Conference napalm::guitar

    Yes, they play differently and they sound different.  To me, the
    maple fretboard is too slippery for me but, I am just a beginner.
    I find it easier toplay a rosewood neck because I don't bend the
    strings as much when playing cords.  You should try both and see
    what is right for you. Everybody has a different opinion and they
    are right, for themselves, but it may not be right for you.
                              
    
    Don

    I read an article in GP back in the seventies where they had
    interviewed I think Jeff Beck.  He said something about rosewood
    being more "flexible" than maple, whereas, maple has a much
    more "rigid" feel.  He claimed that maples are harder to play.
    
    I've always used maple necks because for some reason, I could
    never get used to the 'open-grained' texture of the rosewood.
    
    I think the decision between rosewood or maple is of a personal
    choice type thing.
    
    cheers/mike

    
    Or if you get bored of the colour 8^)

    I agree with mike in -2....rosewood is too pourous for my tastes.  I
    like sanded maple as much as I like ebony...nice and hard, with a
    smooth surface.  The maple can get too bright, however, in certain
    situations.  Ebony seems to be the best all-around neck IMO. 

Well until Fender came out with the satin finishes I hated maple necks, now I 
can at least see why someone would want one...

dbii lover of his rosewood necked strat

    Let's just confuse ya some more.....I have a maple neck/fretboard
    on my new Strat, and I wouldn't trade it for any of my previous
    rosewood fret boards....it IS very slick, but that's the way I like
    it....and the color is oh, so nice. (imho)
    
    Steve

    It's funny, but the only reason I like Rosewood and ebony is because
    maple looks like doo-doo after a few years of rubbing oily fingers
    into the fret board around your favorite positions...
    
    I gotta agree with Buck though, Ebony is perfect.
    
    jc

>   maple looks like doo-doo after a few years of rubbing oily fingers
    into the fret board around your favorite positions...             
    
    IMHO, that used look is kinda neat, like, "wow, vintage axe!"
    
    Stev0

    re: .7
    > Maple looks like doo-doo... ?
    
    Hmmm... I'd much rather think of it as character instead.   ;^)
    I have a very well used (and well loved) older Strat with a
    maple fretboard and altho it's seen alot of use (not abuse) I
    wouldn't trade it in. I like the tone of a rosewood (maybe) alittle
    better, but if I had to do it all over it again, I'd stay with
    the maple. It doesn't take "work" to play it. The guitar almost
    plays itself. 
    
    Fred
    
    P.S. BTW... my Fender neck has *alot* of character!    ;^) 
                  

    
    Ebony is the best! I don't think it would look good on a Strat though.
    I like some rosewood, if it's not too porous.

    Almost all my guitars have rosewood which I like a lot.  Maple is
    alright, but I don't like the feel of the finish they usually put on
    it.  The ebony boards I've played have felt very nice.
    
    Greg

    rosewood and maple actually have two different sounds.
     
    rosewood has more tone and is deeper sounding, good for playing
    cords, and maple gives a higher, crisp sound, good for soloing.
    I don't think it makes much of a difference, you can get that out
    of your equipment. Get what you feel most comfortable with and that
    will be good for you.
    
                                                           \MaRk/
    
    

    Seems all my best guitars have Ebony, but if I was to buy one with the
    option, I'd get maple. I also like the way it wears out and looks bad,
    just so much hard work showing on the fingerboard is a good pose!
    I have 1 rosewood board,( Kramer Seagull neck ) it's a dog.
    

    		I have different guitars with all three types of
    	wood used on the fret board. I tend to like the tighter
    	grained maple and ebony on my solid body electrics while
    	I definately favour rosewood on the arch top hollow
    	bodies and acoustics. I had the hardest time getting 
    	used to the maple fret boards but once I got it down
    	I perfer them now. Again, I think this is one of those
    	personal taste issues. My main consideration on the
    	type of wood would depend on the kind of guitar and the
    	sound I was looking for.
    
