I can hear it (using quality headphones or quality studio monitors). This process will darken the wood slightly and give it some character. But Fender made maple popular decades ago with many Stratocaster and Telecaster fingerboards donning this light-colored wood. Has anyone else observed the same difference? On my all roasted maple neck, I use orange oil to clean it at string changes and it looks great. I know maple is brighter, rosewood is darker, ebony more complex. Only available at Sweetwater, this American Professional Strat ups the ante by roasting the maple neck, along with adding a comfortable Modern Deep "C" shape, rosewood fingerboard, jumbo frets, and a 9.5" radius. DrKev. Hi, I am building a stratocaster with an olympic white nitro finish and a warmoth neck with a roasted flame maple neck and a rosewood fretboard. Reactions: Ex-riverman. Too unstable. There may have been some versions with a maple neck, but rosewood was the original intention. A maple neck is harder and feels very smooth under your fingers, while rosewood has some sponginess to it due to the porous properties of the wood. There are plenty of guitars out there that don't follow these traditional approaches so your mileage may vary. se7en Active member. Maple fretboards are cream or beige. #8. xStonr, Denverdave, GDSmithTX and 1 other person like this. I live in the desert and it took my 5 piece maple/walnut neck (which should have been rock stable) 18 months to settle down to the point where I didn't have to readjust the truss every few days What are your preferences? I have 2 piece flamed which is very stable, down to the glue strength holding it together and I have 1 piece flamed which is not so stable. I have a solid rosewood Tele neck that I plan to use in a project guitar. Can you hear a difference between Neck A and Neck B? Genuine Fender Roasted Maple Telecaster Guitar Neck, with Maple Fretboard, 12" Radius, 22 Jumbo Frets, and Flat Oval Profile. Maple, they feel, sounds crisper and snappier, while rosewood can sound more woody and round. However, I found recently that the poly finished maple necks and 2 band EQ like on the Classic series give me more of the tone I associate with the StingRay. Panych, shawn1288, mpdd and 12 others like this. But roasted maple has a lot of advantages over rosewood. My latest is the bees knees though, a carve top with alder body, maple top, vulcanized neck and pau ferro board. Purely from a feel in the hand perspective I like the roasted maple better, its very smooth and delightful to play. om45dlx. A raw, maple neck is placed in a controlled environment where the temperature is slowly brought up. It has a different feel than the Pau Ferro on the Reb. I've had two bare roasted maple necks with Indian rosewood fretboards for a couple years now. Typically, roasted maple sells at a premium of 50-100% over unroasted maple. Almost any type of Ebony is 10 times stronger than any type of Rosewood" It is hard, stable, not easily susceptible to climate change and provides a very present, bright and snappy tone. I REALLY like the roasted maple neck and rosewood FB combo on my Suhr S. So, no. ROSEWOOD vs JATOBA vs EBONY fretboard VISUAL comparison ONLY - Ibanez Jems instead they form a single continuous piece of wood with the neck. One's rosewood, the other is maple. second it made the wood harder - i remember gibson using baked maple as an alternative to rosewood quite some time ago, and it didn't have an accompanying bump in the price, in fact it had a lot of bumpf around why that was a good choice as an alternative to rosewood because it makes it just as hard (and just as dark) so don't worry (cue The only difference I could discern was that the maple had an immediate percussive attack, while the rosewood's attack was not quite as "hard" or immediate. No change except for the neck. I have SG's with ebony, rosewood and baked maple. Neck Joint 4 Bolt Steel Square Plate. Since I liked the neck on my Reb so much. Once the temperature reaches a certain point, a Maillard reaction begins to occur. It is common for maple fretboards to be carved out of the same piece of wood as the neck. But now that you mention it, maybe it would be good to ask Warmoth, who made mine, what they recommend. My PRS SE has a roasted maple neck. Compared to my old PRS Standard, the SE's neck seems way more stiff (which I guess makes it more stable?). I personally don't have absolute preferences about what wood a neck is made from. If it plays and feels good, and the guitar sounds good then that's enough for me. However, the up-charge is often a bargain. While the roasted maple feels much firmer and stable. Exposure to high temperatures makes the wood more stable (less prone to bend due to weather changes) and changes its appearance and feel. Depends on the finish. Maple is colorfast, walnut gets a bit lighter in color over time. Some bassists swear that maple fretboards sound brighter and more aggressive than rosewood, which tends to have a darker, more mellow, warmer sound they claim. This is a chemical reaction that starts to break down the sugar and water within the wood, slowly removing it. That is one of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to guitars; people saying their guitar has a Rosewood or Ebony neck when it's either a Maple(not Baked) or Mahogany neck, with a fingerboard. I always figured it would easy to clean them with something like a wipe with a cloth that has some mineral oil in it. In my mind it breaks down like this, since we don't have hard data on roasted maple (we'll use hard maple). Suitability of rosewood or maple vs. ebony for neck reinforcement. I don't think that maple boarded necks lack warmth, but tend to be more "up front". Maple guitar fretboards. In this case it's a The Pau Ferro has kind of a "Soft" feel to it. Too unstable. Moderator. So the all rosewood neck should sound warmer than the neck with a maple back. Unless it is roasted maple. I also own an Ibanez PGM, with a full maple neck, which is also amazing. I always figured it would easy to clean them with something like a wipe with a cloth that has some mineral oil in it. Registered Member. Post Dec 15, 2017 #1 2017-12-15T22:13 "Ebony is far Stronger, Stiffer & Much More Stable. A few companies make rosewood and baked maple necks (PRS and Suhr come to mind, respectively). I tend to feel that rosewood has a softer feel and more mellow tone of course with floral hints and chocolate overtones that finishes smooth . 