Busting a myth: Rosewood vs Maple. Do fretboard woods make a difference?

We try to dispel (or prove!) the idea that fretboard materials affect the tone of an electric guitar. Using two Fender American Pro II Stratocasters, we A/B them both and leave the decision up to you!

[@mindphaser23]

Maybe maple sounds brighter than rosewood, maybe it doesn’t. But I have never understood this discussion. It’s only a difference one would hear when the two are played against each other, such as in this video. Not once have I listened to a song and said to myself, “Oh, this was played on a maple fretboard!” Who does that? Would anybody think less of David Gilmour if he predominantly played Strats with rosewood fretboards? I say if you have a choice of fretboards on two otherwise similar guitars, pick the guitar that looks best to you aesthetically and move on.

[@fbee6844]

Yes.

[@gonza.shreds]

I agree, I feel that rosewood has more bass.

[@DRIIC-qw8us]

I'm 100% sure David Gilmour has a preference of fretboard material.

[@LNSANTOS779]

Tenha as duas..

[@Mossy5150]

I can't play VH tunes on anything other than a 5A birdseye maple fretboard, personally... 😛

[@timothymallon]

It's funny, on the blind test, I was opposite what they really were. I thought the attack on guitar A seemed to be maple, whereas the attack on guitar B seemed warmer to me and was rosewood. I guess my ears were lying

[@GoldSeals]

Thats exactly how I picked it.I think he playing with us.I am sure A was maple,and B was rosewood.

[@ereh3423]

@@GoldSeals me too

[@Zombie_13x33]

I thought b was brighter. I'm only listening with ear buds tho

[@soots-stayingoutofthespotl5495]

Same here Timothy. During the blind test I thought 'A' was more musical and brighter, and 'B' was less tonally-complicated and not as bright/ more dry. But surely that's the complete opposite to what you might expect given the reveal of which-is-which wood at the end? I think a slight mis-match in EQ might be throwing things here then, either that or the guy mis-spoke and got them the wrong way round himself in his concluding words (seeing as multiple people in the comments apparently had a similar perception i.e. that A must be maple).

[@ludomirsteinbruck9376]

Than it is a good lesson for your ears, because the Rosewood is the very defintion of smoothrr and warmer. And the maple is more bright and wiry

[@jonathonrich8061]

I definitely heard a difference. They sounded very similar, however the maple had more honk and attack with the lower mids a little more present. It sounded more percussive to me. The rosewood fretboard strat I heard more harmonic content less pick attack more high end content but the lower strings seemed kind of dampened or dark.

[@Glicksman1]

Of course you heard a difference, they're two different guitars and no two guitars sound exactly the same..

[@warshipsatin8764]

​​@@Glicksman1 so which part(s) of the guitar are responsible for the sound then, and to what degree?

[@Glicksman1]

@@warshipsatin8764 Are you sincerely asking me to go into all of the possible theories and opinions about this enormous subject, or are you just baiting me? You ask this "question" as if you think that that either it is unanswerable (which it likely is), or you think that you know the answer and are ready to pounce on me, or anyone else who says anything different. Sorry. I don't play that silly game.

[@andym28]

I'm hearing that honk a lot but I'm not hearing it in nickel frets. It would be good to test if I could dial it out as its pretty harsh.

[@wulf67]

It has nothing to do with the fretboard.

[@tooka5777]

I like that slick lacquer that's on a maple fretboard just feels better

[@thesliquifier1381]

agree

[@bentlyist]

You need to pick your fretboard material by the feel you like. Truthfully I could barely tell when he was switching guitars when I just listened to the audio. When I watched and listened, then I could tell. The difference (on an electric guitar) is so minor compared to even the slightest tone adjustment on your amp or guitar that you really need to just pick the one that feels best when you play it! Good video by the way. 😊

[@JohnMichaelBurns]

