What's your favorite fretboard material?

I can get along with whatever, but my favorite guitars (usually) have rosewood boards.

 

I never cared for the feel of a finished Maple fingerboard, or neck for that matter, especially vintage nitro. I tried out a bunch of exotics years ago until the roasted Maple thing took off. When I started gigging regularly playing classic country, I wanted a Tele that sounded sounded right, and of course, looked right ... at least somewhat.

I still like the feel of Ebony on Wenge the best out of everything I've tried, but roasted Maple is pretty nice. I even gave Tru Oil a try on the last one, and while it took a little getting used to, I like it a lot.

 

I like a maple neck with a fairly thin, wipe on wipe off finish in the Wintertime, as rosewood has a way of getting parched and can chap your fingers if you don't play it and let it seriously dry out in forced air heating situations.

I like a very "open" pore rosewood neck for those late afternoon, August is the worst, direct sun situations when the dew point is crazy high. The unfinished wood provides places (pores) for oceans of sweat to go, and IMO sometimes you need all the help you can get. If you have a heavy poly finish on the fretboard, you can "hydroplane" right past where you're meaning to go.

 

I have a glossy maple, a satin maple two rosewoods, a torrified maple and one im not sure about but probably rosewood. As long as they feel good, and they all do, I really don't have a favorire

 

My favorite fretboard material is the ebony on my 1986 G&L ASAT. And my favorite body material is it's soft maple. There are a lot of favorites on this one. I could go on.

 

rank order: maple for electric, ebony acoustics and electric, rosewood acoustic

 

Felt.


Seriously, the maple on my '82 strat is like new. The rosewood on my '79 Yamaha is totally gouged.

 

1 - Ebony
2 - Rosewood if it's dark and the grain is tight. My first two guitars with Rosewood necks would catch my fingernails on bends. Maybe that has more to do with my nails or my amateur technique at the time, but the experience stuck with me. My $45 Chinese neck on my #1 is Rosewood and it's almost mirror-smooth and is seriously just a few brown shades above black. It may even be dyed; don't know, don't care, looks and plays awesome.
3 - Maple. I will admit there are a lot of nice Maple necks, and they look damn snazzy on a Telecaster, but they're not my first choice.

All other woods look too drab brown or have screwy grain. I'd rather take some cheaper gray-streaked Ebony and dye it all black. Richlite intrigues me as an Ebony alternative, but I'm not on the hunt for it.

Pearloid? Seriously? There are guitars made with Pearloid fretboards? What? I'm morbidly interested, like wanting to see the immediate aftermath of a trainwreck, I'm afraid I'd find beauty in it, but it still makes me queasy.
EDIT: I just Googled it, and yep, Goya made some electrics with Pearloid fretboards. Now I need some eyebleach...

 

Truth. I've had exactly one ebony neck guitar, and I wiped some furniture oil on it every few months or so (sorry, didn't know any better...), as I lived in a desert climate at the time.

If I ever acquire a Rosewood neck that was anything like my old Kramer, I'll be doing the same thing. Possibly even dying it darker as well.

 

Wood.

Ask us a hard one!

 

Cardboard. Because thats how much I care!

I'd actually have to look at my favorites to tell you what they are.

I think I probably have (or have played) more than one of each. Including a 70's Kramer aluminum neck/composite finger board which I liked... In its own way.

I guess I'd say each has its own characteristics and I havent found any strong reason to dislike any I have tried.

Bigger fish to fry.

 

I’ve a mix of rosewood, maple & ebony boards and I don’t feel or hear any particular difference.
Visually I tend to prefer maple.

 

Since my favorite guitar I've ever owned--a Zemaitis metal top singlecut--has a pao ferro board, I guess that's now my favorite!

For me, it usually depends on the combination of stuff. I like a rosewood board on a white / off white Tele ok.... but not on most other Teles. I like the looks of a black Strat with maple--DETEST that same guitar with a rosewood board. Gibson has to be rosewood or ebony.

 

Ebony
Rosewood
Maple

 

Playing wise I don't really mind, but when building a guitar it's maple all the way. Rosewood is a pain

 

Personally, always only had rosewood until I got a 97 Peavey Wolfgang Std with
unfinished Bird's Eye Maple Neck and gotta say this was just the best neck I ever played! Now just waiting for the postman to deliver my new AV52!

 

Never really found the fretboard material to predict tone much, ie you can get bright rosewood guitars and dull maple ones, if there is a differnce its too subtle for me. As for feel, again not really fussed, for me its more about the 'gestalt', the overall feel, sound and aesthetics, so obviously its maple pink paisley teles all the way. All hail James Burton

 

Don't really care goes by the guitar. I can tell when I pick up a guitar if am going to bond with it.
If I do a scale or 2. Run through chords and look for damage. I buy usually keep.

 

Maple would be first, but, I do like rosewood. Really either is fine.