Laurel and Pau Ferro Fingerboards?

[thebrig]

Just wondering how many of you are put off buying a bass if the fingerboard is either Laurel, or Pau Ferro.

 

I have to admit that I am, it's the paler colour I don't like, especially as I love a really dark rosewood board.

 

In a blind test, I'm sure most people wouldn't be able to tell the difference in sound, or playability.

 

Am I the only one?

Edited December 31, 2022 by thebrig

[PaulThePlug]

I actually prefer it.. especially with a Natural colour body.

I like the redy-brown Pau Ferro.

The Jazz neck i ordered for my P Bitsa, i chose a lighter colour of i think its called 'Vietnamese Rosewood'... with a more visible pattern. I also asked for light on the Ali-Backer...

Edited December 31, 2022 by PaulThePlug

[nilorius]

I currently own a F-J with pau ferro and i like the sound and feel perfectly.

[TheGreek]

It's the future now that most of the Rosewood has been harvested.

[Linus27]

I have a pau ferro board on my Stingray and it looks fabulous but my favourite despite looking nowhere near as beautiful is ebony. Below is my pau ferro Stingray neck.

 

Edited December 31, 2022 by Linus27

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

I used to be put off by rosewood alternatives, but the blackwood teck used on my epiphone vintage pro thunderbirds looks just like a very dark rosewood. Indian laurel seems to vary greatly; the fingerboard on my squier bullet mustang guitar has really twisty grain, but the laurel on my classic vibe bass vi is very straight & even and actually looks rather attractive.

[thebrig]

1 minute ago, Linus27 said:

I have a pau ferro board on my Stingray and it looks fabulous but my favourite despite looking nowhere near as beautiful is ebony. Below is my pau ferro Stingray neck.

 

That looks beautiful

[Cosmo Valdemar]

They can look a bit anaemic but it's easy to darken them with a fingerboard stain.

[Reggaebass]

You’re not the only one, I don’t mind what wood it is but it has to be dark, darker the better really, I won’t buy a bass with a light coloured fingerboard , my Sandberg had an ebony board which is so nice 

[fretmeister]

I had a Fender Urge 2 for years, and that had pau ferro.

It was lovely.

 

I prefer a darker wood for aesthetics, but ultimately aesthetics are just not important enough to be a decisive factor in buying a new bass.

 

Can always use a good leather dye if it’s that much of an issue.

[Lozz196]

I’ve a Mex Player Precision with pau ferro, it’s fairly dark but for me if it’s not maple then the darker the better.

[Cato]

This is my Indian laurel Squier Bass Vi.

 

 

This is my rosewood P bass.

 

 

If I didn't know I'm genuinely not sure I could tell which was which or even that they were made from different woods.

 

Maybe it's more obvious on more figured rosewood boards?

 

Anyway, I'm more than happy with both.

 

 

Edited December 31, 2022 by Cato

[la bam]

The Pau ferro on my fender player precision sounded and felt great, but looked a bit too much like it had faded from what it should have looked like if it was rosewood etc.

[Roger2611]

I prefer the look of laurel to pau ferro but I do have a few pau ferro necks which I have darkened with some stain successfully,  I would rather go for a maple board if I can't have rosewood anymore 

[DGBass]

I've had a couple of instruments, guitars and basses with laurel and pao ferro fingerboards. I must admit I like the Laurel boards very much, the grain and colour is mostly very consistent and a darker shade than pao ferro. Saying that I had a Jazz with a really striking striped pao ferro grain which was quite fetching. My ears arent good enough to detect any tonal difference between them, perhaps pao ferro is a little brighter? The look of a board would swing whether I purchased an instrument or not. Thats the old chestnut of how it looks being almost as important as how it sounds.

 

Pao Ferro board on a Player

 

 

Laurel board on a Squire CV - this was a really nice example and as dark as my USA Fenders.  The board below is from a stratocaster. Can you tell by looking at it whether its rosewood, pao ferro or laurel?

 

[Bassfinger]

5 hours ago, Cosmo Valdemar said:

They can look a bit anaemic but it's easy to darken them with a fingerboard stain.

Or renaissance wax.

[Burns-bass]

You need to give it time.

 

Often new Fenders come with dried out boards that look anaemic. You need to oil every 6 months and play a lot. After a good few years they will age to a dark finish that’s similar to rosewood, it just takes a bit of work.

 

Dont try to accelerate the process and add too much lemon oil or you could effect the wood and make it soft, and prone to dents (especially if you’re using rounds).

 

Personally, I’ve never noticed a difference in sound between the 60s Rosewood boards on my vintage Fenders and a brand new Squier, but I’m perhaps a little less discerning that the average Basschatter.

[neepheid]

As long as it's hard enough to be a fingerboard then it's all good and I will judge individual basses on their own to aesthetic merits rather than what a spec sheet says.

[Wonky2]

I’m not a fan of pf, too light for me….. 

i like ebony though, dark and hard 

[ambient]

Pau Ferro, aka iron wood. As long as it doesn’t go rusty, what’s the problem? I believe it’s very durable and makes for a great fretless fingerboard.

[thebrig]

On 31/12/2022 at 14:18, Reggaebass said:

You’re not the only one, I don’t mind what wood it is but it has to be dark, darker the better really, I won’t buy a bass with a light coloured fingerboard , my Sandberg had an ebony board which is so nice 

Lovely!

[dclaassen]

I have not yet been put off by a fingerboard that wasn’t ebony or rosewood. I prefer the ebony feel, but can’t really tell the difference in the others

[Misdee]

Laurel is a bit of a budget option in lieu of rosewood, but pau ferro is a completely different proposition.

 

If I recall correctly, "Bolivian rosewood" was traditionally the preferred fingerboard wood for USA- made Spector NS basses, and "morado" is Roger Sadowskys' preferred choice for fingerboard wood paired with an alder body, in preference to rosewood. 

 

Some folks think that in terms of tone, pau ferro is an excellent amalgamation of the warmth of rosewood and the brightness of maple. I can't comment, never having owned a bass with that wood for the fingerboard, but I'd definitely be up for trying it, even on a high-end bass. I like the pinky colour and I'm sure it would sound fine on most basses.

[police squad]

I have a Vintage 335 a-like. It has a 'Rich-wood' fingerboard. Apparently man made IIRC. When my local Tech set it up, he said he thought it was wood and maybe they were lying about it. Whatever....................it's a good playing and sounding guitar. Used it a lot during lockdown one. Don't know about the others but I would definately try one if I had too

[Munurmunuh]

The standard option on US-built G&L basses is Chechen (also called Caribbean Rosewood, but not, I think I read, actually part of the Rosewood family). I paid for an upgrade to Indian Rosewood purely for looks: not only is Chechen quite a light shade, but often looks very streaky too. I can't say the fretboard I got is especially beautiful, but at least it's got a nice even colouring.