Tele fretboards - maple v rosewood

AlbertC

In a general kind of way, what's the supposed effect tone-wise? 
Maple slightly brighter than rosewood; vice versa?
And is it quite noticeable or more a cork-sniffer thing? 

carlos

Supposed is quite a lot; actual is none on electric guitars.

Maple slightly brighter than rosewood

That's what they say. Darker colour, darker tone, as dumb as that sounds. This conversation happens every month here and nobody ever changes their minds, even when we get to 20 pages of back and forth.

Greatape

crunchman

There are other variables as well.  Maple is often a one piece 50's style construction without a separate fingerboard, and a skunk strip in the back.  Rosewood will always be a separate board glued on.  I think the construction might make a difference, as well as the material.

There are some maple boards that are two piece necks with a separate fingerboard glued on.  If you could play several of those alongside several one piece necks, then you could probably come to a conclusion about whether the construction does make a difference.  If might not be easy though, as one piece necks are often on "50's" style guitars and may be bigger.  That will make them stiffer and potentially change the sound.

It's almost impossible to isolate one variable and see what effect it has on the sound.  Any effect will be small, and you will find differences between two guitars of the same construction.  The best thing is to go and play a bunch until you find one you like.

dazzajl

Maple just looks better with the Fender headstock, that’s the bigger deal to me. I suspect there is as much variation to be found in individual cuts of a species as there is between types. 

Lebarque

Go with what feels and looks better to you. Then use the tone control to taste.

Sync

Very different playability psychology between fretboard types.

Natural finished i.e. oiled deep grain rosewood feels like playing on natural wood. Smooth or lacquered rosewood / ebony feels different. Maple again feels different depending on whether satin or gloss.

Does it effect tone?.....orchestral string and quality acoustic guitars mostly use ebony or rosewood on the fingerboard/fretboard. Fretless definitely ebony for resilience. 

It's much like how a clean car is definately faster post car wash than prior.

Many many factors effecting and affecting tone over the fretboard material on electrics and even acoustics. Especially down to construction and truss rod being rear insert on a one piece neck or top insert with fretboard cap or rear insert plus fretboard cap etc. Then bolt on vs set neck, neck angle, scale length, body construction, tail piece etc etc. Then body / cap wood type, chambering, cut outs for pickups, body mounted pickup vs scratchplate, body profile etc etc. On top of that play style has biggest impact, plectrum vs coin vs finger vs good vs average player vs player who can even make elastic bands on a matchbox sound like a masterpiece. 

On a Tele, it's as close to a block of wood bolted to another block of wood as you can get. All things being equal bar the neck on a Tele, I prefer a maple one piece satin neck and through body strung. But I do think this as much psychology of playability than real tonal difference. Any variation just being between guitars that occurs as much from several maple neck models to each other which can occur anyway. 

TimmyO

For me it's purely about what I'm used to feel- (and also to a degree look-) wise . It just happens that the first few guitars I owned all has rosewood boards, and to this day an all maple neck feels off to me - and I also prefer the look of rosewood. I had owned a couple of maple boarded guitars and just wasn't keen on the feel - it has nothing to do with sound for me. 

IsambardKentucky

Some folk put the brightness of maple down to the type of finish, or the neck thickness or lack of. And as noted above - the construction, slab or round laminate fretboards all have some effect.
That being said.... your playing attack/picking position will have a greater impact on how bright or warm the guitar sounds. So i'd go with the one you prefer the feel and look of.

Whitecat

IME neck size seems to have a bigger effect on a guitar than what the fretboard is made of. My bigger-necked Teles have always sounded, well, bigger. But the differences are not earth-shattering and may be down to different things. 

The one place I really did notice a difference with sound though is when I had a PRS Starla with a solid rosewood neck. It was *much* darker sounding - and probably sustained a little less - than the three I’ve had with mahogany necks. 

I know that none of the above info is in any way scientific but use that info as you see fit. 

Sassafras

Tonewise it's more a corksniffer thing.
Feelwise it comes down to personal preference.
Can't say it makes much difference to me.

steer

Has anyone gone to a gig and come away saying - well that was good, but do you know it would have been better if the lead guitarist had a maple neck on his guitar instead of rosewood. ?

Whitecat

steer said:

Has anyone gone to a gig and come away saying - well that was good, but do you know it would have been better if the lead guitarist had a maple neck on his guitar instead of rosewood. ?

No, because I presume that the guitarist already - erm - fretted - over all those miniscule details themselves and made their choices to sound and perform as good as they possibly can.

Loobs

Don't hear any noticeable difference, prefer the feel of rosewood though. 

Onpar

Definitely a difference. I have swapped maple and rosewood board necks on teles and the neck was the single biggest factor in tone. A good size maple board neck on a tele just can't be beaten for tone.

But....... In a live situation you can't hear the difference in a band mix, plus no one gives a shit. 

JamesSGBrown

Feel. Maple feels harder and more forgiving. For me, it's maple on Tele's but I've never liked it on Strats, YMMV

Offset

Rosewood on both Teles and Strats.  I have both with both, but I prefer the feel of an unlacquered rosewood 'board.  Sound-wise - fairly irrelevant to me as all of them have different pickups, body woods, nuts, bridges etc etc etc.

Lestratcaster

My Tele is maple and its brighter sounding and more smooth to me. My Strat is a rosewood and I also like it. But they both sound different in their own ways and I like both guitars.

maw4neu

Both are great :-)

Zoolooter

I’ve found that rosewood with an alder body is softer in tone, although hard to describe. But, I’m about to find out what a rosewood/maple neck sounds like combined with a very light ash tele body.

BillDL

Rosewood and maple fingerboards make me play differently.  I don't know why, but I seem to "dig in" more and grab the neck more aggressively with my fretting hand on rosewood boards, whereas I have a lighter touch when playing on maple.  Who knows why this happens, but perhaps others experience this too and it affects their otherwise "scientific" or "measured" comparisons.