Ah man. For the blind test I was like: Yeah A is way brighter, it's obviously maple. Then for the non-blind clips I was like : Yeah, maple is so obviously brighter. This is not the first youtube blind test maple vs rosewood video where I've been convinced that the answer is blindingly obvious and have gotten it totally wrong. I think the moral is that it's not worth choosing a guitar based on which fretboard wood you prefer. The best guitar (for you) in the shop might just be the one with the "wrong" fretboard wood. I bought a guitar last week. I tried out 25 guitars and ended up getting a hardtail bullet strat (Indian Laurel board). While I was trying out those guitars I wasn't even really aware of what the fretboard was made from. The body and neck shape had a much bigger influence on my choice. You could swap the neck on my strat for a one piece maple neck and I doubt I'd care.

[@DougMen1]

Rosewood has that upper midrange that jumps out at you more, and some perceive as brighter. Maple is more even across all frequencies, with less mids, which makes it sound brighter overall to me. And, i always find the difference to be most pronounced on the neck pickups, and less so on the other positions. But, on the neck pickup, the RW always has that rounder and woodier tone that maple doesn't have as much.

[@stevennaismith6289]

I can’t hear any difference between the two guitars

[@benallmark9671]

And those who say any different, well we know those types don’t we.

[@bulutergor]

I prefer maple, just for it looks

[@Glicksman1]

Well, a maple fingerboard also feels a lot different from a rosewood one.

[@engell3707]

Rosewood looks more elegant.That’s why the first years of the Strat they did rosewood, because they were competing with the Les Paul, which is a guitar that was design aesthetically so it could look good with a tuxedo. So Leo Fender had to use rosewood first. Then came maple, but it wasn’t yo appreciated until Clapton started playing with it and making it famous.

[@eliandean9806]

sorry to be offtopic but does anyone know of a tool to log back into an Instagram account?? I somehow lost the login password. I love any help you can offer me.

[@ismaelalijah1760]

@Elian Dean Instablaster ;)

[@eliandean9806]

@Ismael Alijah Thanks for your reply. I got to the site thru google and im waiting for the hacking stuff now. Seems to take quite some time so I will reply here later when my account password hopefully is recovered.

[@sammyowen4655]

I don't know how people say Maple is brighter. A and b blindtest you can clearly hear the rosewood ping in A. Maple is not brighter it's more compressed.

[@TheUnkwnonOne21]

This and maple has an obvious dip in the mids which makes it percussive, whereas you get more control and a better string separation with rosewood.

[@natalea.1858]

I totally agree with you

[@sidrolf]

Felt the maple was twangier and rosewood felt more spacious

[@bobowrathsovine.]

Guitar A the white one sounds better throughout the test. Guitar B blue one is muffled/dull/muddy compared to Guitar A. But I suspect even though Fender claims they're both identical guitars somewhere in the circuitry there's a mismatch. A resister/capacitor/shielding/wiring is slightly altered between the two. I doubt it has anything to do with fretboard wood altering frequency/clarity of the chords and single notes coming out the speaker of the amp.

[@jamesnelson1443]

Maple is a little thinner on low notes, a bit snappier on highs! But overall what difference does it make? None!

[@rocktorrocks]

I was so sure Guitar B was rosewood, it was warmer sounding and I preferred it thinking it was the rosewood one lol. Seems I was wrong lol!

[@benallmark9671]

Don’t feel bad , a least you can admit it.

[@CubensisRecords]

I had the exact same feeling.

[@drlt9241]

I don't care about the tone, I care about the look and feel, for me, I prefer rosewood, some others prefer maple.

[@astull12]

In my experience I've noticed I can hit harmonics more consistently on rosewood. Aside from that I think they sound similar enough to base your preference on aesthetic.

[@strummercash5601]

@astull12 Hello! 2 years later and want to thank you for this insight. I’ve played acoustic for decades, finally plugging in. I love harmonics on electrics, so that would really be a deciding factor for me. 🙏🏽✌🏽💙 from Minnesota, USA

[@Juno58]

And a preference of the feeling. Laquered fingerboards are sometimes somehow sticky.

