I think this is another of those cases were people say they can hear a difference when they can't, purely because one approach is "traditional" and one is modern and/or cheaper.

There are people who claim they can hear a difference between maple and rosewood fretboards, despite the fact that the strings don't resonate against the fretboard normally. The differences, to me at least, are aesthetics and the hardness and finish (or lack of) of the woods.

I agree with Trane that if there is a difference in tone it isn't something that the human ear can pick up on.