strattylestele
New member
i've been thinking about switching out the neck of my fender standard mexi fat strat with a maple neck but with either a rosewood fretboard or ebony fretboard. what's the diffrence in brightness?
what the diffrence between maple and ebony fretboard in a stratocaster?
- Thread starter strattylestele
- Start date
D
DLT
Guest
Re: what the diffrence between maple and ebony fretboard in a stratocaster?
You will notice a more poppy sound with an all maple neck. I prefer rosewood or ebony, but that is just me.
Also an all maple neck will eventually start to look more worn as the lacquer wears off.
I cannot tell a difference in sound between ebony and rosewood. Ebony does seem to be a better fretboard wood than rosewood in regards to moister from playing.
You will notice a more poppy sound with an all maple neck. I prefer rosewood or ebony, but that is just me.
Also an all maple neck will eventually start to look more worn as the lacquer wears off.
I cannot tell a difference in sound between ebony and rosewood. Ebony does seem to be a better fretboard wood than rosewood in regards to moister from playing.
Last edited:
the guy who invented fire
Fuzzy. Guitars
Re: what the diffrence between maple and ebony fretboard in a stratocaster?
There is a HUGE difference between ebony and rosewood...
An Ebony board wiull sound closer to a maple board than a rosewood board...more top end snap and zing to the notes than rosewood as a general but not quite as much as a maple board.
There is a HUGE difference between ebony and rosewood...
An Ebony board wiull sound closer to a maple board than a rosewood board...more top end snap and zing to the notes than rosewood as a general but not quite as much as a maple board.
Re: what the diffrence between maple and ebony fretboard in a stratocaster?
Ebony is a MUCH brigher toned wood than rosewood... brighter than maple, in fact. However it's a different kind of brightness. Maple tends to lend a more snappy/snarly sound to the notes while ebony seems to add a hi-fi detail that's really satisfying to my ears.
Rosewood is a warmer-toned wood that will soften the highs and give a wamer growl to the sound.
Personally I prefer ebony over maple for a bright fretboard wood. It requires no finish, feels great, and looks great. I prefer the tone over maple as well. I also like rosewood for it's unique tonalities.
Ebony is a MUCH brigher toned wood than rosewood... brighter than maple, in fact. However it's a different kind of brightness. Maple tends to lend a more snappy/snarly sound to the notes while ebony seems to add a hi-fi detail that's really satisfying to my ears.
Rosewood is a warmer-toned wood that will soften the highs and give a wamer growl to the sound.
Personally I prefer ebony over maple for a bright fretboard wood. It requires no finish, feels great, and looks great. I prefer the tone over maple as well. I also like rosewood for it's unique tonalities.
D
DLT
Guest
Re: what the diffrence between maple and ebony fretboard in a stratocaster?
The only guitar I have with an ebony fretboard is my Carvin DC-127. It sounds really bright, but I thought that was because of the pickups. Hmmmm....Blind Possum Chitlin is a learnin' somethun here!
The only guitar I have with an ebony fretboard is my Carvin DC-127. It sounds really bright, but I thought that was because of the pickups. Hmmmm....Blind Possum Chitlin is a learnin' somethun here!
hanumanlangur
New member
Re: what the diffrence between maple and ebony fretboard in a stratocaster?
Ebony looks really dark, while maple is really bright in color. Rosewood is lighter than ebody but much darker than maple, and has a reddish tint to it. Personally, I usually think that maple looks best on a Strat. But of course it depends on the color of the body, the pickguard, strap, etc.
Ebony looks really dark, while maple is really bright in color. Rosewood is lighter than ebody but much darker than maple, and has a reddish tint to it. Personally, I usually think that maple looks best on a Strat. But of course it depends on the color of the body, the pickguard, strap, etc.
D
DLT
Guest
Re: what the diffrence between maple and ebony fretboard in a stratocaster?
I saw the Eric Clapton Strat at Elderly Instruments today. It has a really super light colored maple neck on it. I actually liked it.
I saw the Eric Clapton Strat at Elderly Instruments today. It has a really super light colored maple neck on it. I actually liked it.
rdclmn7
New member
Re: what the diffrence between maple and ebony fretboard in a stratocaster?
Whether you have a maple, rosewood or ebony fingerboard, the neck itself is made of maple.
Maple fingerboards need to be coated, they look pretty bad without it.
Rosewood has natural oils
Ebony is tougher and has a tendency to dry out, making the frets stick out.
Soundwise, there's no way to know if it makes a difference, if the data is out there, we have yet to see it.
Whether you have a maple, rosewood or ebony fingerboard, the neck itself is made of maple.
Maple fingerboards need to be coated, they look pretty bad without it.
Rosewood has natural oils
Ebony is tougher and has a tendency to dry out, making the frets stick out.
Soundwise, there's no way to know if it makes a difference, if the data is out there, we have yet to see it.
sosomething
Seymour Duncan Customer Support
Re: what the diffrence between maple and ebony fretboard in a stratocaster?
They all come from different species of trees.
They all come from different species of trees.
Re: what the diffrence between maple and ebony fretboard in a stratocaster?
are you saying that you dont think different fingerboard woods sound different?
are you saying that you dont think different fingerboard woods sound different?
L
Lewguitar
Guest
Re: what the diffrence between maple and ebony fretboard in a stratocaster?
I don't hear a huge difference between rosewood, ebony or maple fingerboards but there is a diff in tone for sure.
I hear ebony as imparting the purest and most refined tone. An elegant and classy tone with a more pure and even tone than maple or rosewood.
Rosewood, especially Brazilian Rosewood, has more mids than maple to me which seems to create a tone that seems to be slightly fuller and slightly less bright than maple. Whether it actually is less bright or whether having a bit more mids changes the tonal balance so that the tone appears to be less bright, I dunno!
It's all relative: Boost the bass and treble and the tone appears to be scooped. Boost the mids and the the tone appears to be fuller and to have less treble.
Brazilian Rosewood definitely sounds more harmonically complex than the other rosewoods, rosewood substitutes maple or ebony.
Of the three I like ebony the least - it sounds to good! Better for classical instruments and jazz instruments.
And, as always, what I just wrote could be total BS....
Lew
I don't hear a huge difference between rosewood, ebony or maple fingerboards but there is a diff in tone for sure.
I hear ebony as imparting the purest and most refined tone. An elegant and classy tone with a more pure and even tone than maple or rosewood.
Rosewood, especially Brazilian Rosewood, has more mids than maple to me which seems to create a tone that seems to be slightly fuller and slightly less bright than maple. Whether it actually is less bright or whether having a bit more mids changes the tonal balance so that the tone appears to be less bright, I dunno!
It's all relative: Boost the bass and treble and the tone appears to be scooped. Boost the mids and the the tone appears to be fuller and to have less treble.
Brazilian Rosewood definitely sounds more harmonically complex than the other rosewoods, rosewood substitutes maple or ebony.
Of the three I like ebony the least - it sounds to good! Better for classical instruments and jazz instruments.
And, as always, what I just wrote could be total BS....
Lew
Bludave
New member
Re: what the diffrence between maple and ebony fretboard in a stratocaster?
Agreed! I like them all & out of all the fingerboard woods I tend to lean towards rosewood with my humbucking guitars, and Strats, but I really like maple on a Tele. That said my favorite Strat is a Clapton Strat that I bought in 88 or 89. Then again I just bought a 359 a few months agao & I haven't put it down since I got it. That's Ebony!
Agreed! I like them all & out of all the fingerboard woods I tend to lean towards rosewood with my humbucking guitars, and Strats, but I really like maple on a Tele. That said my favorite Strat is a Clapton Strat that I bought in 88 or 89. Then again I just bought a 359 a few months agao & I haven't put it down since I got it. That's Ebony!
