#1
|
|||
|
|||
Jazz guitars,,, Why flame maple?
Hi,
Is there any reason why archtop luthiers uses flame maple for back&sides? I have seen a few curly maple or quilted maple archtops and etc,,, but mostly with flame maple archtops. |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Violinmaking tradition.
__________________
"Still a man hears what he wants to hear, and disregards the rest." --Paul Simon |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
And its pretty...
Plus maple guitars can be designed to have less sustain which is is beneficial when chunck, chunck, chuncking out a beat behind a big band. Or when you're ripping through complex solo lines...its almost the opposite kind of tone than what is required for new age type fingerstyle guitar...
__________________
Kopp Trail Boss - Kopp L—02 - Collings C10 Custom - Gibson J-200 Jr - Halcyon 000 - Larrivee 00-70 |
#4
|
||||
|
||||
Mmmm...maple.
__________________
Martin 00-18G; Waterloo WL-S; Furch: V1 OOM-SR, Green G-SR, Blue OM-CM; Tahoe Guitar Co.: OM (Adi/Hog), 000-12 (Carp/FG Mahog), 00-12 (Carp/Sinker Mahog), 00-14 (Adi/Ovangkol); In the night you hide from the madman You're longing to be But it all comes out on the inside Eventually |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
Yep. That's my take on it as well. A part of the general violin aesthetic that was carried over along with the structural feature of arched top and back
Interestingly enough, Orville Gibson himself seemed to favor walnut for backs and sides, as did Epiphone for certain models like the mid-1930's Broadway. Definitely not the norm, though. Maple was (and still is) used for the vast majority of archtops that I've seen over the years, and the curly figure seems to be the default standard for higher-grade instruments
__________________
Everybody knows Something - Nobody knows Everything https://www.martinshenandoahguitars.info/ |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
my dad's '36 Epi Broadway has a walnut back. Killer tone. Maple cuts through a band mix pretty well.
__________________
Pogreba Baritone Weissenheimer 'Weissenborn style" (awesome!) Lazy River mahogany weissenborn style Lazy River short scale weissenborn Mainland Tenor Uke |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
Eastman has mahogany back Jim Fricsh and Pisanos models. Theres also a flame maple Pisano.
|
#8
|
|||
|
|||
In his book on building archtops, Robert Benedetto comments on the use of maple for the necks of fine archtops. He points out that mahogany is a better choice for a neck, being lighter and more stable; maple is more prone to hidden irregularities which can cause eventual twisting. Nonetheless, he says, at some point maple simply became associated with higher-end archtops, and so customers expect it.
I suppose it's like rosewood being more expensive because it is harder to work; buyers then think that because it is more expensive, it must be better.
__________________
YouTube |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
Where did you get this idea? Most rosewood works easily with sharp tools, bends easily, and holds detail very well. As to its price, I suspect that supply and demand have had some influence greater than its workability. If the latter were poor, why wouldn't that result in lower demand?
__________________
"Still a man hears what he wants to hear, and disregards the rest." --Paul Simon |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
Rosewood is choosen for its tone. It has its own characteristics that make it unique as a tonewood. I am also of the opinion that there are overall tonal differences between brazilian, indian, africian rosewoods. Then again tone varies from tree to tree. Brazilian rosewood's price reflects this and the embargo of brazilian rosewood. |
#11
|
|||
|
|||
Simple answer
Those who play jazz, particularly single-note lead phrases, do not want a lot of resonance, as one would normally get from rosewood or mahogany.
With maple, the single notes stand out clearly. |
#12
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
I think it is the buying market that has taken arch tops to the flamed maple. Think for a minute is a red, orange, or blue burst going to show up on rosewood? Jazz arch tops are known for their intricate detail and over the top color schemes and I think that the buying market expects it. |
#13
|
|||
|
|||
|
#14
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
|
#15
|
||||
|
||||
That's not tiger stripe maple? How do we know?
|