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View Poll Results: Maple Vs. Rosewood Necks On Strats
I think maple necks play better than rosewood 28 28.00%
I think rosewood necks play better than maple 20 20.00%
I don't think there's any difference, or the difference is insignificant 52 52.00%
Voters: 100. You may not vote on this poll

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  #1  
Old 10-05-2016, 10:20 PM
Jerry D Jerry D is offline
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Default Maple Vs. Rosewood Fretboards On Strats (Playability)

I have my own opinion on this, but I may be biased since I have a Tele with a maple fretboard. I'm interested in YOUR opinion.

(Note: let's leave aesthetics out of the poll/discussion).
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Old 10-06-2016, 03:40 AM
Steel and wood Steel and wood is offline
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No difference in playability is my experience. (My Stratocaster and Telecaster both have maple fingerboards but I could play them just as easily if they had rosewood). When I started out, I owned a Squire which had a rosewood board and migrating over in the end to my Stratocaster with a maple board felt seamless.
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Old 10-06-2016, 04:07 AM
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Mbroady Mbroady is offline
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If all things being equal (set up to preference) I don't think there is a difference in playability. I do however think there is a difference in sound. I prefer the mellower sound of rosewood over the bite or maple.
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Old 10-06-2016, 05:00 AM
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Bob Womack Bob Womack is offline
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These days I don't feel a difference though I hear a difference. There was a time in my life when my skin chemistry was such that I stuck to finished maple boards. Of course, the finishes have changed, but have too.

Bob
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Old 10-06-2016, 08:40 AM
zabdart zabdart is offline
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The thing about Fenders with maple fretboards is pretty much a matter of when your particular guitar was made. Up until 1959, when rosewood fretboards first appeared on Fender guitars, Fenders came with one-piece maple necks (truss rod installed from the back) and were coated with lacquer on both sides. Some people thought that created a slightly slippery feel until wear spots developed. Around 1968, after CBS had acquired Fender, they brought back the one-piece maple neck (all Fender guitars had rosewood fretboards from 1959 to 1968) but now they were finished with a polyethylene finish and felt more slippery to a lot of customers. This finish was applied to maple necks for most of the next 6 or 7 years. Then the one-piece maple necks more or less went away (except as a custom option) and two-piece maple necks appeared (maple neck with a maple fretboard, truss rod adjustment above the nut rather than at the end of the neck). These necks were finished with a "satin" urethane finish and felt much the same as rosewood fretboards.
What effects "playability" has more to do with the fretboard radius than anything else. That changed from a 7.25 inch standard prior to 1985 to a 9.5 inch standard after that date.
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Old 10-06-2016, 09:19 PM
Steel and wood Steel and wood is offline
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Difference in playability for some being whether the neck has a satin or lacquer finish also. (I've got one of each and it doesn't really affect the way I play).
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Old 10-06-2016, 10:11 PM
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mostly looks, but, i just happen to have maple on both my strat and my tele. i would like a rosewood strat just for the different look. sound? not much if any difference.

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Old 10-07-2016, 05:15 AM
clintj clintj is offline
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I've got a MIM Strat with a gloss maple fretboard, and I always thought it felt slightly sticky under my fingers until it had been played for a couple of years. Now I don't notice a difference. My MIA Tele w/ maple felt smooth from day one, though.

I guess that's just a long way of saying "it depends"

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Old 10-07-2016, 07:52 AM
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If your frets are really low then you might 'feel' the fretboard and in that case I suppose it could make a difference. But otherwise not.
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Old 10-08-2016, 07:56 AM
mechanic1908 mechanic1908 is offline
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Ime it depends on the temp/humidity. I have a maple board strat and if its hot and damp the neck gets " sticky" I don't have that with any of my RW guitar's hth

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Old 10-08-2016, 09:07 AM
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I agree that playability is more about the frets and radius. I don't push down hard enough to feel the fretboard, either way. I like the sound of maple on a Strat or Tele.
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Old 10-08-2016, 02:19 PM
DanR DanR is offline
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I find that glossy finished maple fingerboards can feel sticky at times. That causes me to just feel a little uncomfortable playing maple board guitars. Most of the time, it's probably only an issue in my mind, but I don't need anything physically or mentally hindering me. I need all of the help I can get.

Ultimately, if I had to play a maple board guitar, it wouldn't be that big of an issue. But if I'm looking to purchase a guitar, I'm buying rosewood.
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Old 10-10-2016, 10:59 AM
s2y s2y is offline
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My last maple necked guitar has stainless steel frets and Elixirs. There's a heck of a lot less resistance than nickel frets and/or uncoated strings. I had to get used to the easier bending.
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Old 10-10-2016, 03:54 PM
Eric_M Eric_M is offline
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If anything, I'd say I prefer the feel of an unfinished fretboard, which between the two usually means rosewood, but really don't think it makes much of a difference.
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Old 10-10-2016, 04:34 PM
Steve DeRosa Steve DeRosa is offline
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Owned both, prefer the rosewood "feel"...
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