    	DonH
    

And I quote John Suhr, luthier, in Guitar Buyer's Guide, '89-'90:


"Maple necks promote attack and can at the same time sound very sweet..I've
never associated them with warmth.  A hard finish on the maple fingerboard
increases reliability but makes the neck's sound harder...Ebony
fingerboards deliver a hard,dry sound.  When paired with a maple back they
need regular neck adjustment along with frequent  oiling to prevent
cracking.  Rosewood fingerboards enjoy the greatest popularity.  They are
warm or bright, depending on the other variables, and require little
maintenance." 


I understand "attack" to mean how the tone comes on.

Thanks from me for all the input, folks.  This conference is great!

Mike

    
 From -1
    
    >...Ebony fingerboards deliver a hard,dry sound.  When paired with a
    >maple back they need regular neck adjustment along with frequent 
    >oiling to prevent cracking....
    
    
    Does the fretboard wood really affect neck warping?  What does oiling a
    fretboard refer to?  I've always thought that the only oil the
    fretboard needed came from my fingers.
            
    
    Kevin

Ive got an ebony fretboard that gets no special treatment from me and it's 
never even suggested that it might act up....

dbii

    Ebony fretboards are prone to drying out and cracking.  Dry boards will
    have a gray or white-ish look to them.  I generally oil boards after
    fret leveling or major cleaning. If neither of these is done,
    fretboards will rarely need oiling  more often than once every three or
    four years. Often a guitar will get enough oil from playing to make
    additional oiling unnecessary.
    
    For years I had used raw linseed oil for this purpose, however, about 5
    years ago I learned that Jimmy D'Aquisto uses a more mundane substance
    on his guitars--motor oil!!! I switched to this and prefer it to raw
    linseed oil, since it will not deteriorate over time.
    
    To oil a board, first remove the strings. If the board is dirty, clean
    it with 0000 steel wool or the finest grade of Scotchbrite. Put about a
    teaspoon of 30 weight oil on a paper towel, allow it to soak in, and
    wipe across the board between the frets, starting near the nut, where
    you'll need the most oil. By the time you reach the end of the board,
    the towel will be almost dry, but the frets are closer together, so it
    works out :-). Take a dry paper towel and wipe up as much oil as you
    can. Finish up with some tissues and a cotton cloth. The idea is to
    remove all the surface oil and evenly distribute the rest. When you are
    though, the board should be glossy black, but not wet looking. Don't
    oil it again until it starts looking dry.
    
    There is some controversy over whether boards should be oiled or not,
    mostly because overoiling, or oiling with the wrong substance can cause
    the fret slots to soften. Excessive dryness, however, can cause
    splitting and shrinking--I see the latter problem far more often than
    the former. I have guitars with ebony fingerboards that I've owned for
    thirty years that have not been harmed by occasional oiling, and I
    strongly recommend it when it's called for.
    
    Never, ever, oil rosewood or varnished maple boards. The former is a
    naturally oily wood, the latter won't absorb the oil and you'll be
    really sorry about it :-)
    
    As far as ebony needing adjustment more than other materials, this is
    purest BS--the fingerboard material has little effect on the neck
    stiffness. Ditto the sound qualities--most of my guitars have ebony
    boards and they get a nice warm sound. 
    
    Danny W.
     
    

    
    re: .19
    
    You recommended not oiling rosewood boards, but what about cleaning
    them (i.e. getting rid of built up finger grunge near the frets)?  
    
    Should I just dry scrub with steel wool or are there some cleaning
    fluids that can be used?
    
    
    							Brian

    
    Re .19
    
    Danny, thanks for the good info.  I have two guitars with ebony necks,
    and both look ok.  I'd be game to try oiling them if they looked like
    they needed it.
    
    Kevin
    

   I've found that under extreme-ish conditions rosewood boards
   _can_ require, or at least benefit from, light oiling.  I usually
   use lemon oil and follow the same proceedure outlined in .19.
   Though in _really_ extreme cases in the past I have used woodwind
   "bore oil" and let it set in for a while before wiping off the
   excess.  

