Man,there seems to be a thread of this type every other day here.
When I bought my first RW Strat after playing maple necks for years,it sounded warmer to me,but maybe it was the good weed I had smoked at the time.
Now I can still hear a difference but I don't smoke anymore,but some here say it's impossible while others say it is.
Know what?,I don't give a flying rodent's fuzzy little hind end what anybody says,I ain't reading another friggin' thread like this,it's a total waste of space!
People,do a search and read all the crap on this you can stomach,it's been beaten to death.

Maple seems to be easier to do string bends on. I have both but the pickups on the 2 are so different can't really comment on the tone. Seems like if I'm browsing through the store and try a model with one of each can't tell difference.

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Stagemaster
Roadhouse Strat
Epi Traditional Pro Les Paul
Ovation Celeb
Esteban Celestial Night(nicely tweeked)
Blackheart tube amp

I've actually made a suggestion to Brad, in recent past, to set up an FAQ section which would automatically search Forum archives for these kinds of things.

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"Another day in paradise!"

Yes, of course!!!!!

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Black MIM Telecaster Standard with 3-saddle bridge
Vintage V100 Les Paul (flamed honeyburst)
Stagg A4006 electro-acoustic
Korg ToneWorks AX3000G effects
Marshall Valvestate 8080 amp

heres mine 2007 highway one black hss hope this helps.

ive got an hss, with maple. but i regret it. rosewood is much better for look and feel. And in my opinion, sound also.

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Fender Standard Stratocaster
Maton ER90C

people that believe there is a difference in "resonating" wood on an electric guitar, would say maple is a brighter sound while all the 4 or 5 types of rosewood fingerboards that are used are all warmer sounding. Ebony is also a brighter sound, brighter than maple.

I personally have wondered this idea for years tho' and have to agree with nikkininja, signal is what makes the sound of a guitar, not wood. It's so widely believed that wood makes a difference it's hard to disprove it however. I have thought about making two guitars with the same pickups but different woods just to experiment for myself.....at some point maybe.

Hi ccjag31,I venture to say that if you made two guitars with the same wood and pickups etc. they would sound different.I've sat in showrooms and played Strats back to back that were identical in every way but they all sounded similar but different.Even with the same woods some may sound brighter or softer than the others.There are so many dynamics that can affect tone and that's why you'll hardly ever have 2 guitars that sound identical.Even if pickups have exactly the same number of winds could produce different tones because of winding spacing,tension etc.So that's the main reason I don't buy into the maple/brighter,rosewood/warmer argument.As I've stated before I've played rosewood neck Strats that were almost as shrill as a Tele yet by the same token played many mellow maple neck Srats.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

well put guitslinger, thank you.

I think there are many more important things in the guitar than fretboard material that produces a change in timbre. I find the Maple easier to clean and play than the rosewood.

Are you not supposed to oil rosewood fretboards to? I don't know, never done it myself.

Bear in mind there are other materials available, you can even get ebony necks. I think ebony is tougher and might sustain better but don't take my word for it.

Like said previously the sound difference will be marginal, so id advise you to go more on playability, clenliness and even looks before sound.

Lighter woods are supposed to have a brighter sound. Darker woods have a darker, deeper clean sound. N then it just comes down to looks . Maple or Rosewood. Tough one because some guitars look fascinating with both. Depends wut you like & if you want get one of those strats you want so bad & just change the neck.

Wood definitely plays a role. For example, the construction of bass guitars. Exotic woods of all sorts are used to get various tones. In this case its minor, because its only the fretboard in discussion but overall sound travels through the wood. Alder body guitars dont sound like Mahogany body guitars. Even if all other specs were the same.