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Originally Posted by BlmJn

Hard Maple is a generic term used for Sugar Maple and Black Maple. All other maples are considered "soft". That includes Big Leaf, Red, Silver, Box Elder and a number of others too small to lumber. In the Eastern US Red Maple is the predominant native soft Maple of commercial interest. Imported Maples include a wide variety of Japanese Maples and Norway Maple (European Maple). Gibson used a lot of Red Maple as well as Big Leaf Maple. Most Birdseye Maple is Sugar Maple. The Birdseye figure only shows on the flat or plain sawn face.

Most tonewood marketed as "European Maple" used in cello, guitar and violinmaking is actually Sycamore Maple, Acer pseudoplatanus.