Rosewood Or Maple

Mahogany sounds sweet as..

In responce to the question got to say rosewood rather than Maple.. It just feels and looks nicer.. And its an added bonus if its warmer :)

But greybeard, even two identical guitars with the same brand and model of pickup and the same fretboard material won't sound the same.

Tighter wound, faster wound, a few more or less winds here or there, whose copper wire all make a difference.

I think the only way you could test this is to change neck material on the same guitar.

But greybeard, even two identical guitars with the same brand and model of pickup and the same fretboard material won't sound the same.

Tighter wound, faster wound, a few more or less winds here or there, whose copper wire all make a difference.

I think the only way you could test this is to change neck material on the same guitar.
The guitars were not plugged in, so that particular variable wasn't present.
However, I appreciate what you're saying, Nick. I also know what I heard - so whilst I remain skeptical that blanket statements can be made about the differences, it is, in my mind, not possible to simply discount the matter out of hand.

So what do you think would be a valid test?

How about play 10 random guitars and have a blindfolded listener tell which fretboard material?

It would be a very interesting experiment. The guitars would have to be identical in every respect, but the fretboard.

I would like take that test :D . I pride myself in being able to tell what kind of gear is being used on a guitar.

My preference is a mahogany neck with an ebony fingerboard though. I have a gibson LP gothic guitar thats this setup and I have been playing it for 6 years now. At least 10-20 (not ALOT but enough) hours a week, and I will swear that this fingerboard hasnt a single wear mark on it.

To me, as far as the 'feel' is concerned, rosewood can feel kinda grain and soft, or in some cases, a little too pourous. Maple is a harder wood and definitely feels solid and smooth when I am playing on it. Ebony is even harder, and feels like buttery glass under my fingers. IMO, I think the harder the fingerboard the better.

Sound gets a bit more blurry though. While I will say without a shadow of a doubt that an all maple neck most definitely has more bite to it overall in its tone, rose wood, because it DOES vary so much (there are alot of variances in rosewood), it would be hard to nail down a signature rosewood tone. As far as ebony is concerned, I think it gives a bit melower sound, with alot of clarity in the notes.

my 2 cents worth :D

And maple looks so shiny and beautiful :D