Rosewood Fretboards

[bostjan]

Am I the only person who is getting tired of RW FB's?

I saw Allen guitar sells their Pau Ferro boards cheaper than their RW ones a few months ago and thought, "Dang, who would choose RW over PF at these prices?"

My first real electric had a maple board. I've always loved maple. Ebony is really sweet, too, but more expensive.

Why are guitar manufacturers in love with RW? It's cool as a choice, but it seems to be the only thing available anymore.

Or am I just weird?

I know what I like best. Tell me your favorite with the poll.

I limited it a bit. There are about fifteen choices I know of. Not included are composite fretboards, that's for another topic. I didn't bother putting Wenge, Bubinga, Purpleheart, Yellowheart, Satine/Bloodwood, nor Palisander/Spanish Rosewood, but these might be popular, too.

[David]

I like maples. No, I love maple fretboards. If I could, every guitar I bought, would have a maple fretboard.

[Popsyche]

Big maple fan! Love the bright tone, hate the dirt!

[Mark. A]

I voted for maple, but ebony is extremely nice too.

[dpm]

I don't like the look of Pau Ferro.
Indian rosewood is much more readily available than most fretboard woods in large quantities. Consider also that most factories are in or near Asia, so it could well be extremely economical to buy and ship IR for them.
Apart from that, people are familiar with it, so it's easy to sell.

[bostjan]

Originally Posted by dpm

I don't like the look of Pau Ferro.
Indian rosewood is much more readily available than most fretboard woods in large quantities. Consider also that most factories are in or near Asia, so it could well be extremely economical to buy and ship IR for them.
Apart from that, people are familiar with it, so it's easy to sell.

It seems to be the case. It just seems that there were more choices in beginner guitars back when I started playing. But then, those guitars would be expensive by today's standards.

Pau Ferro is inexpensive and durable. It just happens to be a kind of icky brown/yellow, but it doesn't look so bad laquered up. But then IR is kind of an icky reddish brown color. I guess I'm just saying I wouldn't mind seeing a few more options on the mass market.

[jtm45]

I really don't like maple boards at all! I just can't see the appeal in any way(unless you're looking for that snappy maple-boarded Tele sound).

I've only ever owned one guitar with a maple board and that was an Ibanez Blazer which my parents bought me for Christmas when I was a kid.
It was a quality guitar and sounded pretty good too (very similar set-up/sound to a standard Strat) but as well as the fact that i personally don't like the look of a maple board it just didn't feel right having lacquer on my fretboard.
I find rosewood far more satisfying on the eye and i personally prefer the feel and sound of it.I also think that the tonal qualities of a rosewood board balance perfectly with a maple neck construction and prevent the guitar sounding overly twangy.
The only problem I have with rosewood is that these days a lot of manufacturers tend to use lower grade rosewood(very plain looking with a lot of open pores and stuff) but i'd still go with that rather than maple every time.
Visually i think a nice solid-black Ebony board looks the best but a lot of the time they seem to use it as an excuse to bump the guitars price up.In reality it doesn't cost much more than rosewood at source and if you want a nice quality piece of rosewood it'll cost more than the Ebony even.
I played a Blackmachine 7-string in a store in London a few years ago that had a Snakewood fretboard and that was truly beautiful.It had a very similar feel and tone as Ebony but it's shockingly expensive stuff unfortunately.

....! I just reminded myself how badly i want a Blackmachine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Mark. A]

How would I go about cleaning my maple fretboard?

[Firebeard]

Originally Posted by Mark. A

How would I go about cleaning my maple fretboard?

Extremely light Steel wool...possibly. I used some to knock down grit on a rosewood fretboard once. But you may wait for someone to call me nuts or agree with me.

[Dive-Baum]

I have 4 electric guitars. Well 3.5. I am building a 7 string with an ebony fretboard. I obviously haven't played it yet but I can already tell it will be my favorite. It is smooth as glass. I can honestly say I have never felt anything like it. My other guitars are a RG 440 with Rosewood which was my fav. Then a Gibson Explorer (OK) then an old Peavey Patriot with the fretboard made of the same material as the neck (I think maple) and it sux but it is an ultra cheap guitar. It was my first and I can't part with it. Ebony just seems like it will be worth the xtra bucks.

[Dive-Baum]

I have 4 electric guitars. Well 3.5. I am building a 7 string with an ebony fretboard. I obviously haven't played it yet but I can already tell it will be my favorite. It is smooth as glass. I can honestly say I have never felt anything like it. My other guitars are a RG 440 with Rosewood which was my fav. Then a Gibson Explorer (OK) then an old Peavey Patriot with the fretboard made of the same material as the neck (I think maple) and it sux but it is an ultra cheap guitar. It was my first and I can't part with it. Ebony just seems like it will be worth the xtra bucks.

