Baked and roasted fingerboards?

[rio]

I am seeing more and more of these fingerboards in new guitars. I’ve read that it is since the traditional fingerboard materials except for maple are getting very hard to find due to the tight regulations on rosewood and ebony. I am conflicted about this because I am all about ebony and rosewood fingerboards and I know that people say there aren’t differences but I hear and feel them. I have a fretless bass with a richlite board and it is a good bass but not the same as a traditional fingerboard.

But that isn’t really the point. I am wondering if any of you have played any of these baked or roasted fingerboards. Does something like roasted maple still sound and feel like maple? Same hardness? Is it purely cosmetic or does it actually change things beyond the appearance?


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[neatomic]

when gibson was raided for their endangered wood stock a few years back...they started using baked maple instead of rosewood for fretboards...looked eh...tho felt like a trad gibson moreso than a maple neck fender...(of course different applications and design)...

synthetics like richlite and ebanol and even other "stranger" natural woods are used on lots of guitars now....for environmental and money reasons...i expect the trend to continue

something to get used to




cheers

[BigMikeinNJ]

I was looking for a long time at flamed maple strat necks when I found a MIM Fender Active Player strat that had a roasted flame maple neck with a roasted birdseye cap - a real stunner. It's on a Strat and it looks great and really played nicely. The doggone thing is swell... Trying to use roasted wood in lieu of Ebony or Rosewood I don't know anything about - but if you want a nice all maple neck don't be afraid to look into those.

Big

[mad dog]

I bought a used, roasted maple neck for a partscaster tele. Maybe warmoth, can't remember. No finish. It feels really nice. Somewhat different than the heavily lacquered maple board tele necks I've played before. The fingerboard is not as slick. The back of the neck feels worn in and completely comfortable. I can't generalize from one experience, but certainly love roasted necks so far.

MD

[neatomic]

good info-

Gibson Baked Maple Fingerboard Guide | Andertons Blog

cheers

[jads57]

Have an ES-339 Studio with a Baked Maple fingerboard, Works and sounds just fine!

[Frank67]

I have a toasted maple neck, though with a rosewood fingerboard. The neck feels incredibly nice and smooth. It is light and sturdy at the same time. I would not hesitate to buy a roasted maple neck with roasted maple fingerboard. In fact, I‘m pretty sure, I‘ll prefer that over the heavily lacquered maple boards.

[ThatRhythmMan]

I had a Charvel Guthrie Govan with a roasted maple neck. I think I would generally prefer roasted maple to poly finished maple. It seemed to have the same snap as a traditional maple neck to me.

[John A.]

I am seeing more and more of these fingerboards in new guitars. I’ve read that it is since the traditional fingerboard materials except for maple are getting very hard to find due to the tight regulations on rosewood and ebony. I am conflicted about this because I am all about ebony and rosewood fingerboards and I know that people say there aren’t differences but I hear and feel them. I have a fretless bass with a richlite board and it is a good bass but not the same as a traditional fingerboard.

But that isn’t really the point. I am wondering if any of you have played any of these baked or roasted fingerboards. Does something like roasted maple still sound and feel like maple? Same hardness? Is it purely cosmetic or does it actually change things beyond the appearance?


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I've tried a couple of Gibsons with baked, I mean terrif ... uh torrified maple fingerboards. Feels like rosewood to me. I can't hear any difference.

John

[GNAPPI]

My LP-ES Special and LP Classic Custom... or is it Custom Classic? (which in reality it's neither) :-) both have the baked maple and I like them fine. My lightly calloused fingers cannot tell them from any other wood, and I don't look for issues that don't exist. Hear a difference? not me. IMO, there can be enough differences in sound between two identical gits that I gave up long ago trying to pin minute differences to one thing.

Then again I couldn't feel an anvil under my mattress either so take my opinion with a standard grain of salt.

[ptchristopher3]

I think they play and sound great. I can not find a single in-action downside to the material at all.

Richlite bugs me a little for no good reason - I mean, if we love ABS plastic binding, why hate Richlite?

But roasted maple just feels perfectly fine, plays more than fine (much better than polyester coated maple), and seems a great solution to the forestry issues.

I can hear no difference whatsoever - or at least no more difference that one might hear between two identical guitars using any FB material.

In my opinion.

I have no idea how roasted maple will be to refret. Never pulled frets on one.

[Greentone]

Folks, Richlite and torrefied maple are the future. Face it, when you saw down a rosewood or mahogany tree, one does _not_ grow back. It is not like replanting pine, or even hardwood in a temperate zone forest. Reason? The soil. The soil in a tropical forest is very, very heavy in aluminum and iron content. When exposed to the sun and air (i.e., when you chop down the trees), this soil converts into a HARD, red substance called "laterite." This means "brick," by the way. Sustainable forestry in the tropics is dicey, at best, impossible at worst.

When there were few people, playing few guitars and owning little furniture, this was not apparent. Today? Different game.

So, we now must source our hardwoods in the temperate forests and use materials like maple instead of rosewood or mahogany.

(1) Hang onto your old guitars. They are treasures.

(2) Learn to like torrefied maple. Gibson is onto something.

[mr. beaumont]

A student of mine has a Martin with a Richlite fretboard. Feels just like ebony. You'd never know unless you looked really close and saw there's no pores or grain.

[deacon Mark]

Never played one or saw one that i know to be this way. Until i have to do refrets in them the jury is out. I am traditionalist and ebony sets the standard. Glad i have a reasonable stock in the shop. Maple certainly is hard but not as easy to use compared to ebony. Maple does not chip like ebony on refrets so????

[LtKojak]

Baked maple works and sounds good.

