I tend to like the looks of maple over rosewood, but quite honestly I can never tell the difference in sound. Some say they can, and I am not here to dispute that, its' just that I cannot. So soundwise, to me, they are equal.

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I remember when we were free!

Much prefer rosewood boards. Just seems faster to me.

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"It's about sound and sound alone. Looks are irrelevant. You can have the best-looking guitar on earth, but if the sound isn't there it is nothing more than a beautiful piece of trash. The sound it makes is the soul of any guitar."

That project's been in the pipeline for some time now. We haven't had any updates on it. To the best of our knowledge, the old lady has not been easy to negotiate with. As far as the film La Bamba, I was not persuaded that the Strat used for the film was period correct. IMHO, if anyone had dibs on that Stratocaster, it would be John Page.

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"Another day in paradise!"

I absolutely love maple, rosewood just feels different. The only time I have ever played a maple neck with maple cap was on a cheapo Fender Starcaster, (not the 70's guitar, the newer crap that they sell at Target and Wally World), and I would say it felt pretty good. Would never buy the guitar though. Aanyway, StratGuy1, I think the reason Fender doesn't come out with a Buddy Holly signature is because he used straight from the factory Strats. He did not do any mods to them. I am glad Fender does not take a '57 Strat, slap a Buddy sticker on it and charge you $3,000 for it UNLIKE another famous guitar manufacture, cough cough GIBSON, who takes a factory standard Les Paul or SG, slaps some famous person's name on it, and then proceed to take advantage of that said guitar player's fans buy charging +500-700 dollars on a standard model without their signature. Buddy Holly was one of the greatest musicians ever, way better than Elvis, I sometimes wonder what he would have become if his life wasn't cut short. But that is the difference between Fender and Gibson, Fenders you can depend on for years, a great American made guitar for a very reasonable price, and it wont break if you drop it, and they don't take advantage of guitarists fans. I cannot say any of that about Gibson.

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1965 Fender Precision Bass, 1994 Fender '54 Reissue Precision Bass, 2007 Applause Celebrity, 2011 Fender American Special Jazz Bass, 2012 Squier Vintage Modified Jazzmaster, 2013 Fender American Special Stratocaster, 2013 Gibson LPJ

My 1969 Strat has a Maple cap neck. They definitely have a different feel and 'timbre' compared to rosewood - notice I say 'different' rather than better. What's 'better' is entirely subjective & down to each player's personal preference re feel & tone.

My 50th Anniversary Deluxe also has a maple capped board.

But my 2009 USA Standard Limited Edition has a rosewood board.

I like both types for different reasons.

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"I started out with nothing ...and I've still got most of it left!" (Seasick Steve)

+1 I love my rosewoods!

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Dennis in CR
Rockin' since 1963

imho, the reason it is important to try a guitar out is because every strat is slightly different.
pull 2 am std strats off the wall, both new strings, maple or rosewood,same config, playable, and i guarantee you, 1 will sound better to you than the other.

a couple of windings more or less. slight differences in wood resonance.
just a few differences. im sure theres more that affect playability.

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"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present."

oogway, kungfu panda 2008

exactly, I can't see how someone would order a guitar online....

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1965 Fender Precision Bass, 1994 Fender '54 Reissue Precision Bass, 2007 Applause Celebrity, 2011 Fender American Special Jazz Bass, 2012 Squier Vintage Modified Jazzmaster, 2013 Fender American Special Stratocaster, 2013 Gibson LPJ

That was my experience. I have two strats that are identical except for the fetboards. I could bend strings like mad on the rosewood from day one. I had trouble with the strings slipping out from under my fingers on the maple board during bends. It took a lot of playing, but now I'm over it and really like to play the maple.

i ordered a guitar online, brand new, warranty replaced the neck.

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"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present."

oogway, kungfu panda 2008

What I mean is guitars speak to different people, if you see one you really like online, when you receive it, you may not like it. Also when you are in a store, you may think you need certian features, like extra bells or whistles on it, but the tone you are looking for may be the one you never took a second look at. Not possible online.

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1965 Fender Precision Bass, 1994 Fender '54 Reissue Precision Bass, 2007 Applause Celebrity, 2011 Fender American Special Jazz Bass, 2012 Squier Vintage Modified Jazzmaster, 2013 Fender American Special Stratocaster, 2013 Gibson LPJ

And most Online retailers have great "no questions asked" 30 day return policies. So really the risk of getting stuck with a dud is minimum. I bought a guitar sight unseen from a guy on Harmony-Central and it was a really awesome axe, but I do acknowledge there is a risk buying used from the net, however not so much new.

i ordered a guitar online, brand new, warranty replaced the neck.[/quote]
What I mean is guitars speak to different people, if you see one you really like online, when you receive it, you may not like it. Also when you are in a store, you may think you need certian features, like extra bells or whistles on it, but the tone you are looking for may be the one you never took a second look at. Not possible online.[/quote]

And most Online retailers have great "no questions asked" 30 day return policies. So really the risk of getting stuck with a dud is minimum. I bought a guitar sight unseen from a guy on Harmony-Central and it was a really awesome axe, but I do acknowledge there is a risk buying used from the net, however not so much new.[/quote]

Yeah, that's true for some good dealers. I had a friend who ordered a Gibson SG from Musician's Friend, came in with some problems, and it was damaged in shipment, sent it back got another one with even more issues, sent that one back, and then Musician's Friend that they would be sly, and they sent him his first SG that he had sent back! My friend could tell because it had the exact same dings in the guitar. My friend finally said "F it" and just kept that one, he didn't feel like dealing with MF's bulls***. I have also heard from people that MF will often send used and factory second guitars that they have listed on their site and try to pass them off as brand new instruments. Just some words of warning.

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1965 Fender Precision Bass, 1994 Fender '54 Reissue Precision Bass, 2007 Applause Celebrity, 2011 Fender American Special Jazz Bass, 2012 Squier Vintage Modified Jazzmaster, 2013 Fender American Special Stratocaster, 2013 Gibson LPJ