[@johnperry9082]

My 77 year old buccaneers being subjected to years and years of loud amps had a bit of trouble picking out which was maple or rosewood in the blind test. But I did hear a very slight difference (or did I imagine a difference in tone?) In the visual comparison a couple of riffs on the maple did (I think) have slightly brighter tone. I own and play both Maple and Rosewood Strat's but with different pickups so I've never thought about the neck affecting the tone, just the pickups. I think the feel difference of maple and rosewood fretboards may affect the way you play slightly, which maybe could affect the tone.

[@RiffLair]

If you know what to listen for it's not hard to get right when side by side. Maple is snappier/brighter. When in a mix? Who cares?! I like unfinished maple with some gunk on it more though 😎🤟

[@Purpleyamz]

Pickup height and varying impedance of pickups can more than account for these tonal differences. Adding a mm (or even less) of distance from strings can sound less bright and hot, more round and even.

[@Jamalama555]

maple look better when they age

[@ronmaison8690]

Rosewood sound brighter and warmer.Rosewood for me.

[@Steve-si8hx]

Could have sworn the blind test that A was maple. But was actually rosewood. Ok so somehow rosewood is brighter than maple. Which I thought would have been the opposite.

[@NewHeart378]

love both guitar but I'm a maple guy.

[@dariohenriquez7773]

i've always felt maple sound brighter and rosewood a little darker. it was never important for me because every guitar i owned had a tone knob and the fretboard is not for changing the sound. is for the FEEL, and i personally hate maple in my fingers, it's just not for me. Rosewood feels good, always go for that and it never was about the sound, just the feel. For the sound a lot of pieces of wood won't make any difference, is how you play and through what you play. the most important things are the pickups and the speaker for sound. in between them you can EQ everything to match almost anything

[@alfredomoreno4956]

I always dreamed of a maple fretboard (love the looks) until I finally went to buy one and it felt like I was playing glue. Hated it! I just bought a cheap squier with a urethane finished maple neck and I actually love it 🤷‍♂️

[@jmacc9876]

Close enough. Anyone who claims a big difference is just cork sniffing. Bigger differences in any two strats (far more than fretboard material) would be the electronics (obviously) and then the nut material the string guage etc. Fretboard material is almost negligible once plugged in to an amp at an appreciable volume. That said I'm a rosewood guy on my Fenders, more for the look than anything although maple is beautiful also. .

[@andym28]

I used to switch off during generic demos but I recent years I'm hearing yikes I need to turn they brittle sound off. There's a significance between nickel and steel. I'm sure I could dial out the steel sound but I'll definately stick with nickel regardless of the hassle.

[@asmongoldsmouth9839]

*I ripped this video and separated the audio track and took samples of 1 second each of guitar A and B on all of the examples except the last one (bolume and distortion were not set the same. So there was a difference.* *I ran the audio track samples through my editing software, and the frequency fluctuation was almost identical between both. A tiny difference. But barely at all.*

[@KennedyIvy]

the differences were probably due to his strumming not being 100% consistent. Only way to fully test, is have a machine do the strumming

[@PaulWilliams-j3j]

Warmth or brightness or any fingerboard has no effect on frequency ... any guitar playing the same note will have the same frequency (assuming they are in tune) that's how a guitar tuner works !!

[@prenticef]

Nice video. To my ears the differences were not remarkable. There may have been some slight differences tonally but as a few have stated, no two guitars sound identical. For me it comes down to visual preference. I absolutely love the look and feel of a maple fretboard. If there were differences in tone, to me it was not enough to pick the fretboard less visually appealing to me. What is great is that we can have a choice.

[@isaiahmarquez9717]

Under blind test, the Rosewood sounded snappier, harsher. With the blind removed, it was the exact opposite. I think his attack was inconsistent.

[@scouser2230]

To my ears the maple sounds warmer and the rosewood brighter. I bought my Pro ll with a maple fretboard for myself.

[@pb25193]

I like the feel of maple. Makes me want to play more.

