The Big Three Fretboard Woods
- Ebony. Considered the supreme tonewood for fingerboards due to its solidity, resiliency, and firmness, ebony was the primary fretboard wood in use from the 15th century till very recently. …
- Rosewood. …
- Maple. …
- Indian Laurel. …
- Ovangkol. …
- Padauk. …
- Pau Ferro. …
- Walnut.
Similarly one may ask, does fingerboard wood make a difference?
The most common fretboard woods for electric guitars are maple and rosewood. There is a big difference visually, but sound and feel are what matter the most. … As a newbie, it may not seem to make a difference whether your fingerboard is made from maple, rosewood, or anything else for that matter.
In this manner, does fretboard wood matter? In Short. As you can tell, there’s definitely more that matters when it comes to the wood used for fretboards. Some guitarists may over-exaggerate the effect on the overall sound, but no one can deny that each type of wood looks uniquely different.
Consequently, does guitar neck wood affect tone?
The neck wood affects the tone of a guitar by impacting the way that the vibrations produced by the strings behave. Denser neck woods, like maple sound brighter and have less sustain. Mahogany on the other hand, produces a warmer and darker tone with better resonance and sustain.
How thick should fingerboard veneer be?
Step 1: Cutting and Preparing the Wood Veneers.
Here I’ve used a standard thickness veneer (0.6mm thick). You can get creative and use a variety of different species to make your board unique.
Is Amaranth fretboard good?
PURPLEHEART (also known as AMARANTH) – the pretty purple wood we’ve all come to love. Beyond the pretty hue is an extremely stable tone wood for necks and fingerboards. It is technically a “harder” wood than Maple, when looking at the Janka Hardness scale. … WENGE – a well balanced tone wood for necks and fingerboards.
Is Merbau fretboard good?
Merbau is a viable option for bass guitar necks and fretboards, though uncommon. The strong bass response of the tonewood is excellent for bringing out the fundamentals of the bass notes. Furthermore, the richness of the overtones gives a nice colour to the overall tone of a bass guitar.
Is rosewood better than walnut?
Rosewood has great durability and decay-resistance properties. It can be used for indoor and outdoor furniture without any hassle. If we talk about the hardness of rosewood, then it is harder than oak and walnut. Its Janka hardness is 1,780 LBF (7,900 N).
Is Walnut a good fretboard material?
Walnut for backs and sides yes, for fingerboards, no ! Good material for bridges though, it’s light and tough enough. I have had good luck using walnut for the top half of banjo bridges on a maple base.
Is walnut a good fretboard wood?
It’s quite hard, finishes smooth and not prone to splinters. It does have prominent pores so it will collect dirt but it’s acceptable, and a good cut can look quite nice. There is nothing wrong with a walnut fretboard, although it’s tends to get dinged a bit.
Is Walnut a good fretboard?
It’s quite hard, finishes smooth and not prone to splinters. It does have prominent pores so it will collect dirt but it’s acceptable, and a good cut can look quite nice. There is nothing wrong with a walnut fretboard, although it’s tends to get dinged a bit.
Is walnut a good wood for guitars?
Walnut is a great wood for an electric guitar. Harder then mahogany, relatively easy to work, accepts finishes well, and figured pieces look awesome. It won’t tear up your tools and it will make a great looking guitar.
What fretboard wood does Gibson use?
Rosewood. Rosewood has always been one of the most common types of wood used in fretboards, favored for the beloved designs of such heavy hitters like Gibson, Ibanez, and Paul Reed Smith.
What is a laurel fingerboard?
A soft-coloured brown wood, laurel is an almost identical substitute to the ever-popular rosewood fretboard. Laurel is a wood often sourced from India. It has a familiar style and feel to rosewood – one of the very first and long-lasting fingerboard materials.
What is maple fretboard?
Maple Fretboard Sound and Characteristics
Maple is a dense, hard tonewood that produces bright, snappy tones. In the context of a guitar fretboard, this means precise, articulate notes with good bite and a tight low end. Maple fingerboards are often paired with maple necks and brighter body tonewoods like alder.
What is the best guitar fretboard material?
Maple fretboards are generally favored by players who wish for a well-defined top end with good resonance, or for use in giving a warm sounding guitar a brighter tone.
What wood are guitar fretboards made of?
Most Common Fretboard Wood for Electric Guitars
The 3 most common types of wood used in the fretboard of an electric guitar are Maple, Rosewood, and Ebony. Basically every guitar out there, either electric or acoustic, will likely be using one of these 3 materials for the fingerboard.
What wood is used for fingerboards?
Where does Gibson get its wood?
These woods come from Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Mexico and the U.S. Some of these woods are harvested illegally or come from regions that are being heavily deforested. So Gibson is working with the Rainforest Alliance to be sure that the wood in its guitars is sustainably sourced.
Which fretboard material is best for guitar?
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. Another reason to choose rosewood is for the smooth playing experience thanks to it not needing a sticky feeling finish.
Which is better rosewood or ebony fretboard?
It’s often said that ebony fretboards are the best of both worlds. … THE VERDICT: Ebony fretboards offer players a similar tonal quality to maple necks but are commonly known as hardier and longer-lasting than rosewood fretboards. For those who want a darker neck with a brighter tone, ebony is for you.
Why did fender stop using rosewood?
Fender Musical Instruments is officially moving away from using rosewood fingerboards in the manufacturing of its Mexican made instruments due to the recent CITES regulations (see our previous post on CITES here).