The maple has a more "syrup" like sound, and the rosewood has a nicer smelling sound. Doncha think?

@evzzs

5 жыл бұрын

Greatest comment in the history of KZread.

@richardfarabaugh7604

4 жыл бұрын

Couldn’t agree more.

@bradh6185

4 жыл бұрын

Yeah the rosewood has more of a flowery sound, if you will.

@Boris_Chang

4 жыл бұрын

I think maple necks taste lighter while rosewood is more complex with hints of leather and cherry.

@romeou4965

3 жыл бұрын

maple for white wine lovers, rosewood for red wine lovers.....ebony for stout drinkers

Thanks for the comparison! Very clear audio and finally a video actually helped me with the decision.

the difference is so slight that when your playing a loud crowded club or wedding you wont hear a difference.

@minceraftfornite4334

2 жыл бұрын

@@Ryzanu I guess but it’s a slight difference so does it even matter

@nippy7425

2 жыл бұрын

@@Ryzanu your comment and pfp checks out

@arthurverlaine6434

2 жыл бұрын

No, Brian is right "Well if you were in the middle of a war or at the stadium you wouldn't ear shit so.. DoEs iT rEaLly mAtTeRr??" duh

@jomamma1750

Жыл бұрын

Hey, numb ears speaks!! Or would that be "dumb" ears? Lol, I've made a funny....

@relativity1581

3 ай бұрын

In the recording studio it’s a huge difference.

Nick, That was AWESOME!!! Few and far between when someone actually does a fair comparison with similar basses, strings, amp, etc. Chocolate-coffee or BB's on glass. Great stuff!

Even if there were differences, which are almost impossible to detect with critical listening and an isolated track, they would be completely undetectable in a mix. People should choose for aesthetics, playability, maintenance issues, etc.

@craigdamage

5 жыл бұрын

I used to play bass in a instrumental only "power trio" ...just guitar, bass and drums. Going in between my rosewood P-bass and sometimes my maple P-bass the difference was quite noticeable. In a bigger band with more instruments I am sure it wouldn't make that much of a difference if any.

@settingscon

5 жыл бұрын

bs.

@GonzaReformado

4 жыл бұрын

Yeah, I've been an amateur musician for over a decade and didn't hear any noticeable difference between either neck.

@pillepalle3614

4 жыл бұрын

Clint Eckhardt that‘s exactly how it is. The knuckleheads care about their gear instead of technique. Good for the rest of us. 🥳

@LentilsOverkill

4 жыл бұрын

It's precisely these sorts of subtle differences that make a larger difference in a mix. It's why audio engineers choose their preamps carefully.

The one thing I noticed is the right hand when you played the maple neck tended to be behind the bridge pickup and the on the rosewood you are in front of the bridge pickup. It may seem like a small thing but it has a huge impact on the tone. Other than that great video.

Yeah not a lot of difference but the maple is a bit brighter. I actually prefer maple fret boards just for aesthetics. I feel like they really pop on a darker guitar and they are less common so for me that just adds to the cool factor.

@bobcole612

2 жыл бұрын

I agree. I’m not experienced enough as a player to really tell the difference in feel. I can hear it when I see them played side by side, but don’t know if I could tell in a blind test. I do prefer the look of the maple fretboard, I just bought a Player J-Bass with a maple fretboard, black body with white pick guard. Really nice combination, kind of a visual root/5th/octave.

Pickups sound closer to the strings on the rosewood model.

I feel like rosewood is more bassy, while maple is more snappy. But it might be just my imagination. I don't think I will be able to tell them apart in a blind test consistently

@matthewnations1564

3 жыл бұрын

I think you are right. Like rosewood is better for finger picking and maple might pop more for slap playing.

I'm listening through good presonus speakers and I actually can tell the difference right away. However, it's hard to tell it's 100% due to the fretboard. So many variables are involved, like pickup heights, string condition, imperfections here and there, etc.

@ozoneswiftak

3 жыл бұрын

Rosewood more snappy??

maple sounds much more "jazzy" i think

the maple neck is slightly but distinctly brighter, while the rosewood neck gives a more muted tone -- as people are saying, in a mix it would be hard to tell the difference

Rosewood just seems to get in the way of the tone. Sure ,maybe it’s warmer however, that warm sound only seems to expose a higher bite on the attack leavening the maple neck sounding balanced like it’s 1 piece of wood transferring vibrations down the neck into the body of the bass

Super cool!! Love to hear the same comparison with flats and rounds on each neck type would be cool as well

I made the same point in one of my videos -- people don't realize maple is a harder wood and sound travels faster on it. Hence, the tighter sound. It's subtle, but it's there. Nice job showing the difference.

