Maple Fretboards Cons: Some users also mentioned that they can be too bright or harsh, especially on electric guitars. Bending strings are less controlled on a finished maple fretboard.
Maple is twice as hard and needs much more convincing, which is why it's the most common neck material on the planet. It's stable. It's hard. It sands and polishes into a super smooth finish which makes for a great guitar neck.
Maple has the longest history of any fingerboard material. It works just fine but will not hold up to as much abuse as harder woods and so I can't recommend it for use with modern string materials. Rosewood (dalbergia spp.)
Ebony, maple, and rosewood are popular choices for fretboards due to their density, resonance, and stability. Each wood type offers unique tonal characteristics and aesthetics, catering to different playing styles. Explore my Quora Profile for more guitar-related advice!
Tone-wise: While Maple is still used on both acoustic and electric guitars, these days it is most often used for a neck or the top on an electric guitar. As a neck, maple produces brighter tones than mahogany with less warmth and sustain. Maple necks offer a strong plosive, fast attack, and very lively feel.
While Maple is a very hard wood, it is not completely resistant to scratches. The light colour of Maple can make scratches and dents more noticeable, especially in high-traffic areas or homes with pets and children.
Let's take a look at the differences. After the game-changing CITES laws passed in 2017, many big manufacturers diverted from using rosewood to other more sustainable woods that don't require certification to trade across borders. This includes Fender, who started exploring rosewood alternatives.
Fingerboard Materials are typically selected from woods ranked above 1400 on the Janka Scale. With Hard Maple coming in at 1450, Indian rosewood coming in at 1620, and (many) Ebony species coming in over 3000.
Unfinished maple fretboards are essentially raw wood and require an oil based fretboard cleaner for cleaning and conditioning. Raw maple fretboards are typically oil finished by the manufacturer, so any compatible, non-abrasive fretboard treatment from our shop will work.
Maple: A very strong type of lumber perfect for decks and fences as they're resistant to rot (which means less maintenance) but will still last 20 years like cedar without any added upkeep requirements. Maple also stands up better against termites, making them an excellent choice if pests are a concern in your area.
In reality the rosewood is much harder wood from the maple, but due to its porous structure and natural oils percentage, it is quite different. Because of the difference of the growth condition, each board has a unique shading of the grain.
Scalloped fretboard on an Exlusive Frudua Shredder design guitar. PROS: The immediate advantage of a scalloped fretboard over a traditional fretboard is a better grip of the strings during bending.
Maple fingerboards offer a brighter tone, a smoother playing surface, and increased durability compared to rosewood. They are often favored for styles that require fast playing and bending, like rock and metal. Additionally, maple provides a visually striking appearance, often with a glossy finish.
After forming The Experience, Jimi was usually seen with rosewood fretboard Strats, from roughly '66 to '69. He then switched to maple fretboard models, and these are perhaps the models he's most closely associated with.
For the large part, the last Fenders with Brazilian rosewood (Dalbergia nigra) for fretboards with the 1966 production models. They still had some back stock of this wood that they used on special instruments and custom jobs that can be found all the way up into the mid-1970s.
Vaughan played a number of Fender Stratocasters throughout his career, one of which, a 1963 body and a 1962 (with a rosewood slab fingerboard) neck, became "the most famous battered Strat in rock history." He was notoriously hard on his guitars, and many of them required extensive periodic maintenance, as well as other ...
Ebony (Macassar) - Diospyros macassar
Lots of sustain, attack and stability from this dense wood and the feel is very smooth to the touch. Primarily used for fretboards but sometimes available for solid necks too!
Is Rosewood Banned in North America? Business dealings with rosewood products are not illegal; you can own, trade, or sell rosewood as long as supporting documentation is available. However, it is illegal to import rosewood listed under CITES appendix I, such as Brazilian rosewood.
Today, the majority of Gibson and USA-made Epiphone models feature Indian rosewood (Dalbergia latifolia).
Sensitive to Humidity and Heat –
Like most hardwood varieties, maple is sensitive to extreme humidity and temperature changes. If summer humidity is an issue in your home, this wood isn't suitable as it can expand and contract, warp and split.
When it comes to strength and durability, maple and oak are some of the best kitchen cabinet materials you can have. After all, they're both hardwoods. That being said, maple is a slightly stronger hardwood product than oak. Maple is one of the strongest and most durable natural wood options available.
So let's take a look at maple wood. The good news is that not only is maple more affordable than many other hardwoods, it's also a great option in terms of being eco-friendly.