[@Voxman5]

I'm an experienced player and own several rosewood and maple board Strats and Teles. If you listen with your eyes open your brain will fill in what it thinks you want. If you go back and listen with your eyes closed, there's no discernible difference - it's a wierd effect but it's true. Now, even though both guitars are from the same series, no two guitars are identical and you'll still get minor variances in guitar body woods and pickup winding which can all impact on tone. I'll try and find it but there's a similar test using a single Fender Stratocaster where the neck was changed to one of identical shape, thickness, same strings, but one was maple board and the other rosewood. This was an even better test because it cut out the other variables - and the tone was the same from both. It was also wired up to an oscilloscope and whilst there were some very small technical variances in the signal, these were so small that these were scientifically acknowledged as not within the range of even the most perceptive of human hearing. So I think it's fair to say that there is no humanly discernible TONAL difference as between rosewood and maple boards. But of course there is a 'feel' difference and maple boards being smoother and harder can feel faster to play. Any preference is therefore purely down to feel and aesthetics.

[@LB-yn2su]

Rosewood more precise, more transients, Maple more mellow & round. Don't listen to anybody telling you it doesn't matter, it all matters, even and especially on an electric guitar.

[@NotBenCoultry]

Listening on a pair of Adams with my eyes close and periodically opening them, I knew maple by a sproing in the attack and I bet it's due to the way you're playing in reaction to the different feel.

[@jaimemonroyofficial]

Rosewood is warmer, Maple stands trebles out.

[@TheCleaner6969]

I laugh every time I hear someone say the rosewood is warmer 🤣 A bunch of dummies that hear with their eyes.

[@Juno58]

I don't like the laquer finish at maple fretboards, it's kind of sticky sometimes.

[@NoahNCopeland]

the amount of nebulous buzzwords in the comments are painful

[@RalphDoe-r3o]

Totally like the maple sound. I chose B as the maple and I was not wrong. Had a brighter cleaner sound.

[@Glicksman1]

I don't think that all maple or maple with a rosewood fingerboard makes as much of a difference or any difference, but no two guitars sound alike, so using two guitars to do this test proves nothing. Only by using one guitar and changing the necks would tell us something useful. Yeah, it would be a PIA to do that, but that's the only way to be sure that we're really hearing any difference or none.

[@tobytoxd]

Great comment!

[@foxns7]

Very true

[@mikeyJstiffler]

Ive always been partial to maple fretboards. They feel great to play. The only guitar I don’t really prefer a maple fretboard on is a jazzmaster and it’s for no particular reason 😂

[@ianyoung8392]

Rosewood sounds wider with it[s mid range. Maple sounds more concentrated. Both guitars had good highs. But it's very hard when you don't use the same body because we've all been into a shop and picked up strats. The weight varies wildly and therefore the quality of the wood and whether it was at the top or bottom of the tree makes a big difference. But if you want wider or more concentrated in your tone then it's a part of the chain to think about. If you look at someone like Zakk Wylde. Mahogany has a wider grain and a wider sound. Zakk modernised the Les Paul sound with EMG's AND using maple set necks Whereas Eddie did something similar with bolt on maple necks, higher output humbuckers and basswood to be wider sounding than strat woods. If what you want is the tightest guitar possible then people start to use more and more maple in their guitars from the neck, fretboard and body top, in Jerry Cantrell's case the whole body. Which in turn helps you sound good with darker amp/pedal settings. Dual Rectifier, 5150, SLO100 etc. all had a lot more gain and bass than generations of amps before them. Hence why headless, stainless steel fret, multiscale guitars these days are on the brighter and louder side. There's a strong reason why Ibanez, Kiesel, Strandberg, Schecter, Ormsby, Anderson, Suhr, G&L, new design PRS (Weiner started it), Musicman etc. all have a scale of how much maple they generally use in their electric guitars. Maple has a magic to it that people can't deny that works so well in a huge mix or by yourself. What I see in the comments is that people don't realise how robust maple is and how delicate treble can be on a rosewood guitar because it sounds wider.

