Maple or Rosewood

[arlum]

On Teles or Strats I like the look of Maple boards over any other type. I do also own Teles with both Pau Ferro and Rosewood boards but I think the true look / vibe comes out the most with a maple board.

 

[Telekaster]

MAPLE looks better!

 

[sunking101]

Dark oily Rosewood

View attachment 892571

Almost all bolt on necks are maple, some one piece quartersawn, some with veneer or slab fingerboards, if I had a choice regardless of body color it will be Rosewood. There's a large amount of darker than maple woods being slapped on necks now, some are downright creepy feeling.

How can a guitar neck feel creepy?

 

[Telenator]

I like maple until it's time for a refret. It often costs more to refret maple because of the finish.
I play my guitars enough that several of them have been re-fretted.

 

[Skydog1010]

How can a guitar neck feel creepy?

When it feels like maple, pitted maple, or scooped maple, or gloss polyurethane covered maple.

 

[Skydog1010]

How can a guitar neck feel creepy?

My avatar shows a guitar with Caribbean Rosewood, it is very creepy, has patches that are like porus soapstone, the rest of it feels just like maple.

Also cheap plastic block inlays feel pretty darn creepy too.

 

[Eisder]

Why choose?

 

[Eisder]

I tend to lean towards maple on teles and rosewood on strats. I used to think the reasons were tonal, and I’m definitely not joining any debate on tone on fretboards, but my first rosewood Tele (US Pro) is brighter sounding than my maple Highway One. So optics alone, I like both and think that the color of the guitar helps me decide. The Miami blue Strat looks great with the maple board, but a vintage burst looks better with rosewood to me.

 

[Gas4Teles]

Rosewood!

 

[jman72]

I like the LOOK of maple more, but I prefer to PLAY rosewood. I only have one maple fretboard (on a 50s reissue Strat). It was my first guitar and I love it- it looks exactly like a 50s Strat should look. I had a beautiful Tele for 10 years that was also the classic maple fretboard/blonde body combo.

Problem is, a maple fretboard has a finish on it (usually poly of some kind) that makes it "sticky" and harder to play for me. I don't mean that the finish is literally sticky, but the finish creates more friction that slows me down and just doesn't feel nice.

My rosewood boards, though, are just silky smooth and feel lightning fast. No friction at all, especially with a light coat of mineral oil.

 

[mimmo]

Yes.