@NelsonMontana1234

7 жыл бұрын

Another thing about maple -- the grain is big and solid, whereas Rosewood you'll notice tiny holes. It's more porous. Sound doesn't travel as quickly through it, creating a warmer, thicker, more mellow tone. So it really come sdown to what you prefer. People think it's jus a matter of "cross sensing" in that because maple is bright , one will"hear" it as brighter, but as this video shows, there's clearly a difference in timbre. Of course most people (inclusing bass players) wouldn;t be able to identify one or the other simply by listening to it. But as a player, there will be a clear distinction.

@e1cycle

6 жыл бұрын

Now add a All roasted maple in there and even more difference.

@juzek1958

6 жыл бұрын

Here's a reprint from my general comment above, "According to the Janka Hardness Scale, rosewood has a rating between 1780-3280. Maple has a rating of 1450-1509. The higher the number, the harder the wood."

@robrob484

5 жыл бұрын

The rosewood commonly used for fretboards only has a hardness of 1200

95% similar sound I thought...wonder if it makes a real difference for the tone in a band or when playing with other musicians. But I truly appreciate the effort these guys put in for the comparison...to get identical basses (except the fretboard), same strings, same player, DI vs Amp comparison. Good job done!

nice reviews. guys keep up the good work excellent

a local guitar teacher says that rosewood sounds with a bit more low end on most guitars, i just noticed brighter and darker, talking bout maple and rosewood respectively

Thank you, I got what I needed here

Can you do the same comparison but with the p bass?

Great video. Thanks for putting in the work to make a true matchup. Btw....on Fenders, Always go with maple board. 40 years playing everything here.

The difference is so slight that I would say it's negligible. The picking position changed on the jazz bass with pick portion and that had a more profound effect although it was most likely unintentional

Maple all the way. For some reason it sounds like it has more clarity and is less muddy. I listened to the video four times with very good studio headphones. It's maple for me.

I listened with headphones blind and if I was to quantify the difference, it would be maybe 1-2 % and I would say it was somehow in the attack of the notes and the imperfections like fretbuzz or slips where the maple fretboard bass made kind of high pitch percussive glassy sounds, but not the main tone. I think if you'd play just one note back to back I would have no idea which is which.

I definitely noticed a difference, especially when you started doing the slap technique! The maple fingerboard sounded more "snappy" to me.

Great video, thanks for sharing it.

I think that one wood of the other might FEEL different to the bass player, but for all the MANY variables that make up for the sound and tone, I think that the fretboard being of one wood or the other is the LEAST contributing one.

maple is little more light sound. am i right?

grate sound of both basessssss!

all these differences only means something when youre playing to yourself... in the club or stadium it means nothing. It´s such like tasting two identical kinds of wines from different years of maturing

Try to listen without seeing the video. You will be hard pressed to hear any difference at all. What difference there might be, may come from minute differences in string height, pickups, bodies, hardware etc. Even though the two guitars SEEM similar, they are different!

@woooyeahfunkytime4088

6 жыл бұрын

+Adam Shaw no guitar can be identical, the pickups though made the same way are vastly different. And like he said, the action/truss rod could be set slightly differently

@woooyeahfunkytime4088

6 жыл бұрын

From what I remember he didnt mention action, nor the truss rod alignment

@craigdamage

6 жыл бұрын

The guitar player in my old band recorded EVERYTHING. Every gig, jam, rehearsal, practice etc. This dates back to the days of cassette tapes!! I still have have a few. Any time I listen to one I can immediately identify which one of my P-basses I am playing on that day. The rosewood or the maple.

@MasterPiece-rg7ed

6 жыл бұрын

Kashyyk10 i listen to this without watching it and i could hear the difference. I was turning youtube on my tv while i was i the kitchen so thats why i couldnt see the video.

@MasterPiece-rg7ed

6 жыл бұрын

craigdamage yeah. Some people act like an expert and say there is no difference. What they dont realize is that they just have bad hearing lol

For the fretboard cam slap examples there is an apparent volume difference making the maple fretboard sound brighter. In the other examples he plays closer to the bridge with the maple fretboard, again making it slightly brighter. ...not to mention all the other variables that are impossible to control.

I agree the Rosewood is warmer but think it has to do with player preference most of all. For someone like me who wants to move faster and use less attack the maple board is a must. Feel like I have to play a lot harder to get the same effect on Rosewood. I see you are using a pic?I rarely do but think they sound a lot more similar when using a pic? What are your thoughts on the slapping result?

