view of all of the characteristics of each fretboard wood. This has led to the over-exploitation of certain species of rosewood, which are now listed on Appendix II (link to PDF) of CITES. Fretboards can be separate pieces of wood that sit on top of the neck or they can be the same wood as the neck. Our best advise for that case would be to just pick the one that looks best to you and go with it. Its generally uncommon to see these used for fretboards on anything other than higher end guitars. It also has the added benefit of enhancing the color and figuring of the wood, with typical examples being a much darker, richer caramel hue. When all is said and done, the tonal contribution of the fretboard wood might be so small as to be imperceptible to you. As far as I am concerned, it is one of the LAST "quality" Jackson imports. Guitar Based was created with the intention of unifying and inspiring guitar players from all around the world and helping them find the right gear while learning more about guitars. Your subscription could not be saved. The way the strings respond under their fingers, the weight of the body, and even the shape of the neck can all affect how easy or difficult it is to play. All rights reserved. While ebony and maple are famed for their brighter, crisper tones, rosewood is known for its rich, warm tones with less high-end harshness. In terms of tone, a guitar with a one-piece maple neck might have a bright sound with a strong attack. But unfortunately, on average 10 trees would need to be felled before finding a single black tree! ), which many players prefer due to the naturally slick feel. ins.className = 'adsbygoogle ezasloaded'; We are a participant in several affiliate programs including but not limited to the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. We have an amazing free newsletter that we send to your inbox every other week. However, the darkening of the fretboard over time is often something that guitar players consider a rite of passage, indicating the time they have spent playing their guitar. Any guitar player will tell you that the feel of their instrument is important to them. For the string bending thing, you could bend forever before you even touched another string. Apart from maple and rosewood, the other common tonewood found in many guitars is ebony. Find out more in my in-depth scale length guide. Interesting Fact its called rosewood because the freshly cut wood carries an aroma similar to roses! 7 Best Guitar Speakers For All Styles Of Music, 2022 Edition, 5 Best 10 Inch Guitar Speakers, 2022 Edition, 7 Best Clean Amps That Take Pedals Well [2022 Review], 7 Best Combo Amps for Metal (2022 Review), 5 Best 8 Inch Guitar Speakers, 2022 Edition, Best Guitar Speaker Cabs For Modeling Amps [2022], 7 Best Guitars for Small Hands (2022) Electric, Acoustic & Classical, 7 Best Electric Guitar Starter Kits for Beginners in 2022, Best Guitar Speakers for Rock (2022 Review), 5 Best Electric Guitars For Small Hands (2022 Review). ). 7 Best Fuzz Pedals (2022) Hendrix in a box! These indicate the different frets and make it easy for us to identify which note we are playing. Heres a video by Andertons Music Co on YouTube in which they do a tone wood blindfold challenge with rosewood and maple fretboard: For the most part, they were able to guess the answer correctly, but if you watch the video entirely, youll see that sometimes one of them cant tell the difference between the maple or rosewood. As a result, youre unlikely to find Brazilian rosewood on anything but the most high-end guitars. However, this weight can also make your guitar harder to play, as you have to overcome the resistance of the dense wood. Rosewood Tonewood Characteristics Summary. Newbie Guide: Getting Started with Guitar, 25 Amazing Facts About Left Handed People. So the best fretboard wood choice will vary depending on the sound, aesthetic, or feel that you are looking for. Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Learning Guitar Lefty is Harder. Ebony is known for its clear, crisp attack which is often even brighter than maple. Does it matter? The neck felt great. As we will explore in the later sections, different kinds of tonewood give a guitar its tonality. But remember to care for your guitar. Yes but seems like I will pass on it. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, 20 Ways To Grow A Guitar Page On Instagram. Though I hardly ever play blues and stuff like that, I once had an old Gibson Marauder. If youre looking for a guitar that has more of a cutting sound, maple is a good option for you.if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'guitarbased_com-mobile-leaderboard-2','ezslot_17',122,'0','0'])};if(typeof __ez_fad_position != 'undefined'){__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-guitarbased_com-mobile-leaderboard-2-0')}; Maple fretboards also provide definition and clarity to the notes you play, whereas rosewood can sometimes muddle the sound. Although not very common, some guitars have a scalloped fretboard. if(ffid == 2){ What is the Difference Between Volume Pedals and Expression Pedals? Maple is also available in a wide variety of exotic looking grains and deep figuring patterns. To cut a long story short, back in 2017 heavy restrictions were placed on goods containing any form of rosewood. What is CITES? Overall, both of these woods make great choices for guitarists, and require at least the bare minimum amount of care and maintenance to ensure that they last for many years.if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'guitarbased_com-netboard-2','ezslot_21',147,'0','0'])};if(typeof __ez_fad_position != 'undefined'){__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-guitarbased_com-netboard-2-0')}; Rosewood fretboards provide a warm, rich sound that many guitarists find appealing. We don't spam and you can unsubscribe anytime. The fretboard of a guitar can vary in radius size and curvature depending on the shape and length of its neck. Tonally, maple isn't terribly off from ebony. The regulation of rosewood is a recent addition to CITES, due to the high demand for rosewood guitars. This makes it a popular choice for genres such as country and pop, even though you can use it for other genres as well. When it comes to tone, rosewood and maple are very different, rosewood is typically described as sounding warm or dark, while maple is usually said to sound bright or snappy.. A standard guitar has 22 or 24 frets. 