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Post subject: Rosewood vs. Maple fingerboard?
Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2011 5:06 pm
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Help! What is the sound difference between Rosewood and Maple fingerboards. What do you like the best. I plan to use flatwound strings. Thanks.


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Post subject: Re: Rosewood vs. Maple fingerboard?
Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2011 5:35 pm
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basspilot wrote:
Help! What is the sound difference between Rosewood and Maple fingerboards. What do you like the best. I plan to use flatwound strings. Thanks.

Rosewood has a warmer sound, maple sounds brighter.
Roundwounds sound brighter and flatwounds sound warmer.

Tell us the bassist's sound you want to sound like and you'll get at least3-5 opinions. :)

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Post subject: Re: Rosewood vs. Maple fingerboard?
Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2011 6:25 pm
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I like the sound I am getting on my maple fingerboard Precision Bass.

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D'Addario ETB92 Nylon Tapewound Strings
Hartke LH500 head / Acoustic B410 cab


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Post subject: Re: Rosewood vs. Maple fingerboard?
Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2011 7:37 pm
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My maple board Pbass sounds brighter.
My rosewood Pbass sounds darker.

I use flats (Labella .109 set).

I am a rosewood man. I like the darker tone.


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Post subject: Re: Rosewood vs. Maple fingerboard?
Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2011 4:10 am
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mtnclimber wrote:
I like the sound I am getting on my maple fingerboard Precision Bass.

Hey! What amp did you end up getting?

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Post subject: Re: Rosewood vs. Maple fingerboard?
Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2011 5:58 am
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I have 2 rosewood board 1960's P Basses & 2 1970's Maple board P Basses. I use flat wound strings on all 4 basses. The sound is a little brighter with the maple boards. It comes down to the sound you want & also the feel. I always seemed to prefer rosewood boards but the 2 maples board basses I have are newer & have been playing them more often.


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Post subject: Re: Rosewood vs. Maple fingerboard?
Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2011 10:49 am
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chef wong wrote:
Maple fingerboards make this clacky, gacky sound when played on. Almost like the "wolf tone" of an upright bass. I don't care for it.


I agree with the esteemed Wong about the clack sound. You certainly can get that with a maple board which makes fretting precisely important. It isn't a very cool sound.

Maple definitely is brighter. Rosewood definitely more mellow. I like a real bright punchy pickup with TI PowerBass roundwound strings but I prefer a rosewood board. Go figure that one out! Doesn't make sense does it?

Only my 51 RI has a maple board while all my other basses have rosewood boards. I don't actually use the 51 RI much but when I do I sure can tell the difference in the sound of the board even though it is setup with fat stiff flats.


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Post subject: Re: Rosewood vs. Maple fingerboard?
Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 4:32 pm
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I (usually) have rounds on my J-bass with maple neck. The comments about "clacky" are right, so you either have to be precise in fingering or work it into your sound.

I have rosewood and flats on the P-bass (I agree, somewhat warmer sound and I'm going for a vaguely double bass sound).

My other basses: SG Reissue rosewood with rounds (brightens up the potentially muffled SG sound), fretless Jazz Special rosewood with flats, fretless Ocean rosewood with rounds (combined with active pups, has a lot of experimental sound possibilities) and a Mustang with rosewood and rounds.


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Post subject: Re: Rosewood vs. Maple fingerboard?
Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 6:23 pm
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PKBassman wrote:
mtnclimber wrote:
I like the sound I am getting on my maple fingerboard Precision Bass.

Hey! What amp did you end up getting?


I bought the Ampeg BA115 Bass Amplifier. I almost could not fit it on the bus going home from the store I bought it from. It was a very good work out getting it up to the forth floor I live on to get to my apartment. Now I have to see what kind of strings I may want to change to from the strings that came on the bass when I bought it.

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D'Addario ETB92 Nylon Tapewound Strings
Hartke LH500 head / Acoustic B410 cab


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Post subject: Re: Rosewood vs. Maple fingerboard?
Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 9:43 pm
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I like maple. It R gooder to me then Rosswould.


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Post subject: Re: Rosewood vs. Maple fingerboard?
Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2011 6:40 pm
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stroker vance wrote:
I like maple. It R gooder to me then Rosswould.


Stokie, are you off your meds?


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Post subject: Re: Rosewood vs. Maple fingerboard?
Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2011 11:03 pm
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No I was just looking for a new way to express myself. Maybe it wasn't a great choice.


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Post subject: Re: Rosewood vs. Maple fingerboard?
Posted: Mon Nov 14, 2011 8:53 pm
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Strictly maple, here. Love the look. I've owned basses with maple, rosewood and ebony fingerboards, and in my opinion, the contribution the wood makes to the overall sound is so miniscule that I go with what looks good.

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"Digo: 'paciencia, y barajar.'" Don Quijote de la Mancha, Part II, Chapter 23


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Post subject: Re: Rosewood vs. Maple fingerboard?
Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 4:27 am
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For some technical discussion and in-depth analysis on the topic, you may wish to view the information contained in the link below. It touches on several technical areas which have not been addressed as yet here in this Fender Lounge thread:

CLICK >>> http://music-electronics-forum.com/t18877/

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Bassman 250-210
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Peavy MAX115 (II)


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Post subject: Re: Rosewood vs. Maple fingerboard?
Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 6:15 am
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That's really more than I need to know. In my experience, a guitar or bass is not a collection of interchangeable parts, but an organic whole that will satisfy me musically or not. Certainly it is an impractical matter to tear the rosewood fingerboard off a neck and substitute one of maple. Fender gives the promise of doing this, with its detachable necks. The results are still unconvincing. Here are photos one of my Precisions with a rosewood fingerboard and maple fingerboard necks. The difference in tone was minute. To me, that's the test: first, did it change the sound, and, if so, did the sound change for the better?

Image

Image

The second question seems to be overlooked: each instrument is different in its acoustic response, and I don't know that any given alteration is ever going to be universally positive in its effect.

I like the look and feel of maple, so I'll stick with that. Should I find a maple necked instrument that I don't like, I'll take the simplest route: I won't buy it. :mrgreen:

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