The amped sound was almost identical to my ears, however, with DI, I hear when picked, a clearer, more Rick sound from the maple. I'll always play it safe with a rosewood to get a deeper, weightier, throatier sound from the strings all the way up the fretboard. I think the rosewood gives the more quintessential tone of a P and a J.

@mrebear9758

Жыл бұрын

Rics have rosewood though (traditionally).

What is ebony like?

what is the price of the two? some reference please

which one is good maple or rosewood??? please help...

Maple Fretboard Had A Fuller Sound. The Rosewood Sounds Tingy To Me.

And better for the string tension?

Can't tell a sound difference but after picking up a new bass with a maple board my old bass soon had a maple board on it purely on the feel of it.

Where i can get it in Singapore? I think i love rosewood

DOES ONE NEED MORE NECK ADJUSTMENTS BECAUSE OF THE SOFTER WOOD?

I have a Strat with a maple fretboard and i love the feel of it than any of my other guitars or basses that are rosewood. It feels more smoothi guess. I think rosewood just gets dry very easily

Hello guys, which is the weight of the maple model?

There is a very slight difference, but that could be do to slight variations in the pickups.

I like the way the Rosewood looks .... But it's all about the sound,so I choose the Maple ,but both Basses are cool 🎵🎼🎶.

thanks. definitely hear the difference

I will always will be a rosewood player. They sound and look the best.

@samuelc2399

4 жыл бұрын

Me too!! I don't feel comfortable with the maple fretboard's sound, it just doesnt do it for me.

@whatisthis1262

4 жыл бұрын

I'm in the opposite camp. I love the feeling of a maple fretboard. So smooth your fingers naturally glide. But out of my 8 guitars/basses only 2 have maple fretboards.

@lil_weasel219

4 жыл бұрын

and also come from an endangered species. pffft. Im good with those treated woods

They sound the same tonally. In my experience, maple has a louder feel to it.

This might seem trivial, but it isn't just looks. I had the Fender standard above with maple fretboard and I always wondered why I never enjoyed playing it, having previously had a Squier with rosewood. The Fender had very buzzy bright higher end overtones that I don't associate as something I would want from a bass guitar. Rosewood is the one for me is spades for feel and certainly for funk. I've sold it recently it and am back to roswood...

But what about playability? Is one easier to play?

The "king's new clothes" comes to mind

Been playing Fender Basses since 1967, there is a big difference in attack, sound and sustain

It's about the electronics man, I knew a guy who played a bucket and it sounded awesome cos it had a P 90 handle...

Ok, you compared the difference in the sound. But what about the difference in which board provides the most strength and stability for the neck itself? I would think that the maple fingerboard would be better in that respect.

Having did this, unless you are a bass player or hear the 2 basses at the SME time no one would now the difference!

The maple neck looks nicer and gives more shine to the tone that I like. Maple Man right here.

The difference is only small, it 100% is there though. Out of the two, rosewood sounds nicer to me. When choosing the fretboard on your instrument, just go with the colour you prefer because any differences that these two woods will bring can be easily changed via strings, pickups, eq, speakes and what not. I do definitely think the thickness of a neck makes a bigger difference than the fingerboard. Put a p bass neck on a jazz bass and you'll see what I mean. Beautiful fat, warm tones like a jazz bass needs - and to my experience - the sustain improved too.

Sorry to comment 5 years after the post, but I'm sure I know the tune played on the video, and yet can't put a name or a context on it. Does anybody know ?

I've always liked maple better. Rosewood is fine and sound differences are minimal. I honestly like the look of maple better. Especially like the 70s Vibe P bass with black on black body. Just looks prettier.

exactly like I expected a harder lacquered surface would sound like versus a softer oiled surface. I guess given a choice I’d choose rosewood for heavier down tuned music, maybe as a 3 piece band and maple for punk or thrash or playing with multiple guitarists where you’d want to avoid their frequencies more. But..I’d rock either and just adjust the EQ accordingly

I prefer the rosewood neck, I think it has a warmer deep bass tone. The maple has a brighter sound. I own basses with rosewood and maple necks and I even prefer the feel of the rosewood on my fingers better than maple.

I don’t want a wood that absorbs the vibration of my strings and adds friction to my fingers, sounds counterproductive. Hence no to rosewood.

Every time I see this comparison, people just seem to describe the sound based on their eyes. People say rosewood is warmer and darker sounding and maple is glassy and brighter. They are just describing the color of the woods and the finish on the maple neck.