9,332 744 1. Apr 17, 2022. The roasted maple neck is good also. Roasted, Torrefied & Thermally Modified. #12. om45dlx. The Pau Ferro has kind of a "Soft" feel to it. I have SG's with ebony, rosewood and baked maple. Hey everyone, I was just curious to see what kind of unfinished necks you all preferred. Black walnut is lighter (slightly), more dimensionally stable, and just really dang pretty. String Nut Natural Bone 46mm Width. Or am I crazy? It's called a FRETBOARD or FINGERBOARD. It has a certain feel to it. $1499.00 New Sire P7 Ash-5 Nt 2n22480100 458kg Yokohama Store Its A Sound That Even Those Who Usually Play Jb Can Understand. While the roasted maple feels much firmer and stable. For those same reasons it also makes a great fretboard wood. optofonik, Amir Khalid, mb doug and 2 others. regardless the biggest difference to me is roasted tends to either be unfinished or have a very thin satin finish while maple tends to have a gloss finish. Squier also has a version of this classic look with their Classic Vibe Almost any type of Ebony is 10 times stronger than any type of Rosewood" And of course, each Select Classic S Antique Roasted goes through the same renowned individual setup process that $10-15k Suhr Custom guitars go through. I've heard that rosewood is more stable than non-roasted maple, at the least. The reason I ask is that I have a T-style build in mind that would look fantastic with a fully rosewood neck, but I'm a huge stickler for maximum stability, so I'm leaning towards roasted maple + rosewood board. I think it's my new fave guitar. Can you hear which is the roasted maple? I have several StingRays with different configurations and used to favor the rosewood boards and 3 band EQ. That being said I own an EBMM with a roasted maple unfinished neck and it RULES . North Carolina. Baked/roasted maple was "invented" by Gibson for use as fingerboards when they had their CITES fiasco and their supply of rosewood was confiscated. North Carolina. I got the Reb Beach "C" modern carve. You might have seen some maple fretboards that have been roasted or flame-roasted. Apr 17, 2022. It also had an all maple neck vs maple/rosewood on the one I was less fond of. The roasted maple just stays where it should, feels perfect and I can hear a difference without a doubt. If this bothers you, you should go with another fretboard wood. This is a case where there's definitely more than just two choices. Stiffness, strength, and integrity of the wood are maintained with no chemicals. 5 yr. ago. If fretboards are that unstable, it's probably fair to assume the same for roasted necks. This is a chemical reaction that starts to break down the sugar and water within the wood, slowly removing it. Another note: Some luthiers are now using a heat-treated maple fingerboard (sometimes called "roasted maple") in place of rosewood. I go for the option with maximum stability.. Can't go wrong either way uOpt Joined Aug 2, 2008 Messages 356 Location The frets feature rolled edges and a 9"-12" compound radius, great for smooth bends. se7en Active member. but the baked maple is a MM with a maple body and the other all have different pickups so it's not a straight up compare. Fender originally sold maple for only one reason - it's cheaper to produce. Maple and Rosewood are on opposite ends of the "tone spectrum", according to conventional wisdom. Suitability of rosewood or maple vs. ebony for neck reinforcement. 12-22-2016, 08:55 PM #6. Maple is stronger, stiffer, heavier, and less stable. Fretboards can be made from two different kinds of maple wood: hard and soft maple. Here's a cheap and dirty video. Or $116.66/month for. Roasted is more stable than plain hard maple. Apr 4, 2020. And, if it is a MM neck, you can bet your balls it will provide an OUTSTANDING feel and sound ScoobySteve Joined May 1, 2008 Messages 3,311 Location The materials, the shape, everything, it's all for quick, cheap, and efficient production. Rosewood vs. Roasted wood is stable and resistant to humidity and temperature changes. $349.99. Registered Member. but the baked maple is a MM with a maple body and the other all have different pickups so it's not a straight up compare. The rosewood might look better on my stained alder body, but I could stain the maple neck as well. Mar 31, 2020 #2 eallen Friend of Leo's Gold Supporter Joined Jul 30, 2013 A raw, maple neck is placed in a controlled environment where the temperature is slowly brought up. Even if you get a roasted maple neck (which requires no finish), I still find rosewood and ebony much better to fret on. #2. May 28, 2013 #3 The neck profiles are indeed the same and the same as the Luke IIs. When roasted, they have a darker shade. But now that you mention it, maybe it would be good to ask Warmoth, who made mine, what they recommend. The only thing I can not decide on is whether to get the neck finished in a clear gloss or with no finish. I wouldn't turn down either. The main reason is that increased stability 9,332 744 1. Everything on a Fender was originally used for economics, not for anything else. Milwaukee, WI The question of the ages; ready to pull the trigger on a Parklane neck, they both look great.