Maple or Rosewood Fingerboard?

HansiR

Hi Guys... I'm thinking about buying a Fender Telecaster but I don't know what the difference is between a maple fingerboard and a rosewood fingerboard... does the fingerboard have an effect on tone or is it purely a visual thing?
Also, is the maple fingerboard more in keeping with a traditional, vintage Telecaster?
Cheers, Hansi

guitars4you

50's based Tele's had a maple neck + fingerboard - one piece actually

Around 59 this changed to a maple neck + rosewood fingerboard

My the mid/late 60's we had options - however by now the maple neck + fingerboard were 2 pieces, so similar construction to a rosewood board

Since then we've had all options available

maple neck/fingerboard is often found on an ash body - Rosewood board option is generally found on an alder body - So the tonal difference is exaggerated by more than just the fingerboard wood

maple is a hard wood and will generally be more lively with clear highs and tight lows + more transparent mids

Rosewood is softer and produces a warmer voice with 'softer/rounded' highs

Difference is generally very noticeable - which you prefer is down to you  

ESBlonde

Feel.
Mapel was the original material, indeed the neck and fingerboard was one piece and designed to be swapped for a new neck when worn out. Not much later neck and fingerboard were separate and then as the 60s dawned rosewood was the option on fingerboards. During the early 70s the maple boards were covered in thick clear poly and that made them either slick or slippery depending on your point of view.
So by now both are considerred valid. In terms of sound some say the pure mapel has more 'snap' to the tone and others can't tell the difference. Because the pickups changed slightly over the decades they are more likely to change to audible tone than the fingerboard material. All through the years the neck shape and also the fingerboard camber have changed too. Some say the thicker more stable necks have better tone!
In practical terms go play some guitars in your budget, don't forget the used market and see what suits you. There are some cobbled together guitars too which play and sound great, these can be had as very good value for money.

terada

Some people say there’s no difference. 

In my experiance, I tend to notice the difference that @guitars4you explains. 

They do do feel different too. 

richardhomer

I’m a big maple fan - it has a very clear mid-range. I don’t think it is brighter than rosewood - the ‘really’ high end is sweeter than rosewood to my ears.

What it does have is a ‘snappier’ attack - which can give the illusion its brighter. Combined with Ash bodies, one piece maple necks give my favourite Fender tones.

robgilmo

Tone wise and playability I think there are more important aspects of a guitar to consider, try a few out, I can recommend the 50s Baja and the Squier Standard I had was a great guitar, both very different and both very good guitars for very different reasons.

HansiR

Thanks Guys for the information, much appreciated.... I already have the Squier Standard Tele so a maple fingerboard might be my next choice, if not for a noticeable change of tone, then at least for a visual variation... cheers, Hansi

crunchman

I wonder how much difference the neck construction makes.  I think they fifties style one piece necks might sound a bit fuller.  I've not played as many as some others on here, and there are so many other variables, so I can't be too certain of that, but there does seem to be something about guitars constructed that way to me.

Sporky

It's pretty simple; rosewood looks better than maple on everything apart from a black/black Stingray.

HansiR

Going on looks alone I just can't help thinking that maple looks more authentic... beauty in the eye of the beholder and all that...

Sporky

You are, of course, perfectly entitled to have weird taste.

HansiR

Ha ha ha... weird without a doubt! It would be so awful to be sensible...

richardhomer

crunchman said:

I wonder how much difference the neck construction makes.  I think they fifties style one piece necks might sound a bit fuller.  I've not played as many as some others on here, and there are so many other variables, so I can't be too certain of that, but there does seem to be something about guitars constructed that way to me.

You may well be right - my 56 Relic sounds bassier than any other Strat I’ve owned - the neck is pretty chunky and very stiff. Most rosewood necks are thinner, as well as being made of two pieces of (different) wood.

I reckon all these things play a part in how the guitar sounds.

CHRISB50

Feel is the main difference. Maple can also feel different depending upon what is has been finished with.

I find maple boards can feel sticky or tacky. Rosewood I've never had a problem with.

HansiR

I really don't like those maple fingerboards that have a high gloss finish on them... but I'm sure a well worn in maple feels great!

normula1

I don't find either is better / worse, they're just different. Whether is psychosomatic or not, maple does seem to feel a touch harder than rosewood under my fingers. I much preferred my rosewood Tele to the maple one I moved on.
On the other hand, I've a Les Paul Special with a roasted maple fingerboard and tbh it's only when I remind myself it's not rosewood that I notice any difference to the rosewood on other Les Pauls.

thegummy

When it comes to Teles I personally see them as maple fretboard. When I see one with a rosewood fretboard I think it's unusual and almost a niche.

Is it really the case that, since the 60s, both have been just as available? I had always half assumed that they brought out rosewood Teles in the 60s for a brief period then went back to maple since they seem to make up the vast majority of Teles I see.

My personal preference for look and feel is maple; look by a small amount and feel by a large amount. There's just something I don't like the feeling off when I feel the string scraping against the unfinished wood.

It's not enough to put me off though, I still have RW guitars. Even if Gibsons came in the either/or option like Fender, I'd still go for RW as I like my LP to have things that make it different to a Strat so it's just another tone differential.

I don't know if there have been any scientific tests done to see if fingerboard material influences tone and by how much but for whatever reason I find it very easy to believe that it does have a significant effect. Having said that, if such a test proved there wasn't, I wouldn't exactly be shocked either.

Sporky

thegummy said:

There's just something I don't like the feeling off when I feel the string scraping against the unfinished wood.

Blimey - how hard are you pressing the strings down to get them to touch the fretboard itself? 

axisus

Personally I would never choose any 'light' coloured fretboard over any 'dark' fretboard. Actually having said that I do like the look of 'dirty' maple when it is totally unvarnished and used a lot.

axisus

Sporky said:

thegummy said:

There's just something I don't like the feeling off when I feel the string scraping against the unfinished wood.

Blimey - how hard are you pressing the strings down to get them to touch the fretboard itself? 

thegummy

Sporky said:

thegummy said:

There's just something I don't like the feeling off when I feel the string scraping against the unfinished wood.

Blimey - how hard are you pressing the strings down to get them to touch the fretboard itself? 

Just checked there after reading your post - the strings don't touch the fretboard, it's my fingers that scrape against it.