Fretboard wood types

Originally posted by jarviss
how about fretboard wood types?
any suggestions on which wood type you find
"the fastest"?
or what other qualities should i look for in a
fingerboard?
thanks
-G

I thought that this subject would get more response if it had its own thread.

Personally, I prefer maple necks for electric; in my experience, I haven't found an acoustic with anything but rosewood. Apparently, rosewood has a warmer tone and maple is brighter. I find that maple necks are a little bit faster, easier to slide and bend on; but the difference is marginal.

I'm sure the others have more insightful comments, let's have them...

I'm planning to build a guitar soon too, and i've been doing some research, and this is what i've found out about finger boards (there's not much on the sounds, you'll have to ask someone else about that), All i know is that Ebony and rose wood give a warmer tone, and maple gives a brighter tone, I dont know about Cocobolo's sound...
Here goes!...
Ebony: the heaviest of the hard woods, is very dense and machines well, and resists warping and cracking. It's popular for finger boards due to its stability and strength. It hold fretts extremly well, and has a striking appearance, but it is expensive (Pau Ferro has bee reported to cause some allergic reactions, just to let you know, but dont think that plank of Pau Ferro is gonna jump up and kill you. I wouldn't worry about it too much)...
Maple: Strong, very heavy, which is light "blonde" colour. Maple finishes well. It is advisable to laminate the neck from two or three peices for increase stability. (sounds bright, hendrix_jimi said)....
Rosewood: like ebony is a popular choice for fingerboards. Rosewood is oilier than ebony though, which makes finishing more difficult. Brazilian rose wood is more sought after, so it's more expensive (yes, i know, it's all the fault of these capatalist pig-dogs, lol :)), so indian rose wood is sometimes used as a replacemet (I don't actaully know what difference is between the two)...
Cocobolo: I can't say enough wonderful things about this wood. Once seasoned it's very stable and IMHO the best frett less finger board i've seen. I've seen some that are several years old and they have less chatter lines on them than brand new fenders out of the box! No joke... Oh yeah COCOCOCObolololobo is known to be toxic, so for god sake dont chew it!!!!... like you needed telling.
I thought that making your own guitar is alot cheaper, it's not as cheap as i though it was!
About "fastest" wood, hmm, i though what fretts you use really make the differnce...
Hope this helps..

Thanks for the post ed. I like seeing lists that summarize stuff, so I don't have to exert my brain too much.

How about Parker's polycarbonate neck that they put on their guitars? I've played a NiteFly before, and it felt great, and it sounded alright as well. It's hard to compare, since they don't make a guitar with a normal neck so there's nothing similar to compare it to.

And with regards to building your own guitar - with most things, it is cheaper to buy, unless it is vintage. The big companies have economies of scale which come with mass "capitalist pig-dog" production, so they will always have an advantage over a single person who wants to make it by hand. Just ask Uncle Ford.

thanks, y'all

You'r welcome... hendrix, there's alot of other wierd stuff used for necks like Steinbergers for example, wich uses wierd and wonderful stuff like fibre resin and graphite material, but I think if you're going to do something that out of the usual you're going to need a lot of money, knowledge, and freinds who you can "borrow" tools and advice from... but to be honest i've no idea where you're going to get enough graphite for a guitar! I know you can get it in Badminton Rackets...
Yep! I know about why the prices, as if you divide the labor/ tool/ maintaince/ etc costs over thousands of guitars you'r going to lower costs, and the materials are giong to be cheap when buy them in the thousands as opposed to some poor shmuck wanting to buy 2single and one humbucker pickups, or a single bridge! It's just a fact of life... still though there's a nice feeling about having you'r "own" instrument...

anyone ever play a guitar with a basswood neck?

I dont know about what qualities it has or how it compares, but i have a maple neck with rosewood fingerboard.

yea i have a Js 1000 and it's really nice the neck is awesome and it's so easy to play. overall a kick ass guitar.