Fretboard Wood

[Chuckracer]

Re: Fretboard Wood

I used to be a huge fan of maple boards, but lately I favor rosewood for its natural oils. It works great with my hands.
I like ebony, too and maple is now a distant third in choice.
There is a very minute difference in sound. It's subtle, but it's there. More of a feel thing, I think.

[charvel750]

Re: Fretboard Wood

99% of your tone is from the fingers. 1% is from the gear. Give Kerry King a three single coil equipped Squire and it's gonna sound like Kerry. Give Carlos Santana a Jackson King V through a Soldano it's gonna sound like Carlos. Give me Carlos or Kerry's rig, guess what, it's gonna sound like ME!

[xenophobe]

Re: Fretboard Wood

^^^^ agreeed

I have a friend, who plays on CRAP equipment, but he sounds Holier than THOU...

His reason for playing crap equipment... "because when I play through good equipment, it doesn't make me work for my tone"

[jazzman]

Re: Fretboard Wood

I hear a big difference in sound depending on the wood. I do favor maple, but I like rosewood and ebony as well (in that order) I hear a big difference in body wood too. The difference between my two main strats is only body wood. I hear a big change in sound from one to the other.

[mudkicker]

Re: Fretboard Wood

[ QUOTE ]

Originally quoted by: Shredmonster

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.



[/ QUOTE ]

I never claimed that materials don't matter. What I was saying is that what may be right for me may not work for you thus making a thread like this a waste time and recources. I know the second I start strumming a guitar regaurdless of brand, and materials if I like it or not.
Never owned or played a Jackson in 20 years of playing. Brands aren't what concerns me as a player. As far as a plywood guitar I just bought one, an 85 Korean made Kramer Striker for $40. And you know what after sinking another $40 into it, it plays just as good as the rest of my collection of guitars. Ohh and it still sounds just like me playing it. I really thought with it being a Kramer I would sound just like EVH. [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]( a little sarcasm) Best $80 I've spent in a while.

[Bengal65]

Re: Fretboard Wood

I just like having various guitars with different woods. I like all the the choices. They just look pretty to me! Rosewood, Maple, Ebony, Pao Ferro on a neck, to me it just looks good. (Too many years standing in front of Marshall stacks I guess??) I can't hear the difference on a solid body electric guitar.

[jazzman]

Re: Fretboard Wood

I too have had too many years in front of 4x12's. Also at home with headphones blasting into my ears. It's a good thing I can type, cause it may be the only form of communication for me in the future. Sometimes I'm like that old commercial. "what did he say?" Miracle ear or something. I'm not sure. I couldn't hear it. What?

[VitaminG]

Re: Fretboard Wood

I can hear a big difference between different fretboard woods.

My only ebony-boarded guitar - Jackson Fusion strung to standard with 10s & sporting EMGs & a Floyd - sounds nothing like my only maple-boarded guitar - Charvel Model 1A in Eb with 11s, wearing the standard Jackson single coils it was born with & a trad trem.

I'm sure it's the fretboards making all the difference. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]

[axeman81]

Re: Fretboard Wood

[ QUOTE ]
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.

[/ QUOTE ]

Agreed. But lacquered maple sticky? [img]/images/graemlins/nono.gif[/img] However I never liked the way I'd feel the grain when doing stringbends on rosewood...maple and ebony is definitely what it comes down to for me. I would definitely go for look/feel according to type of guitar and finish. (i.e. you don't get a quilt top chlorine with ebony fretboard..doesn't look right)

[DTP]

Re: Fretboard Wood

I have a GMW Jake with an ebony board and an alder body and a ToneZone pickup and it has a different sound than my Ibanez PGM Mah./maple body with rosewood board and a ToneZone. Both very similar setups, hardtails and a volume knob.

I can tell the difference, but any of my non guitar playing family or friends would probably never hear it.

My 3grand worth of cents! [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

Jason

[shredmonster]

Re: Fretboard Wood

I think what I am getting out of this is that a trained ear has the ability to distinguish.

Maybe that is why guitar builders have their opinions on how these woods do affect tone because from my experience they definitely do.

The Warmoth and Tom Anderson sties that were suggested definitely have some good info.

I think I am going to stick with all maple on my customs because of the brightness, sustain and clarity.

Every time I play a maple fretboard it sounds brighter and clearer to my ears than ebony or rosewood. Although I definitely also like the feel of ebony or rosewood and have played and owned several guitars with them.

[Jim Shine]

Re: Fretboard Wood

The style of fret installation plays a big part in the tone as well. A compression fret job will add alot of resonance, clarity, and sustain to a dead neck. I believe one of the reasons a rosewood is so dark sounding is because the wood is soft and typically the fret tangs are often just slightly larger than the cut slot. If a large tang is inserted, it stiffens the neck which enhances the vibrations.

[toejam]

Re: Fretboard Wood

[ QUOTE ]
As far as a plywood guitar I just bought one, an 85 Korean made Kramer Striker for $40. And you know what after sinking another $40 into it, it plays just as good as the rest of my collection of guitars.

[/ QUOTE ]That's because Kramer used the "toneful" plywood! [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] My Kramer 600ST my parents bought me in either '86 or '87 was plywood. I changed out the single-locking Floyd Rose 2, put in an Original Floyd, changed the bridge pup to a DiMarzio X2N, that guitar sounded awesome!!

[Number Of The Priest]

Re: Fretboard Wood

[ QUOTE ]
I can tell the difference, but any of my non guitar playing family or friends would probably never hear it.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's the justification my family uses in saying I don't need any more guitars, they all sound the damn same. [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[DTP]

Re: Fretboard Wood

That's probably what's on their mind too, when I say I'm getting another. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]