In a recent interview with Guitar World, legendary blues guitarist Jimmie Vaughan shared his thoughts on the long-standing debate over whether fretboard wood significantly impacts a guitar’s sound. According to Vaughan, the difference is negligible — at least to his ears.
The debate over tonewoods and their influence on an electric guitar’s sound has long divided the guitar-playing community. Some players insist that every component, including the fretboard wood, shapes an instrument’s tone. Others see the fretboard as having more of a cosmetic or tactile influence than a tonal one.
Vaughan, older brother to the late guitar icon Stevie Ray Vaughan, falls into the latter camp. Discussing some of his most treasured instruments, including a 1963 Fender Stratocaster with a swapped maple fretboard, Jimmie emphasized aesthetics over tone as his reason for the change:
“The body is from a ’63 Strat, but the neck is one Bill gave to me, so I guess it’s kind of a ‘parts’ guitar. It was really put together by Charley’s Guitar Shop in Dallas and René Martinez, who was a fantastic guitar tech,” he explained.
“I’d wanted a white Strat for years; it felt like it was unobtainable when I was a kid. I remember seeing Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps in an old movie, and they all had white Strats with the maple neck. I just thought it looked better than the dark rosewood, so I replaced it.”
When asked about whether he believes fretboard wood affects tone, Vaughan was direct:
“I know there are people who think it makes a big difference to the sound, but I really don’t think it does. I know Stevie always sounded the same whether it was a rosewood or maple neck.”
This sentiment stands in contrast to opinions from figures like luthier Paul Reed Smith and blues-rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa. Both have gone on record asserting that fretboard material does affect sound. In particular, Bonamassa once remarked:
“Rosewood fretboards on Strats offer more of a ‘Stevie Ray Vaughan-type sound,’” adding that he views maple-neck Strats as more aligned with “the ‘Buddy Holly’ guitar.”
“Personally, I’m more of a maple-fretboard Strat player. To my ears, the notes jump off it in a different way, as compared to a rosewood ‘board.”
Still, for Jimmie Vaughan, the character of the player matters more than the components of the guitar. In his view, his brother’s unmistakable tone came from his fingers — not the wood under them.
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