Maple or Rosewood

[neknufelet]

Was always under the impression maple had more of a 'snap' when played, though never did a comparison.

 

[Rstewart8706]

Rosewood

 

[Skyhook]

Teles and Strats: Maple!
Other Fenders: I can mostly go either way but when in doubt; Maple!

 

[Pops_Caster]

I prefer maple for Teles. If I ever wear mine out, I’ll have accomplished something!

 

[Matthias]

I’m easy either way but some of my favourite necks are satin maple necks.

 

[3rdworlder]

Maple to me is a Fender STANDARD. Rosewood on the other hand is a Gibson standard.

 

[zsullivan38]

I honestly don't notice a difference when playing, so it's purely an aesthetic thing for me. I would like to think it depends entirely on the finish color, headstock paint or lack thereof, and pick guard, but I have three telecasters with maple boards and three offsets with rosewood... Maybe maple just feels right on a tele and I'm flexible with other guitars. I've actually been thinking about getting a rosewood board telecaster, but I can't think of many finishes that I would like with it unless I also paint the headstock.

I guess the bottom line is: I have both, I play both, they both look good on the guitars they're on, and I don't notice a difference between them once I'm playing.

 

[Mastertvede]

for distortion rock/heavy I like rosewood, for clean I like maple

 

[castertom]

QUOTE="sadfield, post: 13089847, member: 71529"]
My preference is less about the wood and more about the finish, the more glossy the finish, the less I like it. That was pretty much the reason I got rid of a CV50.
[/QUOTE]
For me that gloss finish is what reminds me most of a classic telecaster. But, I have all kinds of fretboards and like someone already stated, once playing I hardly notice. Except butterscotch telecasters. Those have to be maple.

 

[AquariumRock]

I can’t do a maple board. There is one exception— a Grabber bass in black looks nice with the maple. Everything else? No thank you.

It’s just not what I learned on. I don’t know what wood early 2000s Squiers used, but their rosewood or rosewood substitute was what I had.

If I had a maple guitar then maybe I’d like them more. Maybe if I was born in Stockholm I’d speak Swedish. But they all look awkward to me, even the “Classic” tele options.

It saves me a lot of grief because I won’t play a guitar without a headstock truss Rod adjustment. And HSTR and rosewood don’t go together on throwback guitars. Any of the revival series that have “60s” Teles with rosewood usually have truss Rod adjustments at the heel— no thank you.

I’ll ebony is really nice too and Indian laurel is ok— Id prefer it over pao ferro.

 

[brookdalebill]

Stamping/Stomping right foot loudly!!!
It’s rosewood guys, rose-wood!
Get in line!
Get it right!
Sit up straight!
Eyes forward!

 

[Alaska Mike]

I can’t do a maple board. There is one exception— a Grabber bass in black looks nice with the maple. Everything else? No thank you.

It’s just not what I learned on. I don’t know what wood early 2000s Squiers used, but their rosewood or rosewood substitute was what I had.

If I had a maple guitar then maybe I’d like them more. Maybe if I was born in Stockholm I’d speak Swedish. But they all look awkward to me, even the “Classic” tele options.

It saves me a lot of grief because I won’t play a guitar without a headstock truss Rod adjustment. And HSTR and rosewood don’t go together on throwback guitars. Any of the revival series that have “60s” Teles with rosewood usually have truss Rod adjustments at the heel— no thank you.

I’ll ebony is really nice too and Indian laurel is ok— Id prefer it over pao ferro.

All of my "'60s-era reproduction" necks (Vintera IIs and TL-62Bs mostly) have rosewood boards and heel truss rod adjustments- except for the Jason Isbell necks. Those are "'60s-era reproduction" necks with rosewood boards and a headstock truss rod adjustment. Love the practicality of that, as the humidity fluctuates a bit here. That said, my heel truss rod necks don't move much season to season- maybe a couple thousandths of an inch at the 8th fret. I set them up to account for the movement, so very close to the Fender "standard" for 7.25" radius necks (1.75mm-2mm on the bass side and 1.5mm-1.75mm on the treble) to avoid choking out on bends. All of the bodies that have heel truss rod necks have the cutaway and the neck pickup mounted to the body. Unscrew the pickguard, slide it under the strings, and use a Hosco truss rod wrench to tweak it 1/8 of a turn or so. Not really an onerous task, and very rarely required.

To me (in a very general sense), '50s Teles have maple fingerboards and '60s Teles have rosewood fingerboards. My preferred carve is a '60s C and my preferred fretboard material is rosewood, which seem to go hand-in-hand.

Despite owning a couple over the years, the ubiquitous BSB Telecaster look really never appealed to me, nor did the "baseball bat" carve. However, that is one Telecaster I think looks best with a maple fretboard.

 

[boris bubbanov]

I both play and work on guitars. Personally I would never own a maple fretboard and I've stopped refretting them.

When I'm looking at used guitars, yes I skip over almost every maple board guitar - unless it has stainless frets, or was never played much. Because it is so easy to spoil the finish on the board when refretting them.

 

[boris bubbanov]

Stamping/Stomping right foot loudly!!!
It’s rosewood guys, rose-wood!
Get in line!
Get it right!
Sit up straight!
Eyes forward!

Nothing like a rosewood (or other tropical wood board) guitar on a stupidly hot/humid Southern day or night. I found that sweat tended to accumulate on those poly finished maple boards and my fingers "hydroplaned" right off the board and into clam-land.

But.

Let's say it is the dead of winter, and there's a rosewood board guitar that's not been played in a good long while. Try and play that thing for an hour - and get your fingertips chapped or burnt. Maple is the solution for that. Unless you wanna fill and finish the rosewood?

 

[brookdalebill]

Nothing like a rosewood (or other tropical wood board) guitar on a stupidly hot/humid Southern day or night. I found that sweat tended to accumulate on those poly finished maple boards and my fingers "hydroplaned" right off the board and into clam-land.

But.

Let's say it is the dead of winter, and there's a rosewood board guitar that's not been played in a good long while. Try and play that thing for an hour - and get your fingertips chapped or burnt. Maple is the solution for that. Unless you wanna fill and finish the rosewood?

My post was obviously not (too) serious.
I don't really perceive the feel of the fingerboard.
My perception is colored by the attack of the notes.
I like what I call the dampening effect the (rosewood) fingerboard on that attack.
I don't perceive and appreciable effect on the amplified notes.
It's probably meaningless "gnat's wazoo" junk science, on my part.
All my Fender type guitars have rosewood 'boards.

 

[timbraun]

My teles are 3 maple, 3 rosewood. I love the JV rosewood necks. I used to love the 70s maple necks.

I can't tell a tone difference maple vs rosewood, but I feel the wood grain, and there are profile differences that leave me with happy impressions from my rosewood equipped teles. Making music on a guitar is a beautiful tactile experience.

I put a maple board on my partscaster cause that's what was easily available. It's a great neck anyway.

My vote is rosewood, or other available darker fretboard wood. Ebony if I can get it. Not a zealot, just have a preference.

 

[Alaska Mike]

Not a zealot, just have a preference.

Wow. You are on the wrooooonnnnnngggg forum. Zealotry is like a prerequisite here.

 

[Gary in Boston]

Hmmmm, how about Maple-wood?

 

[Johnny Dubs]

My vote is rosewood, or other available darker fretboard wood. Ebony if I can get it. Not a zealot, just have a preference.

Ebony.

 

[BelindasShadow]

What about half maple, half rosewood, haven't seen that before.