[@E-BikingAdventures]

Rosewood is not softer than maple. 2:05 Janka Hardness Scale ; Rosewood, 1780 Hard Maple Janka hardness score of 1450

[@DRIIC-qw8us]

The only way to do this is to use the same body and swap the necks. I'm sure you'd hear a difference but you gotta do that for it to be a proper test.

[@josephliptak]

Only a trained ear like on a dog will notice the difference, I know , my dog tells me so because I can't hear a difference when blindfolded.

[@robphillips8351]

The maple board actually sounds like it has a bigger tone, more lows,mids and highs.. i don't know it's usually rosewood has a dampened high end but 🤔

[@priyadas4366]

They both sounded similar to me. 😂😂💝

[@igniaulfsborg8946]

Sound differences was perceptible and consistent. Blind test bore this out. So myth is a reality?

[@GCKelloch]

Assuming the pickup heights aren't significantly different, the tonal difference is the same as with all such comparisons I've heard. The RW has more midrange, and less high-end chime (I'd attribute the chime to the thick hard finish over the frets).

[@robphillips8351]

So close it really doesn't make a difference tonally, the feel is different but tone is minutely different..

[@jamiemorgan4146]

Yes... and body wood doesn’t make a difference in the sound of a guitar. It’s only the pickups... LMFAO 🤣 Yes... I can hear the difference. Yes... wood does matter. If any of you think that it doesn’t, go play a good vintage guitar, you’ll understand. Hell... you’d understand why just about any guitar manufactured in the last 50 years can come close to a vintage guitar, but I don’t expect any of you to understand.. 😏😏😏 Then again, my new theory is , that all of the freakish ink on many of you, effects the sound more.

[@AxlFirst]

I changed from rosewood to maple in one of my guitars and the change is big, the guitar sounds different, maple is more bass big sound than rosewood.

[@walleviolencia]

😂😂 If you cant hear a difference, you are blessed with the opportunity to choose based on the looks! ;-) If you cant, you cant. I cant understand the problem.

[@steviem1000]

I dont think it matters at all. without the other to compare youd never know. Lots of folk on these comments have got the blind test wrong, so are your eyes influencing your ears? Probably. Also, I think depending on the fretboard material, try as you may, I don't think you handle them the same way. I myself don't dig in to a maple board the way I would press more firmly into a rosewood board. I dont know why? So that slight playing difference is going to be audible. Be interesting to hear a blind test on a plywood board, which without the visuals, we'd be well confused. I repair electric guitars and lots pass through my hands. More important to have a great set up, nice shinny frets and the best amp you can buy for your budget. Most guitars I set up from 100 quid strats to American delux's or 100 quid second hand westfields to Gibson les pauls sound great through a big tube amp!

[@jonathanhandsmusic]

It doesn’t make any difference other than how they feel in hand. Sonically they are the same. It’s all in the pickups. Not even worth discussing anymore.

[@zemlidrakona2915]

Good test. I liked the sound of A better, and I got it wrong, which means I learned something.

[@ifodaniell]

I was working elsewhere in a different browser and therefore wasn't biased by what was being visually presented while listening to each example. I heard no difference. To me, I prefer Rosewood. I always have since first picking up an electric guitar. I don't like the rock-hard feeling of maple under my fingers. I like ebony, as well. It's just a preference.

[@Danieljevans92]

I have a limited edition fender strat with an rosewood neck and to my ears it sounds bright and snappy with clear definition like maple compared to the rosewood board /maple neck combo . It’s funny because I thought it would be darker and warmer because it’s fully rosewood, instead the opposite was true

[@dafxtone]

Your tatoos are horribles but your demo is very good. Maple is a fizzy wood, harsh with distortion, hard when picked. Rosewood is soft, musical and distortion compatible. Never buy maple, the sound suck !

[@kneebitten1]

There’s absolutely a difference I don’t think it’s a myth!

