rosewood vs. maple fretboard

erikro · February 24th, 2008, 01:41 PM

Hi all,

This has probably been beat to death elsewhere. I am new to electric guitars. On my acoustics it has always been rosewwod or ebony. My question is, other than feel and appearance is there a difference?

Thanks,
Erik

rhinocaster · February 24th, 2008, 01:44 PM

Just search:

rosewood maple

All of your questions will be answered. Welcome!

jamiesmith · February 24th, 2008, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by erikro

Hi all,

This has probably been beat to death elsewhere. I am new to electric guitars. On my acoustics it has always been rosewwod or ebony. My question is, other than feel and appearance is there a difference?

Thanks,
Erik

I am very new to guitar, only been playing a couple of weeks. I prefer the maple, personally. To me it feels a little faster, easier to move around.

Tom S · February 24th, 2008, 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by erikro

This has probably been beat to death elsewhere.

Not in the last 24 hours, anyway. Hey, a day without the maple/rosewood debate is like a day without sunshine, isn't it?

Quote:

Originally Posted by jamiesmith

I prefer the maple, personally. To me it feels a little faster, easier to move around.

You've already found the difference as far as you're concerned.

Telemarkman · February 24th, 2008, 02:20 PM

For those who believe maple is best: If it wasn't for rosewood (or other darkwoods), the maple wouldn't be the BEST, it would be the ONLY one.

For those who believe rosewood is best: Vice versa...

odiemann · February 24th, 2008, 02:26 PM

"Here comes my 19th nervous breakdown!"

skydawg · February 24th, 2008, 02:43 PM

I'm feeling very old!

aznrambo481 · February 24th, 2008, 02:45 PM

to sum it up very quickly... for the most part, maple is finished and rosewood is not. Finished/non-finished is the big feel difference.

erikro · February 24th, 2008, 02:45 PM

OK I am sorry about starting all of this.

I did the search. Plenty of info.

Thanks,
Erik

telex · February 24th, 2008, 03:05 PM

How about a rosewood neck with a maple fingerboard? Nobody has ever done that!

igorBG · February 24th, 2008, 03:06 PM

If you think that you can stop this thread just like that then you're wrong. This is TPDRI, place where Tele freaks like to discuss about same things over and over again. This is what keeps us alive.
For example here is one fact about those two types of freatboards that no one even seemed to notice: maple color is yellow, rosewood is dark brown!

Telemarkman · February 24th, 2008, 04:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by igorBG

For example here is one fact about those two types of freatboards that no one even seemed to notice: maple color is yellow, rosewood is dark brown!

Actually, I HAD noticed, thank you

...

Ethical · February 24th, 2008, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by erikro

Hi all,

This has probably been beat to death elsewhere. I am new to electric guitars. On my acoustics it has always been rosewwod or ebony. My question is, other than feel and appearance is there a difference?

Thanks,
Erik

Personally, I find that rosewood is less tiring than maple YMMV

Ted

Colt W. Knight · February 24th, 2008, 04:46 PM

Rosewood fan here, I just dont like a lacquered fretboards or heavily finished necks for that matter.

tboy · February 24th, 2008, 05:11 PM

I have no idea why, but I like rosewood. Yea, "less tiring." I don't know exactly what that means, but I know exactly what that means. I have a 69 Maple cap Strat that never gets played and a mid 80's MIJ 60's RI that's up for a re-fret.

Doug Ferguson · February 24th, 2008, 05:58 PM

Got 'em both, like 'em both, though from now on I'll most likely go with maple simply for the harder feel and the look. But rosewood vs. maple? I dunno. It's a bit like Red Delicious vs. Golden Delicious -- from my POV, anyway.

Hucklebilly · February 24th, 2008, 06:02 PM

My experience has been that rosewood tastes great, but maple is less filling.

jclark · February 24th, 2008, 06:55 PM

IMO, rosewood smells beautiful because of the roses that grow on it, while the maple is delicious because of its association with pancakes. Or something like that.

