Re: Favorite Fretboard
My choice totally depends on the mood of the day. Each kind of wood strikes a different string in my soul, inspires me in a different way. To me, maple seems playful, energetic and flashy. What you may find surprising, is that I don't find maple "brighter" than rosewood in the tone department. I'd much rather describe it as being dry and jangly. Good ole maple's got that fast decaying, spanky high-mid-focused attack turning into a rather compact sustain. In my experience, a lacquer finish might add some sparkling sweetness to the tone whereas oil finish lends more of a raw growl. When done right, both are awesome for different reasons and purposes.
There's that one-piece maple neck I like to use for those Van Halen type sounds. It barks like no other.
Rosewoods come in many colors and flavors; indian seems composed and well mannered, as if it knew how to behave well in any situation. Brazilian is so scarce that I might never actually get to know it in person but there's this piece I believe to be cocobolo which I cherish for particular warmth, richness and sophistication. Compared to indian, it looks oilier, smoother, denser and less porous; it seems to exaggerate everything about the rosewood tone: the punchy, low mid focused attack, the smooth rich sustain, and the airy top end. The rosewood boarded guitar can deliver almost every single one of my musical ideas convincingly, but I think it has a bit of an affection for those flamenco inspired licks with extended chords and phrygian dominant runs. It purrs like no other.
Ebony has the personality of a poker-faced mafioso - elegant, reserved in appearance nonetheless an armed sharpshooter without remorse. It looks breathtaking when bound, decorated with pearl inlays and polished to a shine, or intimidating when blank, solid black and matte. It seems to be accentuating things on both sides of the spectrum, low and high. It delivers a strong, precise attack as well as a long, wailing sustain. Not for the faint of heart, but if you like tightness, snap, zing, crunch, presence and violin-like treble, chances are this ninja-wood will float your boat. These qualities are great when you want to cut through and make a statement, whether you play really fast or really slow or both. My ebony boarded guitar won't gently weep cause she ran out of her bitter tears long ago; she's got the dry cry of desperate lament covered though. There's something about it that can make hairs stand up on the back of my neck. Whenever I plug it in, sooner or later I strike the open D5 power chord and grin ear to ear upon hearing that krrrang! Personally, I find ebony to be a vital ingredient to the Jackson sound. It cuts like no other.
I honestly love them all, as long as they constitute a well executed instrument, so no vote! Apart from that, there are numerous exotic woods beyond the maple-rosewood-ebony trinity, that can certainly be a substrate for a great fretboard.