[@gqnelly]

So many factors go into tone. Each guitar is so individual. The strings...the pickups...the body...the wiring...the PLAYER....the amp. This isnt like an acoustic guitar where the tone resonates from the sound hole and the body (most notably the top). The guitar is amplified. I dont believe you fretting a note in a location that doesnt have a pickup will impart much tone differential. The string will have a frequency (note) based on where you fret it and the pickup (microphone) will grab it and add volume (along with tonal characteristics of the in the electronics / wiring of the pickup. Your eyes have more to do with it than anything....

[@kaneo67]

the rosewood is the better sounding guitar. and i prefer guitar A. I wonder which one guitar A will be?

[@TheAnalogKid5150]

… but they’re two guitars, of course they’re going to sound a little different…

[@hawkgeoff]

I appreciate the time you put into this. The thing that most people don't realize, or want to accept, is that every piece of wood on the planet is different. There are generalities that can be made, but in my experience buying a maple neck strat does not guarantee you a brighter or sharper tone/ attack. This is why I sold a CS strat and my main guitar is a partscaster. There was just something missing with this guitar. The partscaster is all Fender stuff, but that custom shop body and neck just didn't like each other... Your odds of them getting along are much better if you go CS, but I've heard Japan Squiers that are ridiculously good that most guitar guys would never pick up. Guitar price does not mean sonic joy...

[@EdCalavera777]

I feel you man! YOU SO RIGHT! I really understand because i've done same stuff! and agree with japan squiers.

[@richardthorpe3059]

I don't think my ear is sufficiently finely tuned to tell much difference but I play maple only because I like the feel.

[@andym28]

Brittleness and harshness in both guitars. I have nickel fretwire. Thing is I can hear it regardless of the amount of distortion. I think you can't get rid of it without losing clarity so I guess I'll stick to fretwire. M

[@catapl93]

Your tones are muddy as hell and the guitar signal is clipping all over the place. How am I supposed to hear a difference?

[@vivito-]

maple is more colorful and bright, rosewood is warmer and darker/ less colorfull too

[@Flat_Stanley]

This argument is ridiculous. It’s not a debate, or shouldn’t be. It’s science. There is equipment that can prove the difference in frequency and resonance than many of us hear. Some people can’t hear high pitch tones played at the same volume as lower pitches, it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist. Some people can identify specific ingredients in a dish, if your palatte is less refined and unable to, does that mean the ingredients you can not identify are not there and the food snobs are wrong?

[@BeeRumblin13]

I like a maple gloss board over dusty rosewood . At least on my Fenders.

[@vincentcuclair5522]

The string goes from metal fret to metal saddle?!

[@Robert-Smith]

I must have a light touch because I rarely even feel the fret board especially with the frets that come on guitars now they must be higher then the ones that came on the older guitars. To me they both sounded like a Stat I just personally like the look of rosewood.

[@charlieplate9687]

Click bait , and a tired argument to help some people feel better about their tin ears

[@fndTenorio]

The guitars are different dude, too many variables....your fretboard effect is gone.

[@bikeman1x11]

difference is real- same as the neck material and body material

[@fabrizioluccitti6960]

This is crazy, in the blind test I picked two times guitar B, so the one with maple but in the rest of the video I would have picked the one with rosewood.

[@CEbding1996]

The Rosewood sounds more 'Warm" and the Maple has more bright or has more of a "bite" to it.

[@trioguitar]

I can't discern a difference in the sound, but it's certainly true that maple feels bloody different. I reckon when I first bought a Fender with a maple fretboard that it took me at least a year to get used to it, it just felt bloody weird.

[@xiaco8309]

Completely agree. I have only ever owned rosewood and just bought a satin maple neck strat. It’s for sure different but I really like it. It does just feel weird at first but it brought back some fun for playing because of the change.

[@brunochiarini_guitar]

I prefer the maple in clean tones and rosewood in dirtier tones. Maple doesn't absorb so much drive as rosewood, and kind of muffles the sound a bit, but that's just my opinion.

