AGF CS Luthiers, what are your thoughts about maple guitars?

[iim7V7IM7]

Thanks Laurent!

Originally Posted by Laurent Brondel

Nothing wrong with maple(s), they all sound great. Various densities, from eastern sugar maple (the densest) to western big leaf or European. It is light coloured and somewhat non-traditional in the Martin paradigm, maybe that's why it hasn't really caught up. I recently acquired a bunch of torrefied curly and birdseye maple sets I can't wait to try.
I like building small guitars with maple, although bigger ones would sound great too.

This 14 fret single 0 is at Luthiers Collection:

German spruce / German maple C-4

And I made this other 14 fret single 0 for HGF 2013 where it was purchased:

Red spruce / birdseye - AB C-4

[Daveac]

I am one of those consumers who had never considered a maple guitar. I have had many handbuilt acoustics and never even discussed maple with the luthier, mostly due to my experience's with older Gibson's and older Taylors. It was just not a sound that appealed to me in any way. Then after visiting with Steve Kinnaird and briefly discussing the topic I stumbled on a video of Aaron Stang playing a maple Kinnaird on yourperfectguitar website. His description and his amazement at the sound really peaked my interest. In seeing many more videos and playing one of the newly revoiced Taylors I have a whole new respect for maple and would certainly consider a build with it. In the right builders hands it is fabulous. It becomes clearer to me everyday that the current group of amazingly skilled builders produce incredible guitars with any tone wood.

[Steve Kinnaird]

Here's a link to that Aaron Stang video, playing our quilted (Big Leaf) maple guitar.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-5pBtitR5mc

I am agreed with Trevor that what you are hearing, or will hear--mainly--in this video clip, is a really nice Lutz spruce top. But the maple is coloring the sound, and perhaps you can detect that as well.

Steve

[rogthefrog]

Tony Yamamoto has made some redwood/maple guitars that are exquisite.

[Bruce Sexauer]

Although Martin did not use Maple for any of its early era guitars, I made one as though they had. I showed this piece at the recent Memphis event, and also at the more recent Grass Valley Bluegrass Festival, from which I returned last night.

Any of my more recent (last 20 years) maple guitars holds up well in comparison to whatever, IMO.

[iim7V7IM7]

Originally Posted by Bruce Sexauer

Although Martin did not use Maple for any of its early era guitars, I made one as though they had. I showed this piece at the recent Memphis event, and also at the more recent Grass Valley Bluegrass Festival, from which I returned last night.

Any of my more recent (last 20 years) maple guitars holds up well in comparison to whatever, IMO.

Thanks Bruce!

[JamesO]

Mau posted a recording of an adirondack and maple Kraut to his Soundcloud page after the last Healdsburg show. It was so warm and expressive. I was astonished. Perhaps he'll be along to post it.

[Andy Howell]

About 18 months ago I played a maple baritone from UK maker Brook. A truly fabulous instrument, one of the best Brook guitars I have played.

[bho]

Originally Posted by JamesO

Mau posted a recording of an adirondack and maple Kraut to his Soundcloud page after the last Healdsburg show. It was so warm and expressive. I was astonished. Perhaps he'll be along to post it.

That Kraut birdesye maple guitar was stunning.

[Alan Carruth]

People hear with their eyes. Soft maple (European, Red and some Bigleaf) is very similar in it's properties to Black walnut. People tend to hear maple guitars as 'bright' and walnut as 'dark'. I have to wonder if this reflects what R M Motolla said in 'American Lutherie' a while back: that if you want a 'dark' sounding guitar use dark wood, or finish it with a dark finish.

Some years ago I started a maple OM. The fellow who was teaching out of our shop at the time saw it and counselled me not to waste my time on wood that would not sound good. I put it aside for a while, but eventually finished it up. It was his favorite guitar. The owner's wife calls it the 'Blonde *****' because he spends so much time with it.

There's nothing wrong with maple, but there is a problem with people's perception of it.

[iim7V7IM7]

Thanks Alan!

Originally Posted by Alan Carruth

People hear with their eyes. Soft maple (European, Red and some Bigleaf) is very similar in it's properties to Black walnut. People tend to hear maple guitars as 'bright' and walnut as 'dark'. I have to wonder if this reflects what R M Motolla said in 'American Lutherie' a while back: that if you want a 'dark' sounding guitar use dark wood, or finish it with a dark finish.

Some years ago I started a maple OM. The fellow who was teaching out of our shop at the time saw it and counselled me not to waste my time on wood that would not sound good. I put it aside for a while, but eventually finished it up. It was his favorite guitar. The owner's wife calls it the 'Blonde *****' because he spends so much time with it.

There's nothing wrong with maple, but there is a problem with people's perception of it.

[iim7V7IM7]

Originally Posted by bho

That Kraut birdesye maple guitar was stunning.

Please resize this image. It makes the thread unreadable (appreciated). I played this guitar at the Woodstock Invitational last year.

THANK YOU!

[ewh2]

Originally Posted by Andy Howell

About 18 months ago I played a maple baritone from UK maker Brook. A truly fabulous instrument, one of the best Brook guitars I have played.

I played and loved that guitar as well. I remember speaking to the guys at IM's and they said one of the band R.E.M. bought it.

Yes, people do judge guitars with their eyes (eg runout...) but it's something people tend to do for a lot of things, be it selecting vegetables by uniformity rather than flavour (eg peppers in English supermarkets) or high end restaurants that spend an huge amount of effort on how their recipes look on the plate rather than taste.

I've always really enjoyed the few maple guitars I've come across, more so an issue to do with supply and demand; there seems to be relatively little demand for pale bodied guitars in the steel string market and consequently few seem to be made be it in custom or mass production.

My only gripe with maple guitars is I've seen so few of them. I think I might have played more luthier built guitars with Honduran Rosewood than Maple....

[Trevor M]

I have just started a new thread about the Jimmy Caldwell Nick Lucas in maple that I mentioned above.

[J-F C]

Originally Posted by Sturob

In fact, often even when you read from a luthier his/her impressions of maple versus other tonewoods, even the ones who like it often don't describe it in very flattering terms. "Good note separation" often seems to be couched in the context of a lack of sustain.


S

Originally Posted by Alan Carruth

P
There's nothing wrong with maple, but there is a problem with people's perception of it.

Thanks iim7V7IM7 for having started this thread. And thank you to all luthiers who did input. You see, the first of these quotes, IMHO, hits it right on the bullseye, and is illustrated by the comment from Mr. Carruth. There is nothing wrong...well, is not very enthusiast.

I have a fabulous sounding maple SJ custom built by Fred Tellier, and I never felt he was that enthousiast with maple in general as a guitar tonewood, and discussions we had left me to think that, at least regarding finger style playing, it was not a choice he would favour much (Although the guitar he built me proved him wrong )

If there might be a "MARTIN effect" regarding maple in the general public, I still feel that luthiers have an important impact on our little community here in the custom forum, regarding the opinions we forge on guitars and wood, and the rather low interest in maple.