Fretboard for electric guitar...?

Question:well i'm getting my first electric guitar i've been playing on my dad's old acoustic so i'm not completely a beginner but i'm finally getting my own guitar and i'm going with a fender stratocaster and i was wondering if i should get the one with a rosewood or a maple fretboard and why

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: well i'm getting my first electric guitar i've been playing on my dad's old acoustic so i'm not completely a beginner but i'm finally getting my own guitar and i'm going with a fender stratocaster and i was wondering if i should get the one with a rosewood or a maple fretboard and why

Rosewood looks better. I'd be more concerned about the neck though as opposed to the fretboard. You want one that you can slide your hand down easily. Some painted necks feel sticky and are not as smooth. If you get a natural neck they tend to play a bit faster in my opinion. The fretboard is a mostly cosmetic thing. Rosewood adds a bit to the price. I'd say it also depends on the finish. A blond neck might look better on a certain finish.

can you go to a store and try each one out? I prefer maple, as it sounds brighter to me, but it really depends on your style, as well as the pickups. you should definitely try to play one of each if possible.

You'd probably like a Rosewood over a maple fretboard for your first. Rosewood lasts longer than maple.

However, wood choices are mostly cosmetic, so it mostly comes down to which one looks better to you!

What I recommend to all my students is to go to the store where you going to buy your guitar and play all the models that you like, we all like a different sound, so it's up to you to choose the sound that you like best. I always tell the story about the classical guitar that I bought for $1500.00 and after three weeks I took it back and got one for half that price, there was something about the expensive one that I didn't like....I couldn't put my finger on it but I liked the one for half that price a lot better, weird I know but guitars all have there own sound. Good luck to you. P.S. I do notice that I tend to like the rosewood fret boards best, but who knows, maybe you'll find one made of maple that you like best, it's up to the individual !!!!!!!!!!

As a beginner, might I say, nice choice in guitar. Frankly if I was getting a strat for my first guitar I wouldn't really care so much about the wood. The sound difference is a subjective matter of opinion. Try both if possible and choose the one that sounds best to you. Or if your going for aesthtic value choose the one that looks best. The real difference comes in the brand of strings you put on the guitar. There are varying opinions on the matter, personally I'd go with the Elixir strings nano weave 10 guage string on the high E. It is much softer to the touch and will not tear your fingers apart as easily.
Good luck with your choice and may you enjoy you Strat.