Ebony vs Maple for Soloist Fingerboard

[DBSG-SL2H]

Greetings all, I'm new to the site, so this subject has probably already been discussed, but WAY in the future I want to build my dream Soloist SL2H and can't decide what fingerboard I'd want. I currently own an "Off the Rack" SL2H and love the ebony board, but tested out the Charvel Pro-Mod So-Cal and loved the feel of that board (and I thought maple boards were only good for my Strats.)

[Mudlark]

Well, for variety, the maple is the obvious choice. Since you've tried maple and love it, shouldn't be any disappointments.

On the other hand, a nice black ebony board is soooo nice.

[TKEblue]

Depending on how "way in the future" you mean, you may have to get maple. xD

Really you would just need to play a lot of both until you can decide. If you still cant decide, imo go maple just because you already have an ebony board.

I personally don't care too much. They have a similar feel to me. Pretty equal in my book and just comes down to the aesthetic you're going for with that particular guitar. I'm one of what seems like the few people left who actually prefer rosewood, but I can concede that it doesn't have the same appealing look that ebony and maple do.
I think of maple and I think of shred guitar and of lead players, I think ebony looks better on more guitars than maple does though.

I know that at least one person here has a super sweet "double milk shake" soloist, that's worth searching for and checking out.

[neilli]

I have a couple of maple board soloists and in honesty I don't feel much difference. They do sound brighter to me though, but that could be psychological..

[jtr]

Go Ebony.

[Black Shadow]

Personally, I believe neck thru metal guitars such as the Soloist should be ebony, with rosewood as an alternative. Maple is more suited to bolt-ons IMO.

You'll notice that maple boards are quite rare on high end neck thrus. Maple fretboards tend to contribute to bright and snappy tones, but ebony is at least as bright and brings a bit more slickness in feel and note decay is a little different, and rosewood brings noticeable extra warmth, but is the least slick feeling of the three. Looks are a big factor of course, so if you want something different, maple definitely works. I love maple on me faithful Tele and San Dimas Style I bolt-on (functionally, the SD is my "Warren DeMartini" guitar ). I have two of what are essentially the same guitar construction wise (Charvel 650 vs Jackson Soloist Pro), and the Soloist's ebony board truly pushes it ahead of the 650 in terms of having a crisp, sophisticated feel. It DOES matter!

There is excellent discussion of woods here and elsewhere on the site:

http://www.warmoth.com/Guitar/Necks/NeckWoods.aspx

[ps43203]

In my opinion, if you want a truly unique custom soloist, maple is the only way to go. Just make sure you see pics of the maple to be added as a fret board, prior to the build.
Make sure it is either flame or birds eye maple, vs a plain ass piece of maple. The durability of maple and less worry about maintenance, cracking, etc... Is worth it alone.
Maple boards are also faster. Period! Not really, but seems that way to me anyway, lol. In the end it's your guitar and your the one spending a crap ton of money on it.
Just make sure it is what YOU want! Ask for pics along the way and do not EVER hope it will come out right. MAKE SURE, it will come out the way you want it.

[Axewielder]

Hmm I'd give the edge to ebony as far as maintenance goes. It doesn't require a finish and can maintain a "new" look indefinitely. Getting finger cheese off an old Tru-Oiled maple board is a freakin bear.

[Axewielder]

Also I maintain my ebony boards with the tears of exploited migrant Cameroon forest workers ($5/bottle on Amazon Prime).

[Wizard of Ozz]

Ebony.

Maple is blasphemous to the Soloist legacy and history.

[P I K A]

What color is the body? Maple or ebony fretboard can make the guitar look way different depending on the color you choose for the body.