7 Best Left Handed Electric Guitars (Beginner & Intermediate). Kemper Profiler Rack vs Head Everything you need to know, Neural DSP Quad Cortex Vs. Kemper Profiler, 5 Best Soundproof Curtains At All Budgets (2022). There are many different kinds of rosewood used for fretboards ranging from the premium Brazilian rosewood to African rosewood, found in Rickenbacker guitars. Want to Learn Slide Guitar? } Ebony, maple, and rosewood fretboards all exhibit unique tonal and visual characteristics, as well as a distinctive feel when playing. Here are four of the most common types youll find used for fingerboards. Both maple and rosewood have their own unique sound, so its important to choose the one that you think will fit your style of playing the best. Maple fretboards provide a lighter, brighter sound than rosewood, which is why theyre often used on guitars that are played for country and pop. CITES was drafted as a response to the increased global demand for wildlife products, such as ivory and fur. ins.id = slotId + '-asloaded'; For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Just my opinion, but I believe every guitar nerd should own this.The Ultimate Guitar Tone Handbook by Bobby Owsinksi. Rosewood fretboards are generally favored by players who are looking for a warm sound, or by those who wish to tame the harsh highs on a bright sounding guitar. ins.style.minWidth = container.attributes.ezaw.value + 'px'; Both maple and rosewood fretboards have their own unique benefits that can appeal to different types of guitarists. Jackson, Gretsch, ESP LTD, and even Gibson are some of the brands that use ebony fretboards on some of their models. Jackson DXMG with upgrades does it worth? Since they do not need a finishing, they feel very smooth to play and they are perfect for cutting out some of the excess high frequencies on higher registers. var lo = new MutationObserver(window.ezaslEvent); Can you get Schecter in Egypt? Rosewood vs Maple fretboards, which one of the two should you choose? Birds-eye maple is a type of figured maple which features distinctive patterns or swirls that look like little eyes. And what does it have to do with guitars? Other components such as the type of body and neck, pickups, fingerboards, etc collectively determine the cost of a particular guitar model. In this article well compare all of the qualities of these woods to find out which is the best fit for you! On the plus side, thanks to the finish you do not need to regularly condition maple fretboards. We can play different sounds by holding down different strings at different frets on the fretboard. The guitars tend to sound bright and precise. Rosewood has a very smooth, fine grain that feels nice to the touch, while maple has a coarser grain thats more visible.if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'guitarbased_com-large-mobile-banner-2','ezslot_11',116,'0','0'])};if(typeof __ez_fad_position != 'undefined'){__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-guitarbased_com-large-mobile-banner-2-0')}; The choice of finish is also important, as it can affect the look and feel of your guitar. Hi there! Find out more about this service by reading my guitar setup guide. It is the result of undulations in the growth rings of the tree. Since maple is a lighter-colored wood, fingerprints and smudges are more visible on its surface. She currently makes music under the moniker 'Plastic Parvati' and uses her platform to discuss issues such as politics, rights, and gender in India. In terms of aesthetics, ebony fretboards can range in color from a lighter brown with dark streaks, to deeply black, oftentimes with yellowish, brown or reddish streaks. 7 Best Overdrive Pedals (2022) For Every Budget! Some of the most common kinds of tonewood are rosewood, maple, and ebony. The guitar fretboard may not play as large a role as the body wood in defining your sound, but it certainly will have a perceptible effect on it. You have to be careful, though, with what type of lemon oil you use, Im not talking about lemon juice or encouraging you to just slice a lemon and use that to clean your fretboard.if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'guitarbased_com-leader-3','ezslot_13',118,'0','0'])};if(typeof __ez_fad_position != 'undefined'){__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-guitarbased_com-leader-3-0')}; This is a different type of product and the lemon concentration has to be close to nothing. Both of these types of maple are very hard and dense, which makes them durable and resistant to warping. Although many variations exist, ebony is generally the darkest fretboard wood you will find on most guitars, making it very popular on guitars designed for heavier music where everything must be black! These instruments will now require special certificates when travelling, or being shipped internationally, to prove that they are compliant with the regulations. They are lighter in color and often need satin or glossy finishing to protect the wood from humidity unless the wood is roasted. The end result is a wood that is much more resistant to humidity or temperature changes when compared to regular maple. This only takes a couple of minutes however, and it is recommended to do it once every 6 months or so. The anatomy of a guitar is very interesting. However, it is important to note that there are regulations in place to protect rosewood trees due to their widespread deforestation. var slotId = 'div-gpt-ad-guitarbased_com-box-3-0'; Maple, on the other hand, has a more unique and modern look, which some guitarists prefer.if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'guitarbased_com-leader-1','ezslot_6',114,'0','0'])};if(typeof __ez_fad_position != 'undefined'){__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-guitarbased_com-leader-1-0')}; Birdseye maple, in particular, is known for its unique and visually striking grain pattern, and then theres flame maple, which gets its name from its dramatic, rippled grain that looks like flames.