Rosewood vs Maple fretboard question-

[ddk1]

I've noticed that overall in most guitars I've played or tried at stores, maple fretboard seems to be a little smoother in terms of being able to glide my fingers up and down the neck with ease where as rosewood tends to have more drier/dehydrated feel. Seems that the rosewood might need more recurring treatment to keep it smooth.

Maybe a silly question but is this generally the case, and if so why?

Related note, how does ebony board fit into this ? Is it more similar to one or the other?

Thanks

 

[JustABluesGuy]

Maple fretboards are usually varnished while rosewood is unvarnished. Rosewood fretboards are becoming much less common.

Ebony is also normally left unvarnished and is harder than maple or rosewood.

 

[fender4life]

Maple gets stickier with humidity and can be hard to slide and bend. In low humidity maple becomes easy like u described. RW IMO is overall easier taking all weather considerations into the equation. Biggest difference is tone. Not sure why some don't hear it, but to my ear the 2 make for the #1 biggest tonal difference in fenders. Nite and day to my ear and i love both, tho RW would be my choice if i could only have one.

 

[loopfinding]

i find that finished boards (like maple but not necessarily maple) get gunky really fast, cause the oils just pile up on the surface, and it slows me down a little bit before i wipe it down. also have to wipe it down more frequently. whereas rosewood kind of just soaks the oils up like a sponge, and i don't really clean-clean it (unless you count running some fast fret on) until i can see the gunk.

i think there's also a traction thing happening, like gloss vs satin neck. i find rosewood drags less if my tips come into any contact with the fingerboard.

as far as dryness, the rosewood boards at big box stores are usually neglected and too dry. if you oil them a couple times a year it's not really a problem.

ebony is a different thing. it kind of feels like the hardness of a finished maple board in feedback, but satin/raw like rosewood to the touch because it's unfinished.

 

[boris bubbanov]

I've noticed that overall in most guitars I've played or tried at stores, maple fretboard seems to be a little smoother in terms of being able to glide my fingers up and down the neck with ease where as rosewood tends to have more drier/dehydrated feel. Seems that the rosewood might need more recurring treatment to keep it smooth.

Maybe a silly question but is this generally the case, and if so why?

Related note, how does ebony board fit into this ? Is it more similar to one or the other?

Thanks

Especially in Upstate New York (Minnesota, Wyoming), if a rosewood board is left out in a forced air heating situation (and especially if it is not played or looked after) it will get desiccated or parched like that. By comparison the maple is all sealed in.

The solution is to play the rosewood board or put it away - or send it down South to Louisiana.

I think folks kind of can tell, when a rosewood board needs nourishment. I've seen ebony boards that were neglected but looked/seemed fine, right to a point where the ebony develops a crack. Lots of guys here I think would play ebony, but may fear the dreaded board crack.

 

[Fuggle]

All I have to say, and I reiterate, is that rosewood is for heathens.

 

[McGoldTopp]

My fingers never touch the board when playing.

 

[GGardner]

All I have to say, and I reiterate, is that rosewood is for heathens.

Nice. Some day, after I've conceded defeat, when I'm utterly depressed w/ nothing to live for and walking around all day unshowered in my pj's mumbling incoherently to myself, I'll buy my first maple fretboard. But in the meantime, while I have an ounce of self-respect and appreciation for life's finer aesthetics, I'll stick with rosewood, ebony, and the occasional pau ferro (not pictured).

 

[BFcaster]

Finished maple boards can feel sticky. Poly to some people feels sticky, nitro to some people feels sticky. And either can feel too slippery!! It depends on the chemical make-up of the poly or nitro finish. I do know that the boards I've done in nitro (Watco brand) do not feel sticky, and as far as nitro-finished fretboards that is all I can testify to.

Rosewood can dry out. It is un-finished without a clear-coat (nor it should it be). That particular breed of wood has oils in it that give it a resistance to insects and drying out. Teak has oils, Mahogany does too...Maple not so much...maple is HARD. Granted, each species of wood does have oil in it, just as humans have oils in our skin, but tropical jungle wood specii have it in spades, whereas maple is a Northern wood and needs cold protection.
If rosewood dries out..uh-oh. Edony?....that's bad. This means these wood samples were in a VERY DRY environment...which means they will crack. Remember, they grew in a damp/wet rain forest....
All is not lost, however. They do have oils in them....but you have to add to those oils. Natural human skin oil will work (I myself am very much non-oily, so I am of no help here) but to work properly a semi-regular treatment for the board is in order.
I'm not gonna go into the arguments about lemon oil, mineral oil, etc...
but the rosewood at least if it appears to be dry needs a treatment.
If ebony appears too dry..then maybe it is and a crack is inevitable.
Maple is most likely finished in nitro or poly or tru-oil or roasted...and I wouldn't worry.

