Maple VS Rosewood

[Revy]

I'm not a great player! With that out of the way, the first electric guitar I purchased was a 2014 Fender American Standard Telecaster. I found a nice hold over with a maple board. Wanted that "twang thang". I have since bought a few more electrics and started dabbling with slide. Most online comparisons really don't show a lot of differences between a maple and rosewood fret board. I recently purchased another American Standard Telecaster with a rosewood board to compare them head to head. To me it's a little smoother sounding. Still has a good twang factor. Also have an American Standard Strat with a rosewood board to compare as well. To me, where a maple board falls short by a huge comparison is when you start using a slide. No comparison between the rosewood tele and maple tele when the slide comes out. Rosewood Tele wins by a huge margin. To me, the cream with a slide is still the Les Paul. Mahogany with a rosewood or ebony board is hard to beat with a slide. Anyone else found these comparisons similar?

[polarred21]

Being a very recent new tele owner with a maple neck, I have no advice to offer on the subject.

Just wanted to say, awesome guitars!

[David Eastwood]

In decades of playing, I’ve honestly never noticed any difference in sound or playability between fretboard materials. For me, the shape of the neck, and, to a lesser extent, the finish on it, are way more significant for feel.

I can’t disagree with what others may feel or hear, though - I don’t have your ears or fingers But, I do have to wonder why the effect might be so pronounced for you when you’re playing slide - and not even touching the fretboard?

[Revy]

Originally Posted by polarred21

Being a very recent new tele owner with a maple neck, I have no advice to offer on the subject.

Just wanted to say, awesome guitars!

Thank you very much!

[Revy]

Originally Posted by eatswodo

But, I do have to wonder why the effect might be so pronounced for you when you’re playing slide - and not even touching the fretboard?

The lack of sustain on a neck with a maple fret board with a slide is immediately apparent to me. Could just be the guitar, since I only have one guitar with a maple fret board but I have friends that agree. Go to a rosewood fret board on an Alder or Ash body it gets better. Go to a rosewood or ebony fret board on a mahogany guitar and there's no comparison to either of the other two.

[bsman]

Maple looks whiter, rosewood looks browner. While I have never had a tele with a RW board, I have had strats with both, and if there is any difference in tone or playability, it was so subtle as to be unquantifiable.

[muscmp]

great looking guitars. nice old danelectro amp too.

i've never noticed any difference in the boards. necks, yes.

play music!

[Dru Edwards]

I think I only have two maple fretboards, on my frankenstrat (warmoth neck) and my MIM Strat. They don't get played often and I've never tried to compare it to my rosewood fretboard guitars. Everything I've read over the years make me think that maple will give a snappier tone.

A couple of beautiful guitars!

[packmule]

I've had 4 Strats and 7 Teles over the years and of those every one of them has had a maple fretboard except for my recently purchased Nash T-63. I've always preferred maple on Fender/Fender style guitars and to my ears found it twangier sounding, with rosewood sounding a little softer - it was also down to the feel of playing a maple board, they somehow felt a little more responsive to me as compared to rosewood. In the past the rosewood fretboard on the T-63 would have been a deal breaker for me, but I'm really loving the guitar. My playing style and tastes have changed a little over the years too, so that might play a part.

[YeOldRocker]

Tonally, there's little if any difference in the tone of an electric guitar because of its fingerboard material. The feel is slightly different (but close to negligible), because maple is usually varnished, whereas a rosewood or ebony neck isn't. Visually, of course, they look very different, and that probably plays into the perception that there's a tonal difference; tone by association.

The truth is, many things factor into an electric's tone, most importantly the pickups and their configuration, while fretboard woods barely makes the list. FWIW, I aesthetically prefer rosewood fretboards, but when I'm actually playing a guitar with a maple fretboard, I'm really not paying much attention to its looks, and - if all other things are pretty equivalent - they sound exactly the same.

[Livingston]

Maybe some of you have seen this comparison on YouTube, but I thought I'd post it here, as it seems relevant to this discussion.

[GHS]

My teacher prefers rosewood boards because they are not as sticky as maple. Thats a lifetime of experience talking here. I did buy a Squier CV telecaster in the butterscotch color and while it does have a maple board and I like it, in the summer it is sticky. So to each their own but there appears to be some truth in his opinion.

[Bob Womack]

I don't hear a huge difference, but I hear a difference. Maple has a gnarly midrange push around 1-2k that rosewood doesn't have. I can hear it. I don't hear better sustain, I just hear a more dynamic attack on maple. Interestingly, what I want is less attack, so the sound I prefer is from a rosewood fingerboard.

My home base for bottleneck is a Les Paul, which has a rosewood fingerboard, mahogany neck, and a mahogany body with a maple cap.

Bob

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

I don't hear a huge difference, but I hear a difference. Maple has a gnarly midrange push around 1-2k that rosewood doesn't have. I can hear it. I don't hear better sustain, I just hear a more dynamic attack on maple. Interestingly, what I want is less attack, so the sound I prefer is from a rosewood fingerboard.

My home base for bottleneck is a Les Paul, which has a rosewood fingerboard, mahogany neck, and a mahogany body with a maple cap.

Bob

My preference for sure, as are Les Pauls. Drop the maple cap and the SG is another favorite.

[maxtheaxe]

The only thing I've noticed is a bit more 'bounce' (if that makes any sense) with a maple board (or ebony for that matter) and slickness. As already said, if there's a difference in tone, it's too subtle to make a difference to me. It's more about playing 'feel'.

BTW, pretty Teles! I think you need a white one now.