[shadowgenesis]

honestly i was never really familiar with the affect of fretboard wood on tone. I just like ebony (w/ no inlays) cuz it's sexy. I think maple on a fretboard looks horrible unless its like a natural finish alder body or something like you see on some fenders. Even then i'm no huge fan.

Can you tell me what kind of sound each of the woods tends to create?

[Dive-Baum]

Well, the Peavey I have with the Maple FB has a very twangy sound but again it was a cheap guitar. I think it was $280 in '88. Which was ULTRA cheap back then. My Ibanez has an awesome tone to it. The Rosewood has a great feel to it. I did a science project in high school on sound waves generated from different woods in guitars and their coresponding resonance. The Peavey sucked and my RG had much more sustain. I never thought of the wood in the neck as a sound conductor but I can almost guarantee it has something to do with it. Everything changes the tone of your axe on down to the placement of your knobs and whether or not you use a pick guard. That being said, the changes are not verry notiable to the human ear. I would go with what you like the best. RW is used by so many high end manufacturers these days, it simply can not be bad. I went with ebony due to the great look. There is a visible grain in it and it is simply stunning to look at. Now that I have it in my hand and feel it, I don't think I can go back to RW. I may even change out the FB on my RG440. It just feels that good. It is also extremely dense (never a bad thing) as it comes from the core of the tree.
Hope this helps

[Drew]

I absolutely love maple boards - sure, a lot of it is the look (maple with a nice vintage-tinted clear = hot), but I also like the snappier attack it gives you. Then again, that's no surprise, I play bluesier stuff than a lot of you guys, through fairly dark amp settings.

[noodles]

^ Ebony gives a very similar attack, and that attack is also very useful for metal.

[eaeolian]

I like Ebony (Macassar and Gabbon/Black), Bazilian Rosewood (I two Zions with it), and raw maple. Yes, the maple gets dirty, but that's what's cool about it.

[rogue]

maple if your going for the whole classical feel like i duno, floyde, but ebony for everything else

[bostjan]

Ebony and Maple sound a lot alike to me, as well.

I don't see how maple is like a classical. ??? I have never ever seen a classical with a maple fretboard. Also, it really doesn't make sense, since classical players tend to go for as long lasting and raw wood as they can, so they use ebony (or rosewood). Maple without a finish discolors really fast.

Pau Ferro is the most under rated fretboard wood. Come on, guys! It's pretty cheap, very durable, and it gives a well-rounded tone. Not as dark as RW and not quite as bright as Ebony nor Maple. It's not too hard to machine, and it has a cool name. "Pow!" sounds like power and strength, while Ferro sounds like metal, like iron! Why no love for Pau Ferro? Just because it's not pretty?! Come on, was Dio pretty? .... no! But he is metal as ....ity ....! So show some love for Pau Ferro!

I'm a little drunk right now, sorry...

[Elysian]

pau ferro is a form of rosewood... i can't remember if its bolivian or cambodian rosewood, but its just another name for another kind of rosewood... i personally prefer the looks of gaboon ebony, but i heard it recently went up to about 90 dollars a board foot, its getting uber expensive!

[Metal Ken]

Originally Posted by Drew

I absolutely love maple boards - sure, a lot of it is the look (maple with a nice vintage-tinted clear = hot), but I also like the snappier attack it gives you. Then again, that's no surprise, I play bluesier stuff than a lot of you guys, through fairly dark amp settings.

I actually likd the maple on my old UV777GR a lot.. Had a cool sound. Plus it looked weird as hell against a nuclear green body.

[bostjan]

It's Bolivian and it's $5.50/sq ft

It's not a true Rosewood, yo! It's just a nickname. It's way more durable, than Indian RW, and it's cheaper. Indian Rosewood isn't bad, but I don't see why Pau Ferro is only an option with three or four manufacturers. (Fernandez, Villette, umm..??? Sawdusky I think, Rickenbacker at some point)

[Papa Shank]

I went for ziricote, obviously

[Ibanez_fanboy]

Originally Posted by Papa Shank

I went for ziricote, obviously

fool!

i like maple. which is why i want a PGM

[dpm]

Hmm, Bostjan should post drunk more often.
I have a candidate for worst fretboard wood - Dalbergia maritima or 'Bois de Rose'
It's an african rosewood that manages to clog sandpaper of any grit within 3 seconds, and is brittle too.

[Oogadee Boogadee]

I think dirty worn maple looks cool.