Fretboard Wood

[shredmonster]

I have read Maple is good because it has a good treble sparkle and the lows are tight.

Ebony is suppose to have a nice "snap" to it - that is your fingers snap back quickly which makes it nice for fast playing and hammer ons, etc..
However, ebony as well as rosewood are supposedly "looser" or not as tight with the notes as maple.

I have had all three woods and the maple fretboards do sound great. Each wood has a different feel I have noticed.

Also I have noticed the maple fingerboards seem louder. Ebony and Rosewood seem to dampen the sound a little for some reason.

Just wondering what others have experienced here.

[toejam]

Re: Fretboard Wood

Rosewood is warmer sounding and in between maple and ebony... ebony usually being the brightest and what I've heard some people characterize as shrill in some cases; though, I've never found that to be so. I like all three, rosewood being my favorite, followed by maple and then ebony.

[Grandturk]

Re: Fretboard Wood

Maple is the brightest, actually, being the hardest of the three woods, with Rosewood being the softest and warmest. Maple and Ebony both contribute a lot of spank to the sound.

[Number Of The Priest]

Re: Fretboard Wood

[ QUOTE ]

Ebony is suppose to have a nice "snap" to it - that is your fingers snap back quickly which makes it nice for fast playing and hammer ons, etc..

[/ QUOTE ]

Why don't you install tiny springs on top of the fretboard and below the strings to give you more "snap"? [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[shreddermon]

Re: Fretboard Wood

I love pau ferro. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

[shredmonster]

Re: Fretboard Wood

[ QUOTE ]
I love pau ferro. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]
Have a Suhr?

[shreddermon]

Re: Fretboard Wood

[ QUOTE ]
Have a Suhr?

[/ QUOTE ]

Sacrilege! Begone blasphemer! [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

[sambencuda]

Re: Fretboard Wood

I know all of these facts about the tone of fretbaord material are true, but there are a lot of other variables that go into the tone of a guitar. When you compare, are all the other variables (body and neck wood, pickups, nut material, bridge type and material, etc.) the same?
I just can't see how you can compare unless everything else is the same.

Just curious.

[thetroy]

Re: Fretboard Wood

Scalloped fretboards rule, doesn't matter what material that way! Though I'm too afraid to do it myself and too cheap to pay someone to do it...

[axeman81]

Re: Fretboard Wood

I have two electrics, one with maple and one with ebony. I've always preferred maple over rosewood, because I felt that slides and things were a lot smoother, rosewood tends to slow me down so to speak. This is probably because maple fretboards are usually lacquered/oiled hence the smooth feel. I have to note I've never tried an expensive/USA handmade guitar with rosewood board, so I can't say anything about brazilian rosewood etc. which I'm sure is much nicer than the stuff I have tried so far.
My SL2H is the first guitar I've played with an ebony board, and I have to say I love its soft response to the fingertips, and yet it is really smooth. Only downside is that it requires more maintenance than maple, it's usually enough to wipe the maple boards off with a clean cloth, with ebony I have to oil it every other string change or so (in my experience) to keep it sparkling clean, but I really love the feel.
I can relate to what you said about "snap" though it is hard to describe, it seems like I can do hammer-ons and pull-offs very very effortlessly with my SL2H compared to my maple board Ibanez, but to be fair it has slightly lower action and I string the Ibanez with .11-52's to the tune of D, whereas my Jackson has standard E tuning with .10-46

As for which sounds different/better, I think you need to compare body woods, neck construction and pickups etc. if you're gonna have any accurate comparisons.

-Rune.

[Newc]

Re: Fretboard Wood

Well, there's also fret size and string guage and tuning and all that to consider. I'm not surprised you can do effortless hammer ons and pull offs with a lower-guaged higher tuned guitar, but make them both equal and both will play the same in that respect.

Maple and Ebony are both dense woods, and are tonally identical.
Though if you really consider the facts, you are fretting on the wire, and the fretboard wood shouldn't really make a difference in the amplified tone.

Newc

[MountainDog]

Re: Fretboard Wood

Here's a couple websites that discuss neck woods:
Tom Anderson (scroll down and click 'neck wood')

Warmoth

[mudkicker]

Re: Fretboard Wood

Shred aren't you the one who started the huge debate over bolt on versus neck through. Do you just enjoy watching people argue. There are over 4000 people here so there are 4000 different opinions, all of whom think they are right and they are for their own playing sound and style.
Everyone on this board could play the exact same guitar and rig and none of us will sound the same. Maybe I'm tone deaf or simply just don't care about the minute sound changes fret boad material will make. To me it's all in your hands. That is why these, this versus that threads are pointless.

Sorry but thats my humble opinion
Brian

[shredmonster]

Re: Fretboard Wood

[ QUOTE ]
Shred aren't you the one who started the huge debate over bolt on versus neck through. Do you just enjoy watching people argue. There are over 4000 people here so there are 4000 different opinions, all of whom think they are right and they are for their own playing sound and style.
Everyone on this board could play the exact same guitar and rig and none of us will sound the same. Maybe I'm tone deaf or simply just don't care about the minute sound changes fret boad material will make. To me it's all in your hands. That is why these, this versus that threads are pointless.

Sorry but thats my humble opinion
Brian

[/ QUOTE ]
Why yes I did have a point to make regarding bolt on necks. If you want to call it a debate that is your perogative.
And yes a lot of tone comes from how you play.
But if you are going to tell me that construction and materials do not matter to your sound I guess you know better than Tom Anderson, John Suhr, Wayne Charvel, Lee at GMW, etc...

Construction and woods make a difference and I like to find out peoples experiences with these things because I am going to get some custom guitars made.

If you don't care about construction and woods why dont you just build yourself a guitar out of plywood instead of spending money on a Jackson.

[mm2002]

Re: Fretboard Wood

If you compare two guitars which are identicle except for the fretboard I seriously doubt anyone here has ears good enough to tell the difference in tone. Now as far as "feel", yes there is a difference, but only under certain playing circumstances. If I do a string bend on a rosewood board it seems that I can feel the grain, making it feel kinda rough. (probably totally mental!) On a laquered maple board it may feel a tad "sticky" if it's grunged up a little, or a bit to "greasy" if it's oiled. Oiled ebony feels just right to me! Still, no differnce in tone to my ears.