@juzek1958

6 жыл бұрын

What does a spectrum analyzer sound like?​ ;)

@rand7317

6 жыл бұрын

It’s a slight difference but I can hear it

if you want a nice warm tone with some good mids then go for the rosewood. If you want a nice bright snap with some very clean highs then go for the maple

Both rock. I have two maple & 1 rosewood all precision basses. I use them for everything and never touch the tone.

Maple is wider / "scooped" and has this extra treble sparkle and also more "subwoofer" bass if that makes sense, rosewood is more hi-mid/low-mid focused. Most rosewood/maple fretboard comparisons show similar difference. It is nuance but you need SOME experience to hear it and to understand it doesn't make much of a difference in a mix but at the same time it can make all the difference in a mix. People saying "I hear no difference" is just that, people not hearing it. If an instrument is 5/100 semitone out of tune you wouldn't hear it either, that doesn't mean it's not there and there are no trained people who can actually pick it up by ear.

With the pick you can hear a slight difference. Not that it will matter once drums and guitars kick in...

Hmm, what's your opinion here, what is better?

So few difference for me. Without looking and with good headphones I missed some switches between maple and rosewood.

From the start you can hear exactly what you describe. Maple give brighter sound y rosewood warmer and darker. Nice!!!

I agree with a comment below. There is a difference. Maybe it does come down more to how it feels to the musician. Which is perfectly fine. Music is about expression and if a wood feels better for what u want to express, why argue? The audience might not hear a difference but the tool is meant for the musician not the audience. Anything for that tone you're looking for.

@ricardorobbiano452

2 жыл бұрын

Great coment! Cheers.

Rosewood sound more mellow and maple more clear and bright.

I would like to get a set of those tuner socks. Maple all the way.

I'm leaning more to maple 🍁 but a Lil dip around 400hz will make the rosewood sound the same

The maple has just a tinge more high mid, buzzy sound to it, whereas the rosewood sounds a bit more mellow and rolled off. But if I'm honest, I would have a hard time noticing a difference with my eyes closed or if they were mixed into a band.

The rose wood and maple sound very close to me tho the maple seams to have a little bit brighter of a sound to it but I prefer the dark look of the rose wood

This reminds me of gong to the eye doctor and having them a/b a set of lenses asking which one is more clear. The difference is so small that you can hardly decide and just eventually pick one. I think the difference here is minimal at best, but JMHO. I also think explaining that maple is supposed to be brighter before the test sets up a bias for those who hadn't already heard that elsewhere. Overall, good comparison, though. I've had both kinds of wood and think technique, setup and strings are vastly more important.

The difference is that the higher strings are not as bright, the mids and lower have more depth to the tone. For my fretted bass, I have a maple fretboard. For my fretless, I have ebony. Yes, there is a difference that you can hear in the mix and in the studio. Not a huge difference, but there is a noticeable difference if you listen to the bass lines. Any fretboard that is not maple needs maintenance to the wood.

don't you think Rosewood is harder and heavier than maple?

@zackstewart4109

5 жыл бұрын

Yes it absolutely is. In every other context it is far brighter as a tonewood. This has been a mystery to me for a while - my theory is that the heavy poly finish on the maple is the reason.

Whats next, sunburst colour v solid colour or just maybe, Poly finish v Nitro finish?

@TheBassChannel

4 жыл бұрын

Poly vs. Nitro

@opielee847

4 жыл бұрын

@@TheBassChannel thats a hard one to pick lol

@TheBassChannel

4 жыл бұрын

I vote nitro.

I watched the first minute without video. I could hear the different fretboards. There's a difference. I've solely owned a rosewood for over a decade and there's enough to hear the difference. I could point out when he switched.

EXACTLY HOW does the sound/tone of wood in the fingerboard get into magnetic pickups?

@TheBassChannel

2 ай бұрын

We here at the channel actually have a few different opinions on this. Hi, it's Dave at the moment - personally, I don't think you hear "the sound of the wood in the pickups" itself, but I think different woods specifically impact the attack response - but I've been trying to figure out a way we could experiment and discover *definitively*. We all saw the video of the guitar guy who just did strings across two workbenches, but not all of us 'heard' the results the same way, and I think we'd need to go all the way to automated plucking and oscilloscope readings to actually put it all to bed.

