Maple vs Rosewood Fingerboard?

I'm curious to know what you guys think....do you hear "that" much fifference in tone between the two? Many people consider basses with maple fingerboards to be "brighter" and those with rosewood boards to be "warmer" in tone but I really can't hear a significant difference between the two to be honest with you.

What do you think?

Steve "Dude" Barr http://www.schoolofbass.com May 6th - 9th 2004! http://www.TheDudePit.com
http://www.VintageBass.com

Thank you for poking holes in long-held assumptions. At least for a quick check using background light, no-- the the E and A strings "fret" without touching the fretboard. The D and G I'm not so sure of, I'll rig up a better light arrangement to see.

I'll also drag the basses out and look for "string tracks" on the fingerboard.
I think the maple Jazz does show some, though always played with flats. --TP

Is it a good copy? No, seriously, it probably would get you off the hook with me, presuming I had a hook.

Yeah, I love a good flatwound-fitted Precision. I have a killer little copy I did that with.

Hmmmm....good observation Jeff....great thread by the way!

At the moment I own a jazz copy, witch BTW I just defretted. Does that get me of the hook with you?

But don't worry, my next aquisition after good amplification will be a fender, I was thinking of a precision, to put some flatwounds in, who knows...

Steve, why not compare the soundfiles I sent you - OK so there's no musicman pickups in yours but the basic sound is very different..

Yeah, they should own way more than one.

Could be worse. I could be saying "Every bass player should own at least one Alembic Series I."

Poppycock...I do just fine and don't currently own a single Fender.

Now there's one I've never had and would love to some day.

Me too. Both are good, in context.

Maple feels faster to me and does sound a bit brighter to my ear. I also think it's purty.

I've always wanted to try that special edition Warwick Thumb bass that was all maple but everything else was the same. That would be an interesting A/B with my dark woods one...

I could never hear a consistent difference, whether on a bass or a guitar.

I favor the maple fingerboards most of the time. The reason? I haven't measured them to verify my opinion, but the maple boards feel a bit rounder on the edges than the rosewood versions, which I like. Of course, it depends upon the manufacturer.

My 72 Fender Jazz Bass had a rosewood fingerboard that played like pure silk. It also had rectangular pearloid inlays and seemed to be a step above the stock fingerboards of the era. That was the last Fender bass that I owned that had a rosewood fingerboard.

Every once in a while I run across a Tele or Strat guitar that has an exceptionally comfortable rosewood fingerboard. But never when I want to buy one.

As someone pointed out to me some many moons ago, with rosewood or ebony (etc.), you're hearing string against wood. With maple, it's string against finish, at least while the finish is there.

I think there's a diff but it might be mostly mood <g>. The visual presentation of a dark fingerboard wood v. light, along with say a dark sunburst v. a bright red or other color-- big contrast. But I do think I can really *hear* a difference, too. IOW, I'd like to have a rosewood Precision to augment the maple one I do have. GAS, or tone palette? --TP

Maple is brighter than rosewood but you've got to factor in the type of body wood for the overall result which is the important thing.

I can definintely hear that the morado fongerboad on the new Sad I purchased today sounds a bit warmer in the mids and a little less sizzly in the highs.
It also has an alder body which probably adds to this as well.

The issue is not that the string touches the wood but that the fret is anchored to the wood. Different wood vibrates differently (oddly enough). It's all about resonance, transmission of vibration.

I hear a big difference. Maple has a lot of midrange snap to it. Rosewood is a lot warmer - muddier is more like it IMO.

I'm with John on this. In fact, I'm looking at an American Deluxe Jazz 5 on
EBay right now, versus one of these Ken Smith Design Proto-J 5's. Or a G&amp;L
L-2500. The American Laklands and Sadowsky Vintage 5's are a little out of my $$ range.

Any comments on the above-mentioned basses? Bass NW has this Ken Smith
Design (not US-made) for US $699 right now, and they are right down the road from me. Meanwhile, I'm high bidder on the Fender on EBay, but I think the winning bid will be higher than mine.

Thanks in advance for any recommendations. I currently play a Yamaha TRB5II and like it, except for the rosewood, and a Roscoe LG3005 fretless with diamondwood (LOVE this bass!).

I owned an Alembic Epic 5 and sold it - wasn't for me (tone &amp; neck).

All specifically for their maple fingerboard.

I can, but quite frankly, it's not a huge difference in tone, and it's something that can be pretty easily EQ'd in or out at will.

But we all know you're more of a Gibson guy right?

BTW Dude, I remember you mentioning once, witch of the thunderbirds where not a neckdiver, the normal or the one with the reversed bodie?

A "normal" T-Bird is the "reverse".

The "non-reverse" body style made in the mid-60's is the one which doesn't neck dive (as much).

You sure seem to like them, though

you'd be pushing the strings way too hard if you get them to touch the fret board.
All of my basses and guitars have low action, but neither of the strings touch the fretboard when I play maybe because of the jumbofrets?

Maple boards look uglier.

i cant tell either but i use maple.only because its easy to see the fret board on dark stages.

We need someone who works in a music store who has access to the same instrument with different fingerboards to do an A/B for us.

Well, besides the tone, I could "feel" the diference, this may be totaly in my head, but maple fellt harder, more snappy.
One of the reasons I regret selling my ATK, my fender, should I ever buy one, will have a maple fboard.

Totally but I don't agree that "Every bass player should own at least one."
Steve "Dude" Barr http://www.schoolofbass.com May 6th - 9th 2004! http://www.TheDudePit.com
http://www.VintageBass.com

I assume you're talking about getting one of the above with a maple neck. I had a MIA J DLX 5 with a maple board and ash body. It sounded just like you would expect a maple and ash jazz bass would sound. The B wasn't great, but it was good enough for occasional accents. I sold it after a few months because the narrow neck at the nut aggravated an old injury. Sounded good, and felt solid. Wish I could have kept it.