of BS check this out .. YouTube - Too Rollin' Stoned - A tribute to Robin Trower

thaus · August 24th, 2008, 10:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by krunchkrunch

Enormous difference !! I have swapped necks and bodies on literally 100's of strats over the years - I have no doubt that most of the sone/sustain and characteristics of each guitar originate from the neck and I reckon I could tell you which is a maple neck and which is a rosewood if you blindfolded me - and in case anyone thinks i'm full of BS check this out .. YouTube - Too Rollin' Stoned - A tribute to Robin Trower

I Believe you........

krunchkrunch · August 26th, 2008, 04:31 AM

How kind of you to say so ... where do I send the cheque ????

Geocaster · August 31st, 2008, 05:22 PM

Nice video - great slides.

I have a maple neck strat (amdlx) and I tried a rosewood neck strat recently and I just could get the snap I am used to out of it. I'm of the school that rosewood is a bit darker and less "snappy" - but I've been told i'm wrong many times (and not just about that)

60strat · September 2nd, 2008, 03:46 AM

maple for me all my strats have maple finger board

SeanT · September 9th, 2008, 02:07 PM

Hi,

I like them both.

Thanx

SeanT

LanDindsey · September 16th, 2008, 08:00 PM

I prefer rosewood on rosewood classics, like les pauls, etc. I prefer maple on nearly all my Fenders. I don't notice a big difference in tone between rosewood and maple, but the playability is drastically different to me, although I don't think one is "better" than the other.

Just play both and figure out what you want, its all about preference really. I wouldn't trade my maple necks for anything, but some people disagree.

JKjr · September 18th, 2008, 07:36 AM

There are a lot of real experts on this board(no sarcasm here), and I'm not one of them. But all my maple necked guitars are spankier and crisper than my rosewoods, which tend to be warmer and rounder. Switch out necks, these characteristics follow the neck to the next body. Are the maple necks "brighter"? Or are they just faster or more immediate sounding? I can't offer up any "science" good or bad, just anecdotal evidence. Maple seems brighter at the same amp settings to my ears.

macwhisper · September 28th, 2008, 01:35 PM

About 20 years ago I picked up 5 Strat necks at a music store on sale $25 each. Two rosewood and three maple. Over the years I've tried them all on my 84 Strat. Other that cosmetics I can't tell the diff. Seems to me the Rosewood vs Maple thing applies more to acoustic bodies than necks since the string is stopped at the metal fret not the wood surface.

Funny thing is I also could find no quality or sound difference between the 5 MIM necks and the original vintage fender neck other that shape and radius.

djw · September 28th, 2008, 01:44 PM

I'm a Ebony guy, love the feel. Every Strat I have has their own personality.

bluesjunior64 · July 25th, 2010, 03:51 PM

Hello everyone, im new so i will make it quick, I was test playing 2 mim lefty strats at guitar center, one was maple, one was rosewood, i really liked the maple for its looks at first, then i saw another lefty hanging on the wall with rosewood,I went from maple to rosewood, with all the same amp settings in the shop and I realized, the rosewood was much slicker and easier to play on.The maple kinda gripped my fingers more, I do love the look of maple,However im glad in the end it was rosewood lefty MIM strat, I love it, feels great! G

Blue Strat · July 26th, 2010, 03:29 PM

A mate of mine has Rosewood where as i have Maple.

I find the Maple smoother and easier to slide my hand up and down.

expat blaque · July 31st, 2010, 10:17 AM

Love them all: rose, maple, ebony.....get one of each! LOL

Personally, I think as many people said, it's a feel thing: however, NOTHING beats a raw, unfinished maple neck in my mind!

Camocow08 · July 31st, 2010, 12:38 PM

I think maple looks amazing on a Stratocaster. It just 'fits the bill' I guess. I like the maple fret boards when they have a slight dark, or red tint to it. I like the feel of it, better than rosewood anyway. My strat has a very bright, and light colored maple fretboard. With pearl inlays for the fret markers. I'm not crazy about the pearl style on such an already light colored fretboard. The colors clash, but, then again, it's about how the guitar sounds, not looks.

fenderilize · July 31st, 2010, 01:51 PM

I like the look of maple neck and feel of rosewood neck. I need to have both.

colchar · July 31st, 2010, 02:14 PM

I like the look of maple but my Strat has a really dark burst and its rosewood fretboard looks great on it as it compliments the burst. I don't think my guitar would look nearly as good with maple.

danilevitin · August 6th, 2010, 04:18 AM

I allways leaned towards roswoods, but from the little i tried maple necks I started a thinking differently.

1)first, i feel that for some reason rosewood necks tend to have much more buzzing problems.

2) maple necks usualy feel smaller

3) maples have a more focused sound, ESPECIALY with distortion. the seem to have more sustain and accept distortion better.

4) rosewoods have a sweeter and more "toyish" sound, but at the same time, a narrower sound

5) because of the relatively large frets they make now, the maple neck does not feel "sticky" in my opinion. with the reissues, especialy japanease - they can feel like that

6)I had about ten strats in my life. the only one i realy liked was a 1987 with a rosewood.

7) In clean sounds, the rosewood seems to have more colour to the tone

the maple sounds more gentle in clean

so the choice is between the maple's tone stability, more sustain, better distortion, against the rosewood which is less tamed sound but prettier on clean. it's this against that. I chose to mail order a roswood and give it another chance. if that doesnt work, my next will be a maple.