Ethical · February 24th, 2008, 06:57 PM

Just noticed a strange coincidence/alien prank - all my G&Ls have maple fingerboards, all my fenders have rosewood - go figure :~)

Ted

Dave Hopping · February 24th, 2008, 08:47 PM

Okay,how about dyed maple with a bleached rosewood board?

Ira7 · February 24th, 2008, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hucklebilly

My experience has been that rosewood tastes great, but maple is less filling.

No.

Maple tastes great and ROSEWOOD is less filling.

Maple fan here, because just about every acoustic on earth has rosewood.

skydawg · February 24th, 2008, 10:10 PM

What about a 2 pc fretboard split down the middle where the rosewood was under the treble strings and the maple was under the bass strings.

morroben · February 24th, 2008, 10:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aznrambo481

to sum it up very quickly... for the most part, maple is finished and rosewood is not. Finished/non-finished is the big feel difference.

This is true. I happen to use maple that's finished with Briwax instead of the standard finishes, feels like raw wood. That's just how I roll.

AtomEve · February 25th, 2008, 12:38 AM

A really dumb question... no offense. Both are excellent!!!!!!!

Neither is better. Different tools for different jobs.

Bryan

byrdbrain · February 25th, 2008, 01:15 AM

It's easier to find a fat maple neck
than a fat rosewood one. To me,
thats the biggest difference.

Joe Chaney · February 25th, 2008, 04:38 AM

i thought i preferred rosewood, but actually, IMO maple is better because a rosewood fretboard is always GLUED onto a maple neck, and maple is 1 piece

Oskar · February 25th, 2008, 05:18 AM

My experience is that it makes absolutely no difference whatsoever. At least on these two guitars (see below). They are probably as identical as two guitars can get with the only difference being the rosewood vs maple neck. I guess I just don't buy the rosewood vs maple difference theory.

February 24th, 2008, 01:41 PM	#1 (permalink)
erikro TDPRI Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Maryland Age: 35 Posts: 29	rosewood vs. maple fretboard Hi all, This has probably been beat to death elsewhere. I am new to electric guitars. On my acoustics it has always been rosewwod or ebony. My question is, other than feel and appearance is there a difference? Thanks, Erik

February 24th, 2008, 01:44 PM	#2 (permalink)
rhinocaster Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Oregon Age: 44 Posts: 1,144	Just search: rosewood maple All of your questions will be answered. Welcome! __________________ Just because I "Don't" get it doesn't mean I "Won't" get it!

February 24th, 2008, 02:26 PM	#6 (permalink)
odiemann Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Denver Age: 41 Posts: 1,406	"Here comes my 19th nervous breakdown!" __________________ It just got better, I think

February 24th, 2008, 02:45 PM	#8 (permalink)
aznrambo481 Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: La Jolla, California Age: 17 Posts: 2,754 6 Photos	to sum it up very quickly... for the most part, maple is finished and rosewood is not. Finished/non-finished is the big feel difference. __________________ "Never age. Never die. Live forever in that one last white-hot moment, when the crowd screamed. When every note was a heartbeat. Burn across the sky."-Terry Pratchett, Soul Music.

February 24th, 2008, 05:58 PM	#16 (permalink)
Doug Ferguson Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Indianapolis, IN Age: 55 Posts: 1,176	Got 'em both, like 'em both, though from now on I'll most likely go with maple simply for the harder feel and the look. But rosewood vs. maple? I dunno. It's a bit like Red Delicious vs. Golden Delicious -- from my POV, anyway. __________________ If you get hung up on just guitar players, you've missed something.... Don't ever get to a point where you just gotta be a guitar player. You hear something, go try to get that note and sound as much like that as you can.-Buddy Guy

February 24th, 2008, 02:20 PM	#5 (permalink)
Telemarkman Friend of Leo's Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Norway Age: 61 Posts: 3,840	For those who believe maple is best: If it wasn't for rosewood (or other darkwoods), the maple wouldn't be the BEST, it would be the ONLY one. For those who believe rosewood is best: Vice versa...

February 24th, 2008, 02:43 PM	#7 (permalink)
skydawg Removed Tele-Afflicted Join Date: May 2006 Location: GREATER CHICAGOLAND AREA, USA Age: 55 Posts: 1,158	I'm feeling very old!

