Indian vs Brazilian vs Malagsy Rosewood

[Doughboy]

I'm about to order a maple neck w/ rosewood fingerboard for an Ash strat & was wondering what opinions people have regarding the 3 different types of rosewood that Warmoth carries?

 

[whyachi]

I'm about to order a maple neck w/ rosewood fingerboard for an Ash strat & was wondering what opinions people have regarding the 3 different types of rosewood that Warmoth carries?

Fretboards don't affect tone that much, in my personal opinion. Indian Rosewood is what you see on most off-the-shelf guitars and basses. Brazilian Rosewood is generally considered to be the premium in the Rosewood family, but its expensive, and I have issues putting bits of an endangered wood on my instruments.

Can't help you on the third one, but you skipped Palisander and Mexican Rosewood (Bocote) completely.

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

Actually, the fingerboard carries one of the most significant influences over the tonal signature of the instrument.

While some may argue that you cannot tell a difference between Indian/Malagasy/Brazillian Rosewood, you can definitely tell a difference between Maple / Rosewood / & Ebony.

 

[Doughboy]

Actually, the fingerboard carries one of the most significant influences over the tonal signature of the instrument.

While some may argue that you cannot tell a difference between Indian/Malagasy/Brazillian Rosewood, you can definitely tell a difference between Maple / Rosewood / & Ebony.

Tony, what % do you think the neck, body & fingerboard, seperately, add up to the overall sound of the guitar?

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

Although much of it can be subjective considering the electronics selected

a loose ballpark figure could be:

50 % Fingerboard
25% neck
25 % body, but again, this is very subjective and every single piece of wood can react slightly different, adding a few percent to either side of the scale in varying degrees.

For best understanding on this, refer to Warmoth's tone chart on the neck and body pages for some more references.

 

[Doughboy]

Although much of it can be subjective considering the electronics selected

a loose ballpark figure could be:

50 % Fingerboard
25% neck
25 % body, but again, this is very subjective and every single piece of wood can react slightly different, adding a few percent to either side of the scale in varying degrees.

For best understanding on this, refer to Warmoth's tone chart on the neck and body pages for some more references.

Tony, how is it that a fingerboard, such a small piece ofd wood, can be responsible for 50% of a guitar's tone?

I asked this question of John Suhr a couple of years ago & he said approx.  50% body, 30% neck, 20% fingerboard.

 

[line6man]

Although much of it can be subjective considering the electronics selected

a loose ballpark figure could be:

50 % Fingerboard
25% neck
25 % body, but again, this is very subjective and every single piece of wood can react slightly different, adding a few percent to either side of the scale in varying degrees.

For best understanding on this, refer to Warmoth's tone chart on the neck and body pages for some more references.

Tony, how is it that a fingerboard, such a small piece ofd wood, can be responsible for 50% of a guitar's tone?

I asked this question of John Suhr a couple of years ago & he said approx.  50% body, 30% neck, 20% fingerboard.

Yeah, I really don't believe those figures, Tony.
Most people seem to think that you should pick your fingerboard wood for looks because there is very little tonal difference.

I would imagine that the neck as a whole (neck wood, fingerboard wood, truss rod construction, thickness,  etc...) would have a much greater influence on tone than any one part of the neck alone.

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

As I said before, it's all subjective.

 

[bassfrancesco]

I chose an indian rosewood over ebony as fretboard wood because ebony is too bright and snappy sounding.  Even though the wenge neck wood begged for ebony's looks.  Rosewood was the way to go for me, and I compromised that nice black ebony and sweet smooth feel.  Not looking back.  I think it's really a matter of tone first, then looks, then feel.     

 

[whyachi]

I think it's really a matter of tone first, then looks, then feel.

You may have got those last two bass-akwards.

 

[line6man]

I think it's really a matter of tone first, then looks, then feel.

You may have got those last two bass-akwards.

Yep.

Since we are getting subjective here, looks don't mean a goddamn thing thing if a neck doesn't feel good.

Tone-Playability-Looks-Price.

 

[whyachi]

I think it's really a matter of tone first, then looks, then feel.

You may have got those last two bass-akwards.

Yep.

Since we are getting subjective here, looks don't mean a goddamn thing thing if a neck doesn't feel good.

Tone-Playability-Looks-Price.