 

[Freeman Keller]

I've noticed that overall in most guitars I've played or tried at stores, maple fretboard seems to be a little smoother in terms of being able to glide my fingers up and down the neck with ease where as rosewood tends to have more drier/dehydrated feel. Seems that the rosewood might need more recurring treatment to keep it smooth.

Maybe a silly question but is this generally the case, and if so why?

Related note, how does ebony board fit into this ? Is it more similar to one or the other?

Thanks

Maple fretboards always have a clear finish on them that goes part way up the crown of the fret. Originally lacquer, now its often a poly something. The main purpose of the finish is to keep the f/b from getting really dirty.

Rosewood and ebony fretboards are not finished, your fingers are touching bare wood. Many players think they need to put some sort of oil on the board, I don't.

Once significant difference comes when its time to refret the board. Rosewood and ebony are relatively easy, pull the old frets, bang in some new ones, dress and play. With a maple board you usually damage the finish when you pull the old ones and have to touch it up. You also run the risk of damaging finish when you level and dress the frets, and there is the added task of scraping finish off the crowns of the frets.

One piece maple necks saves several fabrication steps and can result in a less expensive neck to build. With the increased problems importing various rosewoods and ebony you will be seeing other woods substituted

 

[kuch]

Rosewood, maple, ebony.... couldn't tell you what's on my Kamaka....
I have all 3 and they all function as they should. No preference for me. just keep them clean and oil the rosewood and ebony periodically and they're good to go

I would bet anyone to tell the difference blindfolded.

 

[lammie200]

Three different woods with different characteristics.

Maple: Closed grain so it is smooth to the touch. Not enough residual oils in the wood to keep it stable without sealing and finishing if you want go that far.

Rosewood: Open grain so there more tooth to the touch. The open pores will be voids in the surface. Enough residual oils to be stable without sealing and finishing. Surface appearance can vary but even if it appears dry it doesn’t matter from a physical standpoint.

Ebony: Similar to rosewood except that it is closed grain like maple.

 

[BFcaster]

Three different woods with different characteristics.

Maple: Closed grain so it is smooth to the touch. Not enough residual oils in the wood to keep it stable without sealing and finishing if you want go that far.

Rosewood: Open grain so there more tooth to the touch. The open pores will be voids in the surface. Enough residual oils to be stable without sealing and finishing. Surface appearance can vary but even if it appears dry it doesn’t matter from a physical standpoint.

Ebony: Similar to rosewood except that it is closed grain like maple.

Yes, Rosewood has oils, as does ebony. Maple too, but not enough. IF rosewood appears dry, it may not actually be dry....the oils are there but your finger oils (if you have oily skin) will actually be enough to add to the wood and do the job.
I can't naturally relic nickel hardware, and am hard-pressed to oil a rosewood fretboard...it's just my chemical skin acidity or lack there-of, or whatever.
I'm saying if a rosewood board appears dry (like...it's pretty white-ish) adding some oil isn't a bad idea. Ebony is a hard wood...if it appears dry and without moisture, that could be a real concern. Ebony, in my experience, never looks dry.

 

[WRHB]

All I have to say, and I reiterate, is that rosewood is for heathens.

Please get your facts straight. Rosewood AND maple are for heathens. I know what I’m talking about. I’m a heathen and I own both

 

[loopfinding]

I can't naturally relic nickel hardware, and am hard-pressed to oil a rosewood fretboard...it's just my chemical skin acidity or lack there-of, or whatever.

i trash nickel hardware in no time (year or two), but i have never worn through a nitro finish in 20 years on any guitar in regular use. people mention "acidic sweat" a lot but i wonder what’s going on specifically/what reacts with what.

 

[dlew919]

It’s all about what you prefer to feel.

 

[G.Rotten]

Feeling wise I prefer Ebony. Some guitars only look "Right" with Maple but I generally don't like the feeling of it.

However, with tall enough frets it really doesn't matter.

 

[Controller]

So nice to have another RW and maple fretboard thread, just like old times! Nothing new there for me but I have to say the Indian Laurel fretboard on my Squier Bullet Tele is really nice. I think I prefer it to RW but can't say why.

 

[El Tele Lobo]

So nice to have another RW and maple fretboard thread, just like old times! Nothing new there for me but I have to say the Indian Laurel fretboard on my Squier Bullet Tele is really nice. I think I prefer it to RW but can't say why.

You can't just tease us like that. Pictures, man!

 

[Tele-beeb]

I think it’s because rosewood is more better… <user opinion of course>