February 24th, 2008, 02:45 PM	#9 (permalink)
erikro TDPRI Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Maryland Age: 35 Posts: 29	OK I am sorry about starting all of this. I did the search. Plenty of info. Thanks, Erik

February 24th, 2008, 03:05 PM	#10 (permalink)
telex Tele-Meister Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: New Hampshire, USA Posts: 491	How about a rosewood neck with a maple fingerboard? Nobody has ever done that!

February 24th, 2008, 03:06 PM	#11 (permalink)
igorBG Tele-Meister Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Belgrade, Serbia Age: 30 Posts: 392 9 Photos	If you think that you can stop this thread just like that then you're wrong. This is TPDRI, place where Tele freaks like to discuss about same things over and over again. This is what keeps us alive. For example here is one fact about those two types of freatboards that no one even seemed to notice: maple color is yellow, rosewood is dark brown!

February 24th, 2008, 04:46 PM	#14 (permalink)
Colt W. Knight Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Wyoming Age: 24 Posts: 1,420	Rosewood fan here, I just dont like a lacquered fretboards or heavily finished necks for that matter.

February 24th, 2008, 05:11 PM	#15 (permalink)
tboy Tele-Holic Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Chicago Area Posts: 522 7 Photos	I have no idea why, but I like rosewood. Yea, "less tiring." I don't know exactly what that means, but I know exactly what that means. I have a 69 Maple cap Strat that never gets played and a mid 80's MIJ 60's RI that's up for a re-fret.

February 24th, 2008, 06:02 PM	#17 (permalink)
Hucklebilly Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 752 2 Photos	FWIW... My experience has been that rosewood tastes great, but maple is less filling.

February 24th, 2008, 06:55 PM	#18 (permalink)
jclark Tele-Meister Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: new jersey Age: 43 Posts: 198	IMO, rosewood smells beautiful because of the roses that grow on it, while the maple is delicious because of its association with pancakes. Or something like that.

February 24th, 2008, 06:57 PM	#19 (permalink)
Ethical Tele-Meister Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Norfolk, UK Age: 52 Posts: 230	Just noticed a strange coincidence/alien prank - all my G&Ls have maple fingerboards, all my fenders have rosewood - go figure :~) Ted

February 24th, 2008, 08:47 PM	#20 (permalink)
Dave Hopping Tele-Meister Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Aurora,Colorado Posts: 495	Okay,how about dyed maple with a bleached rosewood board?

February 24th, 2008, 10:10 PM	#22 (permalink)
skydawg Removed Tele-Afflicted Join Date: May 2006 Location: GREATER CHICAGOLAND AREA, USA Age: 55 Posts: 1,158	What about a 2 pc fretboard split down the middle where the rosewood was under the treble strings and the maple was under the bass strings.

February 25th, 2008, 12:38 AM	#24 (permalink)
AtomEve TDPRI Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Land of the Free, Home of the Brave! Posts: 34	A really dumb question... no offense. Both are excellent!!!!!!! Neither is better. Different tools for different jobs. Bryan

February 25th, 2008, 01:15 AM	#25 (permalink)
byrdbrain Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Sweden Age: 50 Posts: 1,188 4 Photos	It's easier to find a fat maple neck than a fat rosewood one. To me, thats the biggest difference. __________________ In vino securitas

February 25th, 2008, 04:38 AM	#26 (permalink)
Joe Chaney Tele-Meister Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: aude, France Age: 15 Posts: 414 1 Photos	i thought i preferred rosewood, but actually, IMO maple is better because a rosewood fretboard is always GLUED onto a maple neck, and maple is 1 piece __________________ If you're not careful, It'll stick to your cheeks, and You'll smell like a native, For a couple of weeks In France

February 25th, 2008, 05:18 AM	#27 (permalink)
Oskar Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Northampton, MA Posts: 3,061 1 Photos	My experience is that it makes absolutely no difference whatsoever. At least on these two guitars (see below). They are probably as identical as two guitars can get with the only difference being the rosewood vs maple neck. I guess I just don't buy the rosewood vs maple difference theory.