Fingerboard wood--tone difference?

[milehimagic]

I am looking to buy a new Breedlove guitar and have a question regarding what difference, if any, fingerboard wood makes. The guitars I am looking at both have torrefied Sitka tops and solid Mahogany backs and sides. With the exception of some cosmetic differences (color busting, tuner color etc.) the only "major" difference is that one has an Indian Laurel wood fingerboard and the other has an Ebony fingerboard. I have always had Ebony fingerboards and was wondering if this would have any significant impact on the overall tone of the guitar. I have had the opportunity to play the one with the Indian Laurel fingerboard and liked it, however can't find one with the Ebony to audition. Any insights would be greatly appreciated!

[DenverSteve]

No. You won't/can't tell a tonal difference between the two. Appearance will be the only difference. The fret-board doesn't impart tone to the guitar. If anything, Ebony may last longer but you'll likely not see any difference.

[Birchtop]

Not sure if Indian Laurel wood is on par with Rosewood or not, but in the electric world, you can tell some difference between Ebony and Rosewood fretboards. Ebony is hard and leans towards a bright sounding Maple fretboard. Rosewood fretboard on the other hand has a softer, warmer sound.

Granted, these tonal sounds are subtle, but nonetheless they are there.

[Llewlyn]

I also imagine that the differences would be minimal and likely to be not perceivable. Still, if the neck shape matters in transmitting the sound why wouldn't do the fretboard? I was looking up and there is a 10% difference in density between the ebony and rosewood.

Ll.

[Alan Carruth]

If fingerboard material makes a difference in tone on solid body guitars it's because the neck is by far the most flexible part, and the fingerboard is a big part of the neck on those. On an acoustic it's a much smaller part of the sound, and probably insignificant compared with details of the top construction.

[hermithollow]

Indian laurel wood has a similar density and hardness to Indian rosewood.
There are many other things that affect the sound of an acoustic guitar, so buy the one that you have played and liked rather than the one that is a pig in a poke.

[Wade Hampton]

First, the wise and arguably quite noble Al Carruth wrote:

Originally Posted by Alan Carruth

If fingerboard material makes a difference in tone on solid body guitars it's because the neck is by far the most flexible part, and the fingerboard is a big part of the neck on those. On an acoustic it's a much smaller part of the sound, and probably insignificant compared with details of the top construction.

Right. The neck and fingerboard on a solidbody electric affect the sound more than they will on an acoustic guitar, simply because they're a bigger part of the signal chain.

That's not to say that the neck has no impact on the sound of an acoustic, far from it. I've found that different neck woods (mahogany versus maple, for example) can make a startling difference in the sound of the acoustic guitars they're on. But fingerboard wood is more subtle, and if there is a tonal impact it's much more difficult to discern.

Then Hermit wrote:

Originally Posted by hermithollow

Indian laurel wood has a similar density and hardness to Indian rosewood.
There are many other things that affect the sound of an acoustic guitar, so buy the one that you have played and liked rather than the one that is a pig in a poke.

Agreed. I would think that any major difference between the two when used for fingerboards would be in playing feel rather than sound.


Wade Hampton Miller

[Sage Runner]

A true heavy old growth Dense Ebony FB vs Brazilian or Rosewood FB would make a subtle tonal difference. The typical Ebony harvested today and over last 45+ years is much lighter in weight/less dense and grey in color. Nearly all Martin guitars and other Mass produced guitar’s for years have Ebony F-boards that are Dyed Jet Black And have not near the weight and density of the old stuff! That being said-there probably wouldn’t be any noticeable difference using the lighter new growth Ebony of today vs RW. In fact there’s a lot more species of Rosewood in use today and some of those are probably heavier and denser that a lot of the Ebony used nowadays! Neck material/weight and stiffness does affect the tone of a guitar. Maple neck/5 ply necks etc. A good example would be any wartime Martin from 41’-43’ without a steel T-bar truss Rod—they have a distinct Tonal difference from a Prewar model.

[milehimagic]

Thanks for all of the insightful replies! I think I am going to spend a few dollars more and go with the ebony model. Thanks again...much appreciated.

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by milehimagic

Thanks for all of the insightful replies! I think I am going to spend a few dollars more and go with the ebony model. Thanks again...much appreciated.

Good luck! When it comes to acoustics I don't think you'll find a noticeable tonal difference with the fretboard wood. Electric guitars are different ... just compare a Strat with a rosewood vs a maple fretboard.

[Goodallboy]

I for one am hard pressed to tell you what you might hear from any part of the guitar.