Are all maple fretboards 'yellowish' in appearance?

[hollowman]

hi all!

trying to learn more about necks....

-as per topic, whenever i spot a 'yellowish' fretboard/neck, is it guaranteed a maple neck?

-but why are are maple fretboards yellow in color? is it inherent in the wood or is it used to distinguish between maple and other woods?

-taken from Ibanez's webby, Steve Vai's 7V's neck is maple/walnut neck. Am i right to say 7V's neck is maple while the fretboard is walnut, simply because the fretboard is black/brown in color? in this case, i strike off maple instantly cos the fretboard is not yellow. is this the correct thinking, when i inspect any guitar neck?

-what woods are commonly used for fingerboards and necks?

thanks in advance!!

 

[jskadiang]

Almost all the time, when the fingerboard is yellowish/orange and has a light colour it is a maple neck, provided it's not finished, like a few guitars. not the other way around though, just because it is maple doesn't mean it has to be yellowish/orange. same for the neck.

maple's natural colour is that shade of orange.

no. steve vai's 7v has a rosewood fretboard. maple/walnut neck means that the neck (not the fretboard) is made from pieces of maple and walnut, probably a 3 piece with a walnut "skunk" stripe. woods like ash bear a visual resemblance to maple, but they aren't generally used for fingerboards. just because the fretboard isn't yellow doesn't mean it isn't a maple fretboard, also just because the fretboard is yellow doesn't mean it is a maple fretboard.

loads of woods are used for fingerboards and necks. the most common for fingerboards are rosewood, maple and ebony. but exotic woods such as wenge and pauferro have also been used in high end instruments. the material used for the neck differs depending on the model and brand, but the most commonly used ones are mahogany and maple as well, with all sorts of woods used as "skunk stripes" such as bubinga and purpleheart. as a general rule, if the fingerboard's black it is ebony, if it's light to very dark brown it is rosewood, and if it's a light orange it's maple. but different pieces have different shades, and there are types such as black rosewood that look like ebony, so it's best to just look at specs.

 

[hollowman]

fender's maple necks are full maple? ie, both neck and fingerboard?

my most vivid memory is the sky blue strat they have. it's always with the 'yellowish'/'orangey' fingerboard i'm talking about. very beautiful! full maple construction for that neck?

 

[jskadiang]

yes they have a maple neck and fingerboard.

 

[HIMYNAMEISARTHUR]

maple necks are of a light brown shade like this

and the yellowish/orange ones are usually stained necks or necks with aged laquer over it...=) hope this helps..

stained

aged