3-Tone Sunburst P-bass, Maple or Rosewood finger board?

[jackers]

Hey all,

I know this is subjective and all, but I am currently looking for a secondhand P-bass, and have seen two nice 3TS ones, one with a maple fingerboard and the other with rosewood. Now, they both look gorgeous, but part of me thinks that maple on 3TS looks a bit un-natural compared to rosewood for some reason :S lol.

I was just wondering what you lot think?

[cameltoe]

Maple everytime!

Rosewood dampens the strings better, as it's a softer wood.

But Maple.

[Muzz]

Maple all the way. But then I like a maple board on anything.

[Doctor J]

I used to avoid maple purely because I didn't like the look of it but now it doesn't bother me in the slightest. I think rosewood does work better with 3TS though.

[LiamPodmore]

Maple, just prefer the look of it. If i can get a bass with a maple board, i'll get it with a maple board.

Liam

[Muzz]

Maple is a harder wood than rosewood? Really?

I know it's Wikipedia, but... [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janka_hardness_test"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janka_hardness_test[/url] - Rosewood 1780, Hard Maple 1450, Silver Maple 700, Red Maple 950

Makes you wonder about all that "maple is a brighter sounding board" hoohah, too...

[jackers]

I usually prefer maple aswell, but there is something about rosewood and 3TS together that looks very appealing to me. the more I look at the maple board 3TS, the more I like it, haha.

[KiOgon]

Rosewood's right on Sunburst, Maple's wrong IMO

[Old Horse Murphy]

Sorry, it has to be Sunburst, rosewood and tortoiseshell. I'm pretty sure there was a law passed to this effect.

Anything else is just unnatural and slightly perverse

Edited June 13, 2012 by Old Horse Murphy

[deanovw]

whs /\

[Ghost_Bass]

Is there anything better than Tobacco Burst / Maple FB combination?!!

[attachment=110302:Fender%20P-Bass%20Classic%2050's%20%202.jpg]

[Bassman Steve]

Mr Murphy's right, there's an EC Directive - I'm certain of it.

[Musicman20]

I had both and the rosewood looked better on a P.

If its a black pick guard on say a Jazz or Ray, then maple can look nice.

[sk8]

i would have immediately said maple but since i got my American Vintage 62RI P i think rosewood looks the business

Edited June 13, 2012 by sk8

[Nibody]

M A P L E! Preferably with the laquer aged to a nice Honey colour

[noelk27]

[quote name='cameltoe' timestamp='1339578536' post='1690722']Rosewood dampens the strings better, as it's a softer wood.[/quote]
Leaving aside the point that the string almost never contacts the wood of the touchboard, but the fret wire, can't say I understand this notion of damping. Length of and rate at which the string moves in the magnetic field generated by the pickup which determines the output. Touchboard wood is making no appreciable difference to output or sustain. Don't you think that the reason there's any difference between a neck that's all maple and a neck made with maple and capped with rosewood is construction? Most necks with a maple touchboard are not capped. All necks with a rosewood touchboard are capped.

As for colour combination preferences - two-tone sunburst and maple looks great and three-tone sunburst and rosewood looks great.

[markorbit]

I like both rosewood and maple on a sunburst P, I think they both look well. The rosewood is the 'classic' look but the maple/sunburst has something too.

[Lozz196]

[quote name='Old Horse Murphy' timestamp='1339579311' post='1690753']
Sorry, it has to be Sunburst, rosewood and tortoiseshell. I'm pretty sure there was a law passed to this effect.

Anything else is just unnatural and slightly perverse
[/quote]

Couldn`t put it any better.

[pobrien_ie]

I'm with noelk27 on this one.... maple on a 2Ts and rosewood on a 3TS. It just makes sense

[cameltoe]

[quote name='noelk27' timestamp='1339584974' post='1690871']
Leaving aside the point that the string almost never contacts the wood of the touchboard, but the fret wire, can't say I understand this notion of damping. Length of and rate at which the string moves in the magnetic field generated by the pickup which determines the output. Touchboard wood is making no appreciable difference to output or sustain. Don't you think that the reason there's any difference between a neck that's all maple and a neck made with maple and capped with rosewood is construction? Most necks with a maple touchboard are not capped. All necks with a rosewood touchboard are capped.

As for colour combination preferences - two-tone sunburst and maple looks great and three-tone sunburst and rosewood looks great.
[/quote]

So you don't think maple fretboards sound brighter?

I think if a string is vibrating heavily less than half an inch away from a piece of wood, which ultimately it is connected to, then some of these vibrations are going to either rebound off the board, or be absorbed by it.

How much of either will depend on the type of material. If it's wood, then there are bound to be variances between different woods, even different pieces of the same type of wood.

That's why custom guitar and bass makers spend a lot of time finding the right tone woods with which to build an instrument.

And maple just looks better.

[mr zed]

Maple!

[Lfalex v1.1]

Maple on 3TS
Rosewood on Tobacco burst

(with no regard for sonic contribution)

[Green Alsatian]

Either works for me, but the scratchplate's the deciding factor:

60s style - Sunburst + Tort + Rosewood
70s style - Sunburst + Black + Maple

I'd have both - flats on the Rosewood and rounds on the Maple.

[Donnyboy]

I'm a maple kinda guy - but the 3 tone with rosewood & tort is the business - especially if the headstock is kinda honeyed.

[Rick's Fine '52]

Both are 'right' IMO, and Leo's of course, but it depends on the pickguard also.

3TSB Rosewood and tort guard is classic on P's & J's
3TSB Maple Precision, gold guard is also classic

they do feel very different though, so playing it alone will decide for you.

Black guards on sunburst is just wrong!