@TheBassChannel

2 ай бұрын

Chris here. This is the best way I know to explain it from my experience. Keep in mind I’m not a physicist or a luthier. The wood itself has zero impact on the pickup. Obviously because wood is not magnetic. The pickup’s role in the grand scheme of the instrument is to act like a microphone. But rather than picking up a human voice, it’s converting the string’s movement and interaction with the magnetic field. The wood affects the string’s movement, which is energy. Once that string is plucked, energy is pushed out in all directions. You feel it vibrating in the headstock, the body, and everywhere else. I relate it to a bouncy ball. Bouncing a rubber ball on concrete is going to yield a much higher bounce than bouncing it on shag carpet. The concrete doesn’t absorb as much energy as carpet. The only place for that energy to go is the ball itself, causing it to bounce higher. I’ve found the wood acts similarly. Harder, denser woods won’t absorb as much energy, forcing it back into the string. This will translate to sustain, volume, and an increase in higher frequencies. Softer woods will absorb more energy, taking away sustain, volume and high frequencies. The high frequencies are the most susceptible because their waves are shorter and weaker. Same reason why you can always hear your neighbor’s subwoofer through the wall but not the tweeters. Here’s the thing, though. Once you cover that wood in a thick coat of polyester, those nuances are gone. It doesn’t matter if you make it out of alder, mahogany, or Swiss cheese, the string energy is going to react with that thick coat of plastic. Back to our bouncy ball, laying a piece of glass over that same shag rug will produce a dramatically different bounce than the shag rug alone. Now, in the real world, much of these differences aren’t obvious to the audience. You don’t hear what fretboard was used on Back in Black. And that’s not the point. The subtle nuances are more felt by the player. It’s the difference of fighting an instrument and having it feel like it’s playing itself. If the response is there and right for you, you’re going to play better. That’s what the audience will notice.

I love a nice Fender Maple fretboard.

In the first twenty seconds I could determine they sound exactly the same.

@computerscientist5953

4 жыл бұрын

which is super weird though, On some sound tests I can tell the difference apart easily. But on others they sound the same.

Jazz bass - rosewood / Precision - maple :) For me

it would be nice if you guys had used the same bass and just switched the necks.

I hear very little to no difference, therefore I'd go ahead and choose the one that works with the overall color of the bass body and pick-guard the best ... or best according to your liking.

Is it me or the maple is tiny bit louder?

@hans-joachimbierwirth4727

5 жыл бұрын

Nah, that's just the idiot trying hard to squeeze a brighter sound out.

@marchangel7462

3 жыл бұрын

Maple is louder.

He’s learning to play Slap!

both are such beautiful instruments. I like the look of maple but the sound of the rosewood

I don't know where people are getting the rose wood is softer than maple. I just looked it up, and according to the woodshop pages, maple is only a 1450 on the harness test, where rose wood is a 2800. I also can't figure out how fretboard wood is that important, when you have body wood, neck wood, pick ups, and an amp with tone controls. I played many gigs and and several bands over the years. In a live setting I can't tell a difference, and I doubt the audience ever could.

@emilfh

5 жыл бұрын

Maple is lacquered, while rosewood is not, so it feels harder compared to he raw surface. I believe most if not all of the difference a because of one's brain playing tricks where the bright maple causes one to perceive the sound as brighter compared to the warmer looking rosewood. The difference is probably real as you hear it, since our brain is not very objective and senses interact. The pickups pickups the vibration from the strings an not the wood. But to some degree the material of the neck and body would effect he vibration of the strings through the harness and flexibility of the neck for example. But blindtests show that the difference is not detectable when not knowing which instrument plays. So I do believe people prefer different fretboard a when playing, because how it feels and how the player perceive it as sounding.

@matthewhackett3429

5 жыл бұрын

Maple has the mids for sure. Rosewood softer or not might be warmer but that warmth exposes the highs a bit too much

The thing is, according to academic acoustic journals, you can build a good sounding guitar of debris, but no one can hear the difference between different woods In a blindfold test. And wood is a anisotropic medium. There can be greater differences in one piece of maple, then between different sources. But maplenecks seems to have a hype these days? Peace brother & sisters. The sounds is in the hands!

The maple neck sounds "crisper"

I will say this. I’m not sure if it was intentional or not but you almost consistently played closer to the bridge with the maple. I still agree with you though on the sounds.. little brighter with the maple.

The rosewood sounds like standing outside by a swamp in full Louisiana humidity. The maple sounds like walking inside at the perfect temp enjoying a cold sprite.

Yes, picks definitely sound different to fingers!

This is the bass equivalent to whether the dress is gray or yellow.

I dont see how it can be determined though youtube audio, a basic camera, ... so many people do sound comparisons on youtube not knowing how limited the audio is on here.. it all sounds the same. Perhaps isolated on a track and listened to on a good track on a good system you might see something, but as soon as you turn it into a youtube video ... all that minuscule difference is gone.

There is a difference in slap and pick sound. But, I did not hear that much of a difference between maple and rosewood in finger sound.