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Post subject: maple or rosewood necks?
Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 7:32 am
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Do the maple and rosewood necks play and feel the same? Other than cosmetic differences, are there advantages to either? Is one more susceptable to warpage than the other?


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Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 7:42 am
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This has been discussed alot. If you don't get a good answer here, then do a search and you will find long discussions on the topic. My opinion? The primary difference between the two is really just the feel of it, and I prefer rosewood...

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Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 7:50 am
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+1 except that I like maple :wink:

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Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 8:09 am
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This topic comes up frequently. The consensus: pick whichever wood you find most aesthetically pleasing. The overall heft and profile of the neck makes a huge difference to your experience of an instrument, but I doubt whether most people would find any perceptible tactile or aural difference in fretboard material if they had their eyes closed. Maple is often more heavily laquered, though, which makes a slight difference to the feel, and it ages more noticeably than rosewood; some like that, some don't.

In the past I've had preconceptions about the type of wood I wanted to get, and every time I've gone with the guitar that felt best to me and forgotten about which type of wood may be on the fretboard. When I started out I thought I was a rosewood man (can't say why, just liked the look and probably imitating my teacher), and I did indeed have a couple of guitars with rosewood boards. Since then I've had two maple and two ebony. Currently I like the maple cap neck on my strat because maple-on-maple with no skunk stripe makes for a pleasing chunk of wood.

Don't ever let the fretboard material make you overlook a potentially nice guitar... it shouldn't be the deciding factor! If your neck should ever warp, your fretboard will too, regardless of wood type. That's relatively easy to fix in all but the most severe cases.


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Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 8:31 am
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Rosewood is nice, Maple is better (in my opinion).

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Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 10:16 am
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Hello Rockingeezer,

I'm gonna counter Miami

Maple is nice, rosewood is better{in my opinion} :lol:

Cheers.


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Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 10:21 am
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I used to like strickly Rosewood. I had tried Maple several times and just didn't like them. HOWEVER, that all changed a few months ago when I found my 1986 MIJ '68 RI Strat. Now I can honestly say I like both.

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Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 1:43 pm
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I wouldn't know if this is correct, but i read that rosewood gives a darker tone than maple, but its all down to personal preference really...

I don't really have a preference, go with the guitar as a whole, not what is essentially the colour of the fretboard... thats my theory anyway.


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Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 4:15 pm
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mondo500 wrote:
Maple is often more heavily laquered, though, which makes a slight difference to the feel



You made a lot of good points--but, this, for me is the main difference.
I find a huge difference in feel--especially as a bend strings a lot, and I have less control on the lacquered boards. It feels very different.

The only maple board I have is on my bass--and due to the size of the strings my fingers don't really touch the board--so it's okay.

I could have had my Mustang with a rosewood board or a maple board--and I chose rosewood.

But try both--see what you prefer.

The best situation in this regard would be to not care whether it's lacquered or not--to ba able to play any guitar neck comfortably.

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Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 4:32 pm
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I prefer the Roswood better. I have played both: tone wise I do not hear too much of a difference, feel wise I like rosewood better, and cosmetically I love the look of dark fingerboards.

It comes down to personal preference.

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Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 4:40 pm
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The majority of my guitars are Rosewood fretboard, but my favorite guitar is maple.

I guess, it all comes down to, play a bunch of guitars, pick what you like. Don't go in with any preconceived ideas. There are subtle tone differences, but they are really pretty minor in the scope of the whole guitar's sound. Find a guitar whose entire sound profile pleases you, don't get too hung up on the minutiae of what the little things do. really. I would say whether you like how it looks is as important as anything else.
After all, Leo didn't switch to rosewood because he thought it sounded better, or felt better. he switched because he didn't like how the maple boards were starting to wear and look dirty, when he saw people playing his instruments as they aged.

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Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2009 11:59 am
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I have both, and they're both good for different reasons. I can't hear a difference, but you can definitely feel the difference on bends - the rosewood has more "friction" to it can you can control how far you bend better, in my VERY novice opinion.


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Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2009 12:59 pm
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Neck construction can effect sound, how its made and of what.

I am going to add two quotes from Mike at the Custom shop.
Quote.

Great question.
Alder is generally very consistant in weight and therefore tone. Ash is all over the place.

Generally, the heavier the wood, the brighter the tone, the lighter the wood, the more bassy the sound.

All this is compersated for with rosewood fingerboards, fat neck shapes, pickups, etc. Lots of variables. Can't just focus on bodies.

( second quote )

well, a neck with an Ebony fingerboard would be brighter, and one piece Maple neck would also be brighter than the rosewood, but darker than the Ebony. On and on....

there is no "formula" really, because it changes when you have an Ash body or an Alder body, now add pickups...

End quote.

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