[@backandfour]

Nothing that tone settings in the guitar or amp settings can equilize

[@BigBobbyBoLo]

I looked away for a second and didnt realize you had changed guitars

[@xtakerux]

From the phone speaker we could tell you maple is the brighter

[@ryannoel8978]

Maple feels better under fingers maybe in head but still

[@tigershell]

Background props looks sick dudes!

[@watchfan6180]

I was convinced Maple was A. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@BrettSmithDaniels]

Maple seems to have more scooped mids - where as rosewood has more controlled low end. There's definitely a difference... I'd say a substantial one!

[@scubasteev]

Huh? The pickups and bodies didn't factor in at all?

[@karlroszko]

The maple had a honk / quack kind of sound on the attack where the rosewood didn’t

[@DHKarol]

I picked opposite and was bummed because I liked B more and I ordered mischief strat with maple but end result got me pleasently surprised good comparison

[@stealthbum34]

Maple sounds a little ‘sparkier’ to me.

[@GoldSeals]

Maple has a cleaner brighter sound,where rosewood sounds dull,and muffled.I have an american series strat with a rosewood fingerboard,and I hate it.I went out and bought an american series maple fingerboard strat a few months later,and love it.Im considering changing the neck out to a maple fingerboard.A few years ago I was looking at prices on the maple fingerboard necks,and they were running around $400.

[@toddthomas4761]

Very interesting! I was just about to buy a Strat with rosewood and was doubtful it was gonna be bright enough...

[@GoldSeals]

@@toddthomas4761 I believe maple,or ebony fretboard is the way to go.Im not sold on rosewood.Each one has its advantages and disadvantages.My opinion.

[@MrGuitarandvocals]

I have a rosewood strat and the cleans are nice and bright. Not muffled at all. My buddy has a rosewood strat as well and his doesn't sound muffled either. Must be your pickups or your amp.

[@GoldSeals]

@@MrGuitarandvocals its not the amp.Ive plugged other guitars into the amp,and they sound great.Its possible it could be the pickups.But I doubt it.I bought it brand new a few years ago and its always sounded terrible compared to my other guitars.Maybe I should measure The ohms on the pickups.Do you have any idea how many ohms the pickups on a american series strat is supposed to be?Thanks in advance.

[@MrGuitarandvocals]

@@GoldSeals I wish I could help you, but I have no idea. I swapped out the stock pickups in my strat for a Bareknuckle HSS set. The stock pickups were decent, but the Bareknuckles blow them away imo. Now that I think about it, the stock pickups sounded kinda muffled. Lol. My buddy has Texas specials in his strat and they are fantastic. No issues. It has to be the pickups. Best of luck!

[@voiceofexperience]

Real men play rosewood necks! 😂

[@andersj.p.eskilsson3655]

Just what I was looking for. Superb presentation.

[@smithfield06]

I thought A was brighter

[@germanmenendez]

You prove it the rosewood cuts frequencies. It's obvious just listening

[@benallmark9671]

Lol , ok pal.

[@user-tv6in5mn5j]

Maple sounds better

[@이슈넬]

This isnt right test.

[@merqury5]

I enjoyed the playing, Ill give u that much.

[@BobK5]

The rw sounded fuller

[@viktortulbya2107]

I can’t hear it

[@tonyroy6610]

B is maple easy

[@donarmando916]

Maple a lot harder? That's a generalization. There are different kinds of maple just as not all east indian rosewood has the same hardness. The cut makes also a difference, flatsawn, weird sawn or quartersawn. For maple it also matters quite a lot if roasted or plain. The thickness and construction of the neck plays also a role. As a luthier i think i know that there is nothing on a guitar that does not matter. I agree the pickups make a big difference too, but it's the summary of things that make the hearable difference. It's complex.and a lot of personal.taste is involved as always.

[@donarmando916]

Two identiacal guitars? If you don't swap the neck and use the same body, it's not identical. Bodies can also be very different from one to another even if the model is the same.

[@donarmando916]

Rosewood for me.