Hi fam,
I recently ended up with two new (used) Stratocasters. One has a maple fretboard, and the other has a rosewood fretboard. This seemed like a perfect opportunity to do a little video on the tonal differences between these two types of woods.
So what do you think? Is there a difference in the sound of maple and rosewood, or is the difference mostly in the feel and look? There are some unique angles presented in this video to help us evaluate this age-old question.
Give it a watch, and let me know your opinion in the comments.
Thanks,
Nate
Yeah, I’m gonna vote for the Rosewood. I guess I mainly just like the look of it better. I can hear a slight tone difference but I not 100% sure I can say I love one over the other. The Thrill is Gone intro i like a bit better on the Rosewood.
Hey Nate, I found the tonal quality of the rosewood to be softer or more mellow. The maple neck sounded very clear and bright and more amplified. My strat has a rosewood neck and the tely has a maple neck and they both sound great but I find the tely maple neck smoother and more responsive somehow. Probably due to the density and finish of the wood. If you find drag using the maple neck, next time you change strings, put paste wax on the wood and buff it to a high luster.
Man, you just keep coming up with fun and interesting videos to watch! I definitely noticed a tonal difference between the two. The maple was "muddier" or you used the word smoother while the rosewood was "brighter" to me. Overall, I would have to say I liked the rosewood sound more. However, after listening to the DI sound samples I would say there were one or two samples that I on which I liked the maple better.