NK Forster Guitars Why I don't make sitka spruce guitars - NK Forster Guitars

There's an article by NK Forster guitars talking about the process, in this case about torrified spruce. But the effect can be applied to maple as well.

[rio]

A student of mine has a Martin with a Richlite fretboard. Feels just like ebony. You'd never know unless you looked really close and saw there's no pores or grain.

My only experience with it is on a fretless bass so maybe that’s why the difference is apparent to me in direct comparison to actual ebony. It doesn’t sound as good and it feels different. On a guitar I can see how it would be less noticeable perhaps but I am really glad that I have the guitars I want with my rosewood and ebony fingerboards. I wonder what will happen with upright basses...I will have to treat mine extra special. I mean there are enough old instruments around that I suppose we won’t be really having to search too far for traditional fingerboards in our instruments but over time that might change.

Thanks for all of the info. I will keep an eye out at guitar stores to see if I can try a guitar with one of these modified maple boards to see what they feel like.

One remaining question - does anyone know if it changes the hardness or durability of the wood?


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[Doublea A]

My only experience with it is on a fretless bass so maybe that’s why the difference is apparent to me in direct comparison to actual ebony. It doesn’t sound as good and it feels different. On a guitar I can see how it would be less noticeable perhaps but I am really glad that I have the guitars I want with my rosewood and ebony fingerboards. I wonder what will happen with upright basses...I will have to treat mine extra special. I mean there are enough old instruments around that I suppose we won’t be really having to search too far for traditional fingerboards in our instruments but over time that might change.

Thanks for all of the info. I will keep an eye out at guitar stores to see if I can try a guitar with one of these modified maple boards to see what they feel like.

One remaining question - does anyone know if it changes the hardness or durability of the wood?


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Apparently it makes the wood harder and more stable.


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[Cunamara]

I have an unfinished roasted maple Strat neck from Warmoth. It's outstanding.

[jzucker]

i can't imagine a roasted maple fingerboard in place of rosewood. IMO, it would sound different.

However, I have a tele with a roasted maple neck and I love it. @PTChristopher3 correct me if I'm wrong but with the roasted maple, there is no need for a hard finish? At any rate, my tele doesn't have one and I found that it feels so much better than the sticky maple fingerboard you find on a typical fender maple neck.

And the guitar sounds just like any other maple neck guitar IMO.

[sgosnell]

AFAIK the main reason for having a finish on maple fingerboards is cosmetic. They show dirt and look crappy very soon because of the light color. Bake it to brown and the dirt isn't nearly as obvious.

[ptchristopher3]

In my opinion there is no reason at all to add a finish to torrefied maple.

[Frank67]

Warmoth says that in general Maple needs a finish. Without it they decline warranty since about 10% of the unfinished necks warp and maple in general will suck up humidity and the frets will
eventually pop. All those issues are gone with roasted maple which is fine unfinished. It feels super smooth, light and rock sturdy. Although I am a sucker for ebony, I could live without rosewood and ebony boards (and likely we all soon’ish have to).
actually, I’d love to sand off the lacquer from the neck and fretboard on my Tele - any advice from the professionals?

[christianm77]

Folks, Richlite and torrefied maple are the future. Face it, when you saw down a rosewood or mahogany tree, one does _not_ grow back. It is not like replanting pine, or even hardwood in a temperate zone forest. Reason? The soil. The soil in a tropical forest is very, very heavy in aluminum and iron content. When exposed to the sun and air (i.e., when you chop down the trees), this soil converts into a HARD, red substance called "laterite." This means "brick," by the way. Sustainable forestry in the tropics is dicey, at best, impossible at worst.

When there were few people, playing few guitars and owning little furniture, this was not apparent. Today? Different game.

So, we now must source our hardwoods in the temperate forests and use materials like maple instead of rosewood or mahogany.

(1) Hang onto your old guitars. They are treasures.

(2) Learn to like torrefied maple. Gibson is onto something.

Amen!

I take it people watched this?

I have to say that there is a contradiction here in the advice they would give to Gibson. Gibson cannot make it's old models accurately anymore for the 750-1500 range because of the decline in the wood.

OTOH they point out that Gibson's problem's with scale length and so on has caused the brand to be sidelined, while the innovations the company has made don't really reflect the needs of actual musicians.

So Gibson is kind of painted into a corner. It cannot really make the Gibson Les Paul Standard any more like it was (well not for less than $10,000) but because they missed the boat on changes in heavy rock fashion post nu-metal, young heavy metal players are more likely to go Ibanez etc.

This is relevant to the thread because I don't think the young whippersnappers have too many preconceptions about what their multi string extended Djent monster is made out of, so long as it plays, sounds and looks great. Traditionalist brands like Gibson and Fender have much less wiggle room.

[christianm77]

As a sidebar, most of my students play Fender, Ibanez, Godin, Eastman (and occasionally Gibson), but one of the shred-heads (who wants to learn be-bop :-)) brought in a Chapman guitar.

I have to say I like it. It's well made, plays and feels great and looks quite different from the other guitars despite being clearly modelled on a Tele. It's not going to be a big deal what kind of material the neck of this type of instrument is made out of, while a strat with a richlite fretboard is always going to be 'not the real thing'

It's a big problem for the big boys.

[ptchristopher3]

Amen!

I take it people watched this?

[...]

I understand it is just some guys talking for fun, which is great.

But a little distinction between what they know and what they think they know would have cleaned it up quite a bit. But I suppose that is the nature of unedited easy broadcasting.

A better handle on business and guitars, or some “script” review would have helped.

I suppose failing to distinguish between shareholders and bond holders is not a big deal (well it is really,... but).

Likewise misunderstood, well more like ‘asinine’, terms such as “temper tuning”, are just amateur night stuff that could have been easily cleaned up.

In my opinion.