   Yes, rosewood is a naturally oily wood, but _any_ wood will dry
   out over time and will benefit from a replentishing of oils (he says,
   thinking specifically of New England winters and 5 months of extremely
   dry artificial heat). 

   -- Sam

    Many repairpersons use lighter fluid or benzene for cleaning
    fretboards. A small amount on a little piece of 0000 steel wool or fine
    Scotchbrite will usually remove most grunge. Careful use of an X-acto
    knife may also help, followed by wool/brite.  If you do use a solvent,
    be careful around the binding and finish. I usually find I can get it
    clean enough with Scotchbrite and an X-acto.
    
    Normal playing on a rosewood board should keep it oiled enough, even
    here in NE. If it must be oiled, do it very lightly. I'd caution
    against using lemon oil--this can break down when exposed to finger
    oils and develop an unpleasant odor that will be difficult to remove.
    Stick to raw linseed or motor oil. Others to avoid are 3-in-1, mineral
    oil, cooking oil --actually, anything else, too. This is not a good
    area for pioneering work, since the damage may not show up for awhile.
    
    I used to oil all my boards once or twice a year, but I've cut down
    substantially without seeing any ill effects. For that matter, I never
    noticed any problems from the more frequent oilings either. I either
    become more cautious or more lazy as I get older--probably more lazy.
    
    Danny W.
     
    

    I oil my fretboards very lightly when I clean them (as necessary,
    usually once or twice a year), only if they look dry.  My hands are
    typically fairly dry and I wipe them off before putting them away, so
    they don't get much oil from there.
    
    I do have a question for you Danny, since you seem pretty much opposed
    to oiling rosewood fretboards.  How would you recommend dealing with
    the rosewood fretboard on an instrument that has not been played or
    maintained for several years, and kept in a very dry environment.  I'm
    working on one of these right now and the wood looks extremely dry,
    even though I put a little lemon oil on it.  I've put on two
    applications of oil over about two months and it's still dry as a bone. 
    
    How much oil would you use to rehydrate it, and on what schedule, to
    avoid problems?
    
    Greg

    
    
    		Like Greg, my hands are pretty dry so I don't get alot
    	of oil on the fret board from my hands. And I usually wipe the
    	guitar down when I'm through playing so I end up cleaning and
    	oiling my fretboards about twice a year. I use 0000 steel wool
    	and linseed oil on my rosewood boards. I don't think that oil
    	from your hands would be the best thing for a fret board as 
    	there are acids in the oil which can cause the same type of
    	effect of lemon oil, it can break down and begin to have a bit
    	of a scent that is hard to get rid of. Leave fingerprints on
    	chrome or gold plated parts and they eventually will "etch" into
    	the finish.
    
    	DonH
    

    The rationale behind oiling ebony is to keep it from shrinking and
    splitting. Rosewood rarely does this, even if quite dry. If you really
    want to oil it anyway, do it just as if it were ebony. And don't use
    lemon oil.
    
    The amount of oil necessary is very small. I bought a quart of raw
    linseed oil over 20 years ago, and I still have most of it.
    
    Regardless of how meticulously you wipe your guitar after playing,
    rosewood will absorb a lot of oil from your fingers.
    
    Danny W.
     
    

    Over the weekend I was talking with someone who has done some
    restoration work for me and has a great deal of experience with
    fretboard repair.
    
    His votes for the best oils to use are either woodwind bore oil or raw
    linseed cut with 50% turpentine and a little Japan dryer. He says that
    the choice of oil probably doesn't make much difference until you
    re-fret, but his feeling is that these two do the best job.
    
    Danny W.

    Last night I oiled a couple of boards with 50/50 raw
    linseed/turpentine. Smelled terrible, worked great. Much easier to
    apply than straight oil, and it cleaned up much easier, too. I'm sold
    
    Danny W.