pictures of acoustics with maple fret boards

[alnico5]

I'd like to see some if they exist. And if they don't exist, why not?

[Badcrumble]

I've only ever seen a tanglewood acoustic with maple fretboard.
I expect that a maple fretboard would discolour and look rather bad after a bit of playing.

[alnico5]

Originally Posted by Badcrumble

I've only ever seen a tanglewood acoustic with maple fretboard.
I expect that a maple fretboard would discolour and look rather bad after a bit of playing.

That doesn't seem to be a problem with the owners of tens of thousands of electric guitars, but there must be a reason why maple isn't used on acoustics. I wish I knew what the reason was.

[Itzkinguitars]

Michihiro Matsuda built a guitar with a birdseye maple fretboard. It's quite striking.

[PeterF]

Originally Posted by alnico5

That doesn't seem to be a problem with the owners of tens of thousands of electric guitars, but there must be a reason why maple isn't used on acoustics. I wish I knew what the reason was.

That's probably why you don't - because it's associated with electric guitars!

[PeterF]

Originally Posted by henderson is go

Michihiro Matsuda built a guitar with a birdseye maple fretboard. It's quite striking.

Gorgeous guitar! I've played it and it really is incredible.

[charles Tauber]

Originally Posted by alnico5

I wish I knew what the reason was.

I'll tell you why I won't use very light-colored woods for fingerboards. I view it similarly to wearing all white clothing to go out and do gardening - just not a very practical idea.

First, unless it is finished, a light-colored fingerboard will turn grey/black with dirt and finger oils.

Second, if finished with a lacquer-like finish - a surface finish, rather than a penetrating finish (e.g. oil) - it is a lot of work to make and maintain. Many older electric guitars with finished maple fingerboards have the finish chipped, peeling or worn through in places. Where the finish is missing, the fingerboard is discoloured - not a look I prefer in an aged instrument.

Third, if finished, it takes more effort to do fret work on them.

Fourth, maple doesn't wear as well as other harder woods.

Fifth, any gaps involved in joinery or inlay fitting are very difficult to cosmetically hide: fit has to be perfect. If not, gaps appear as obvious black lines/voids and inlay filler materials never match the wood perfectly. Ebony, for example, is very easy to cosmetically touch-up.

In summary, there is no positive reason for me to use maple for fingerboards - other than being inexpensive, or if one wants a light-colored fingerboard. But there are a number of negatives in using it. For me, the negatives far outweigh any positives.

[J-F C]

Clear and informative.

Thank you Charles.

[Hierophant]

I used maple a lot on my first acoustic. Has an interesting look and an incredibly fast attack due to the maple bridge and the lightly braced red cedar top. Back and sides are made of walnut. The neck (three piece, maple/walnut/maple) and the peghead veneer are maple too.



But I do admit that Charles is right with his criticism, there are a quite a few disadvantages with maple fretboards.

[Eholay]

[QUOTE=Hierophant;4048047]I used maple a lot on my first acoustic. Has an interesting look and an incredibly fast attack due to the maple bridge and the lightly braced red cedar top. Back and sides are made of walnut. The neck (three piece, maple/walnut/maple) and the peghead veneer are maple too.



Wow! that cedar guitar is saweet!

[Hierophant]

Thanks .

Btw.: I found (when building electric guitars) that an elastic laquer on a maple fretboards is better in terms of durability than a hard and stiff finish because the latter tends to chip off more easily on the fretboard (other than on the rest of the guitar where I would prefer a hard curing finish).

[alnico5]

Thanks for the input. The reasons sound legit. I'll see how my Telecaster's maple board ages.

[Hierophant]

And one more thing: a lacquered fretboard can feel very fast, just like a very smooth polished ebony fretboard.

A blond alternative for maple is satinwood. It's harder than maple, it is resistant to water and you can polish it as good as ebony. That means that you do not have to lacquer it, it will stay bright and it looks similar to aged maple.

[billder99]

I'm just guessing here, but it seems like it would be reasonably easy to keep an unfinished maple fretboard clean. 0000 steel wool cleans goop off of wood quickly and easily. Once a year would do the trick if you simply wash your hands before playing your instrument. I LOVE maple fretboards on electrics, even old and worn ones... the look has character. I have also wondered why they don't do it on acoustics. Charles observations are good, but I think the downside can be mostly overcome with a small bit of care.

[Hierophant]

I'm afraid this will not work very well. Maple get's gray very quickly when it is in contact with water. The sweat on our fingers is enough to make it look very ugly very soon. If you get the chance, take a piece of maple, sand it up to 400 grit, it will feel very smooth. Then put your pointer finger into some water, touch the wood, wipe away the water. The wood will feel rough again because the grain is swelling immediatly.