Its why I never played my Warwick. It looked and sounded great, but I could never get used to the U neck profile.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

One of the forum revered elders whose identity escapes me had a good reply in another thread.  The fretboard wood can be more pronounced depending on the neck it's glued to.  On a Maple neck, Maple is so darn stiff, the fretboard matters little.  A Maple, Rosewood, or Ebony fretboard on a Maple neck sound more alike than different than when Rosewood or Ebony fretboard is glued to a Mahogany neck.  Percentages though, I couldn't begin to guess.  My motto is always, "You still have to play it."  I will never blame (or thank) body or neck woods for my tone, or lack thereof.  I'll blame my ears and fingers.....and amps and pickups.

 

[Assumer]

Have a friend with two G&L strats.  Both the same except one with rosewood board, one with maple.  Maple guitar is brighter. 

 

[Jet-Jaguar]

The thing about the fretboard is, it's the part that comes into contact with the strings (technically, the frets first, but ... yeah.) So while I admit my noobness in many things guitar-related, it seems as though the fretboard would have a bigger impact. 

 

[tubby.twins]

...it seems as though the fretboard would have a bigger impact.  

For a fretless bass, that's doubly true.  In my own experiments I've found that the fingerboard plays a huge role in determining the attack as well as the treble "zing" factor.  Hard woods like Ebony and Bloodwood seem to give the most treble response, while medium-hard woods like Bubinga and Purpleheart give a warmer tone with less highs.  Usually, the Janka hardness scale will determine the amount of "zing" you'll get from a fingerboard.

However, the body wood plays a significant role as well.  I've found that the body wood seems to affect resonance and decay.  I tried the same neck (all Purpleheart) on two different bass bodies, and the difference was dramatic.  With a Mahogany body, the notes rang out a lot more richly, and the acoustic (unplugged) tone resembled an upright acoustic bass.  However, with a Purpleheart body of approximately twice the mass, there was less resonance and warmth but the tone seemed to be stiffer and more responsive.

I currently have the same Purpleheart body paired with a Wenge neck with a Ziricote fingerboard, and it seems to have a lot of the same stiffness of response, but the Ziricote brings a bit more "zing" and clarity to the tone.  It's a subtle difference.  I've found that I prefer the resonance when pairing stiffer-wood necks with softer-wood bodies.

If I were to give my opinions of the numbers for a fretless bass, I'd say 60% fingerboard, 30% body, 10% neck.  For me the neck wood doesn't seem to have nearly as much tonal impact as the other two.

 

[SlingBass]

This is a good thread, and there have been some good posts - obviously a subjective topic, so one would expect the differing thoughts.  One opinion seems to be universally shared - the unquestionable importance to one's sound imparted by the fingerboard.  I've had Warmoth necks with fingerboards of bloodwood (2), ebony, bubinga, rosewood, and there will (soon) be more.  Carry on - I'm enjoying this  :toothy12:

 

[tfarny]

Well, if the fretboard is in contact with the vibrating string, something is definitely wrong - the fret contacts the string, the fretboard, along with your finger, is just part of the 'string sandwich'. If you have 6150 or bigger frets and your strings are always touching the fretboard when you play, you have a heavy hand and your intonation is probably terrible. The neck wood itself is what is holding the strings in tension with help from the truss rod (which contributes what, 0%? cmon) Does the fretboard wood matter on a scalloped board? Alternatively, if the fretboard matters a lot, then so does your finger - is it better to have fat fingers or skinny bony fingers? What percentage of tone does finger fat contribute? I want ANSWERS people!!

Grrrrrrrl.....

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

I don't know, but it seems nothing should ever touch the fretboard except your fingers.  Most fretless necks [should] have a heavy epoxy covering the fretboard, so logically the epoxy should play into the tone too.  On a fretted neck, the strings touch the frets and a little bit of glue before getting to the fretboard.  Is there a "tone glue"?  On those Maple fretboards with wear, that's your fingers, not the strings wearing down the finish (as on the back of the neck).  It's most noticeable on the smaller strings, not because of they get more play than the bass strings, but because the string digs into your skin so more of your finger is touching the board, like baking twine on a pork loin.

FWIW, Fender is responsible for mass producing the Maple fretboard and it wasn't for tone, but for looks and cost.  Most of the Maple fretboards out there are on hot-rodded, Fender inspired designs.

 

[SlingBass]

OK, now we're geting some colors on the palette!  Soooooooo, how do strings and frets play into this picture?  Let's not overcomplicate with pups, hardware, and such - just the specifics of the actual necks (this might get real good)  :icon_biggrin: