Maple vs. rosewood fretboard? Opinions/info please!

http://forums.guitarnoise.com/viewtopic.php?t=20532&highlight=maple++rosewood

Some good information on the above link.

Welcome to the boards 8)

The number of responses from you all has been a great surprise to me, and I'm finding your comments quite interesting as well.

I guess the rosewood will be in this Friday and I'll make my big decision. If I hadn't posted here, I'm sure I'd already have made the decision to trade for rosewood! Of course I'll be playing it first either way, but I'm leaning toward rosewood instead of insisting upon it thanks to all of you!

My decision will be based primarily upon playability, but looks (including possible differences in the body finish) will definitely be a factor. I do believe there's probably a slight tonal difference, but this particular Strat has the S-1 switch which gives twice as many options as the classic American (which has enough, I think, anyway). Besides, I have a bunch of effects pedals and such that I can (but don't often) use. My hands and fingers are small, so I really need a good fit. If the rosewood doesn't feel like the MIA Classic, then I may even be trading down! That thing was amazingly fun and easy to play, but I fell for the Deluxe Ash looks (plus, the case is cooler, the pickups are great, locking tuners, abalone inlays, etc.). The alder is somewhat lighter, however, which is a plus for me.

Well, I thank you all again and feel free to keep it coming! It's nice to have a place where I can discuss stuff like this without people falling asleep or getting irritated (i.e., my hubby, who loves music but not like me!). I'll let ya know what I end up with of course. :wink:

You, by now, realize the question has no correct answer. Having said that, I have come up with the correct solution. You buy them both :-). If that isn't an option, then buy the one that feels, looks and sounds the best to you. I personally like ebony the best, then maple, then rosewood. If ask me why, it would probably be a long winded, unintelligible answer that made sense to me and no one else. Good luck, you are in a great position, no choice is going to be wrong...

When I was shopping for my MIM strat, I had my mind set on a maple fretboard. I've had somewhere around 8 guitars in my life and they've always had a rosewood fretboard, so I was going to get a maple one this time. Well, when I played it in the store, It felt weird and it looked strange. I can't explain it, but it didn't feel right. So I ended up with the rosewood again. I guess, I'll never get a maple one.

I own a guitar with a maple neck (Fender American Strat) and two with rosewood necks (Gibson LP Standard & a Fender Tele FMT). All are great guitars, in their own way. True, the maple feels somewhat different than a rosewood neck. But, in my case, not different enough to effect how I play. The real differences are in the wood used for the body and the pickups. All of them sound different. You just have to find the one that feels "right" to you.

I do agree that some lower cost guitars with maple necks can feel "sticky." But, that isn't a problem with mine. In fact, if anything, my Strat's neck feels "slick" and smooth.

Friday came and went...no guitar. Typical. It was all too easy. Now it'll supposedly be in this Tuesday.

I'm leaning 95% rosewood, 5% maple. Thanks again for all of your input, helpful links, etc. I'll keep ya posted. :(

Friday came and went...no guitar. Typical. It was all too easy. Now it'll supposedly be in this Tuesday.

I'm leaning 95% rosewood, 5% maple. Thanks again for all of your input, helpful links, etc. I'll keep ya posted. :(

Well, good, I'm glad to see you're going with the maple. :wink:

Friday came and went...no guitar. Typical. It was all too easy. Now it'll supposedly be in this Tuesday.

I'm leaning 95% rosewood, 5% maple. Thanks again for all of your input, helpful links, etc. I'll keep ya posted. :(

Well, good, I'm glad to see you're going with the maple. :wink:

Hahaha! Believe it or not, everyone's input did help me make a fairly firm decision! I think I'm just a rosewood kinda gal. Looks aside, I definitely find it easier and more comfortable to play, which is the main thing. And someone here (sorry...can't remember who) said they thought rosewood might be more forgiving. That kinda did it. I'll take all the help I can get as I'm nowhere near as good now as I intend to be. In the past I've gotten easily discouraged (not sounding like Jeff Beck, for example!) and there's no way that's gonna happen again! If rosewood makes me feel more confident, then rosewood it is. (My husband will kill me if I give up again after this guitar!)

Since you noticed the 5%, bish, I think that's just in case the rosewood doesn't come in by deadline or if they discontinue making them and they're all gone. :wink:

You're a lady ? Ids can be misleading !

Btw, a rosewood fretboard will always be a good choice.Can't vouch for the maple though.However, most solo guitarists like David Gilmour, Jimi Hendrix etc have been seen with Maple ones.

i choose rosewood or maple strictly for cosmetics. i have both, and they are lovely.

however, my favorite fretboard is a synthetic called Micarta on my Martin. better than the best slab of ebony

btw musica23, i noticed your sig...are you a U2 fan?

btw musica23, i noticed your sig...are you a U2 fan?

Yes, I am, but more than that, I just love my interpretation of the phrase: "Love and Peace or Else"...we're all just gonna disintegrate or something. (Old hippie here.) I honestly don't even know the lyrics to the song, though I definitely own the CD. And, btw, I'm a fan of so many different types of music and artists that it's impossible for me to name even my Top 25. But Jeff Beck has to be my favorite guitarist! :D

Good choice -- you could do a lot worse than Beck.

I didn't care for the feel of maple 'til I happened to find one I really liked -- but a Burns, not a Fender. The finish on that one is smooth, hard and not sticky -- feels more like ebony, which I generally favor over rosewood.

My wonderful husband took me to a different city to pick up my Strat w/ rosewood fretboard yesterday and I am in love! (With 2 people now...my hubby and my Strat, Travis...) He was mad that it wasn't in Friday, so took me there himself. (He probably didn't want to chance hearing about it all weekend, too!) The saga is finally over!

I just wanted to thank all who welcomed me and gave me their feedback and such. This seems to be a very nice place and I appreciate having somewhere to go with stuff like this, especially since I'm no good at any of the technical guitar stuff. But also I just like to talk about guitars and things unlike most of my family and friends.

I honestly can't say that the rosewood has more or less bite to my ears. Perhaps a bit less snap, I guess. It certainly has enough, though, and it feels like heaven to me. I'm amazed at you who can easily play either without having a distinct preference. You must be excellent players! I've got lots of work to do before I'll really feel Strat-worthy, but yesterday was a strong start. I couldn't put it down. It's the exact same one that I started out with only with a rosewood fretboard. Beautiful! Wild cherry sunburst finish, American Deluxe Ash. I've got a few other guitars and basses, but I never thought I'd get my hands on such a great Strat.

Thanks again to all for helping me out and for listening. I'm definitely a rosewood lover! :D

Congrats and I'm glad you are happy.

Now satisfy the rest of us with some pictures of you playing it!

I believe we have a thread where you can post pictures of your gear. If you need help with a hosting site, I recommend using http://www.Photobucket.com .

Enjoy the new toy. It should give you years of pleasure.

You should also get into the Online Jam sessions with us.

We finally got Margaret to join in and it was great.

See you there! :wink:

I prefer the look of maple, because the headstock is maple. I like the feel of Rosewood. Maybe if Fender did a version with Rosewood veneer for the headstock to match the rosewood neck with silver/chrome lettering to match chrome hardware, or gold lettering to match gold hardware. To me the only guitar that looks "right" with maple headstock and rosewood fretboard is a nice three-tone sunburst.