NJE Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 I am just wondering if anyone out there owns or has played a bass with a fretted Ebony board? I know it is used on fretless basses quite a bit, but I dont see many fretted Ebony basses. Reason I ask is that I have a squier with "Ebanol" fingerboard which is like a dark simulated synthetic ebony and it has amazing punch and clarity and the strings seem to be permanantly bright on that bass. I just love it and want to know, if this is what Ebony sounds like, does it have similar charatersitics to what I loosely described? I played a custom guitar the other day with an ebony fretboard and it was beautiful and I now have real GAS for Ebony Jazz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schnozzalee Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 Ebony's the best i've tried too. Maple is thin sounding but agressive and rosewood deep and warm and ebonys the happy medium...crispy clear and got some depth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor J Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 Yup, ebony on my Bacchus 5 haven't played ebanol, but this one is very clear, lovely zing to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 I have either ebony or morado, IIRC..not sure what the difference is as it looks the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ou7shined Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 I played one the other night (a twin bucker gibson) the overall basic tone of the bass was "bassy". Havng no reference point, I don't know if a maple board would have zingyed it up any... so my post isn't any help other than to say "yes" to the title. I'll get my coat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 I had a Gibson Les Paul bass, and the whole sound was very deep, rich, and big-bottom-end. Could of course be due to mahogany body and humbuckers, but when I tried a maple-neck Fender through the same amp settings, it was so much "toppier" in comparison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lozbass Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 I've had (and still have) several basses with fretted ebony boards. I find the tone - in general - to be bright and very clear across the spectrum (from deep lows through mids and into the highs). Of course, there are many factors that affect tone, but ebony is my favourite for boards because of its clarity and the quality that it - seems to - afford to the fundamental. My current ebony boarded basses are Alembics so there's a lot going on besides the board - there is a real complexity to the tone though, and I'm convinced that some of this is down to the board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 I have an ebony board my my main fretted bass, very nice but not miles away from a good rosewood board. I don't think it make much difference on a fretted bass, looks beautiful though. It's not much like the ebanol board on the fretted Curbow i had, nor on my fretless Mighty Mite neck. Ebanol feels different to wood, again moreso on a fretless, but still a very nice playing surface which stands up to roundwounds and my cumbersome playing. It's pointless comparing fretboard woods unless they're on the same bass (or at least two identical basses) as there's so many other variables some of which have much more impact on the tone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matski Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 [quote name='lemmywinks' post='1152409' date='Mar 7 2011, 01:51 PM']It's pointless comparing fretboard woods unless they're on the same bass (or at least two identical basses) as there's so many other variables some of which have much more impact on the tone.[/quote] I concur! I have a Kubicki ExFactor which has an ebony fretboard, but and it sounds VERY zingy - but that's generally how Kubicki's sound anyway... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spinynorman Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 I had a Gibson IV which had an ebony fretboard. It looked really smooth and dark and felt great to play. Like others here, I think any contribution it made to the tone was overwhelmed by the all-mahogany set neck construction and TB pickups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ou7shined Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 [quote name='spinynorman' post='1152521' date='Mar 7 2011, 02:23 PM']I had a Gibson IV which had an ebony fretboard. It looked really smooth and dark and felt great to play. Like others here, I think any contribution it made to the tone was overwhelmed by the all-mahogany set neck construction and TB pickups.[/quote] It was a gibby iv that I was on about too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Burrito Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 My 1976 Jazz bass is a fretted Ebony board. It started out fretless and a previous owner did the honours. The dot markers are of course over the frets and not between frets which took an adjustment but it feels just great and sounds awesome I wish ebony was used more although I do like maple and rosewood too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markorbit Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 I used to have an Ibanez Musician that I think had an ebony board. Don't remember it too well though... Agreed that maple seems aggressive and snappy (sometimes good), rosewood is soft and bloomy (sometimes good), graphite is precise and even (sometimes good!) but I think ebony could be the magic choice for a good all-rounder. I'm thinking it may be a woodier-sounding 'graphite' which would suit me. Not much help I know but if it sounds as it looks... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mykesbass Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 The ESP Surveyor has an ebony board - played one in a Colchester music shop about 5 years ago and still remember it so I must have liked it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike f Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 I've got an ebony board on my 2001 Ltd Ed Warwick Thumb bolt-on. A very deep sounding bass with a lovely top end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayman Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 My ESP Horizon has a beautiful ebony board, and my Ibanez Gary Willis has an ebanol board. I love the look, feel and tone from ebony, it's by far my favourite fretboard timber. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4 Strings Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 I think this might be considered controversial. Its likely your lead will make a bigger contribution to your sound than fingerboard material on a fretted instrument. The string vibrates between the metal fret and the metal bridge. If a discernible difference can be heard from a hard wood setting for the fret and a slightly harder wood setting then the relatively soft maple will sound warmest, rosewood, being harder, less so, and ebony, the hardest wood in the world, brightest of all. (Remember how harsh aluminium necked Kramer basses sounded - or were considered to sound - in the 80s?) Trouble is, the glossy, light coloured maple fingerboard on Fenders LOOK like they will sound bright and their single wound pickups make them so. (Try an old Telecaster bass with the humbucker to hear some real warmth from a maple fingerbopard.) The lacquer cannot affect the sound, it can't keep any sound 'in' or reflect any vibration and the pickup is the other end anyway. I have an ebony fingerboard on my Jaydee (in my little sig pic) and, being so hard, it will last a jolly long time, the reason for its choice on fretless and upright basses. It certainly feels different to lacquered maple fingerboards and the reverse colouring makes a difference to the player when swapping between them, but an ebony sound? A long way down the list of contributions to the Jaydee sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry_B Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 +1 I'm not sure it makes much difference with fretted basses. As for unfretted ones, well maybe. I'm still not convinced that there's much of an effect on tone. I think it may be more about looks and wear and tear. It makes sense to have a more resilient wood on an unfretted bass, after all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 I like basses with ebony fingerboards because I prefer the way it looks compared with rosewood or maple. How much of a difference it makes to the sound can't really be quantified because there are two many other constructional and electronic differences between the basses I have with ebony and other wood fingerboards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spinynorman Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 [quote name='Ou7shined' post='1152542' date='Mar 7 2011, 02:46 PM']It was a gibby iv that I was on about too. [/quote] Did you like it? I could take pint glasses off tables with the open E. If only Gibson could have found a body shape that matched the headstock, or vice versa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ou7shined Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 [quote name='spinynorman' post='1153249' date='Mar 8 2011, 12:23 AM']Did you like it? [b]I could take pint glasses off tables with the open E.[/b] If only Gibson could have found a body shape that matched the headstock, or vice versa.[/quote] I could well imagine that. I thought it was ok, (ignoring some uneven action across the strings) it felt very playable and the dusty end became especially inviting. The hog bod was a proper let down though, I actually remarked at the time that it looked homemade - the pup routs were crazy outta line and there were unusual choices at rounding the edges off around the "difficult bits" in the horn cutouts. The sound (as you said) was on the whumpy side but not totally saggy with it. A great rocking/blues bass. I didn't mind the '80's "sword and sorcerer" styling (wouldn't look out of place on Discworld ) but the in-line controls seem out of place with it's otherwise organic looks. Here endeth my bijou mini-review-ette. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krysbass Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 My fretted '84 Westone Thunder III has a rather nice looking ebony 'board. I can't really comment on how this may affect the tone compared to rosewood, but on a totally superficial level it looks nice and I've always enjoyed the fact that it's just something a little bit different, given that rosewood is by far the more typical wood used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goblin Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 I've got a 6er on it's way to me with an Ebony board, so it'd be interesting to try it out and compare it the the fretless which is Ebony too It's actually that suspicious looking £500 Overwater in the ebay links thread, at that price it's worth a punt and as I'm playing for various shows at the moment, I could do with an inexpensive 5 / 6 stringer. If it plays well and sounds nice, for the money I'm not arsed if it's a genuine Overwater or not, but I'm gunna be doing various bits of research to see if i can find out what it is Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmyp28 Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 (edited) [quote name='NJE' post='1152344' date='Mar 7 2011, 11:26 AM']I am just wondering if anyone out there owns or has played a bass with a fretted Ebony board? I know it is used on fretless basses quite a bit, but I dont see many fretted Ebony basses. Reason I ask is that I have a squier with "Ebanol" fingerboard which is like a dark simulated synthetic ebony and it has amazing punch and clarity and the strings seem to be permanantly bright on that bass. I just love it and want to know, if this is what Ebony sounds like, does it have similar charatersitics to what I loosely described? I played a custom guitar the other day with an ebony fretboard and it was beautiful and I now have real GAS for Ebony Jazz.[/quote] just wondering but what custom bass did you play? I only ask because i saw that you where at the bass show, and had a go on a GB and if thats the case that bass you played with an ebony board might have been mine I love ebony to me it feels like the black maple, its so smooth and you get a real mid growl with it. Edited March 16, 2011 by Jimmyp28 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desmondpot Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 (edited) My Sterling and Jazz have ebony boards. Love 'em. Hard, cold and black: just the way I don't like my coffee. Edited March 16, 2011 by desmondpot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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