Maple vs Rosewood

[HFox]

Originally Posted by gdbird

Can someone tell me why I would want to own a maple guitar over a rosewood or mahogany. I own a sitka/rosewood and had a sitka/walnut that I regret selling. I've been offered a maple at a reasonable price but have yet to play it.

I love my SCGC Maple/German for 70's sounds like America's Ventura Highway and Fogerty's "Swamp Rock" style. Also use the Maple for any single note clarity needs.
Braz for Cajun, Pure Folk and "Big Chord/Strum work.
Hog for 'Front Porch" Appalacian Ballads
Hope this helps....Horses for courses.

[dyingsea]

I find maple has this angelic type of warm glow to the tone that is hard to put into words. Definitely a much more unique tone than your typical rosewood IMO.

[samirguitar]

I believe that walnut and maple are almost same on sound spectrum with walnut growing tiny bit into bass/lowmids as it ages/opens up.

I have tried walnut (GA) and maple (Jumbo) guitars albeit different shapes side by side in a shop (both sitka tops) and from my memory, walnut has a dryer sound and maple has stiffer/brighter/brittle sound.

In my opinion maple suits on Sitka Jumbos. Not on Dreads and below.
That's for average guitars. Not taking about exceptions ...
I remember picking Yamaha 850 or something in maple and kept it right back after one strum. Ofcourse that's a lower priced guitar so many other things play a part. Never tried a Taylor 614 in person but check this https://youtu.be/gEm1fm8PPsw
Not great strummed; but fingerstyle sounds nice.


maple decays the note faster allowing faster passages more articulate. I don't have that ability to play faster so have no idea if that's true; but hear several times.

From rhythm perspective you want a maple in jumbo.
My Sigma J200 copy is a pleasure. Almost like a percussion.

Never heard of a walnut jumbo, but you never know!

[donlyn]

Originally Posted by Brucebubs

I love maple guitars... but try first ... I firmly believe size does matter.

It has been my experience that bigger is better.

Hey Bruce,

No shade here, but I generally prefer the rosewood variety.
De gustibus non disputandum, as they say.
And as you said, size does matter.

But I will add this. A few years ago I played smallish (for a dread derivative) Gibson slope shoulder which was spruce over maple. Wasn't of the J-45 variety, and was made the 90s as I remember it. It had a great overall sound with a bit of sustain to it and without that quick decay. In a perfect world, I would own that puppy now, except it was gone when I went back after sleeping on it. (Not the first time that's happened, but it does save from the buyer's remorse angle.) Anyway, it just goes to show that each guitar is different and stands on it's own merit.

Don
.

[Taylor007]

Who is the builder?

[donlyn]

Originally Posted by Taylor007

Who is the builder?

Can't tell from your post to whom your question is directed, but if perchance it was supposed to be directed to me, I did mention it was a 'Gibson'.

If it wasn't directed at my post, then it is truly a non-sequitur.

Don
.

[donlyn]

Originally Posted by samirguitar

Never heard of a walnut jumbo, but you never know!

But I know.

Don
.

[brad2001]

I played every guitar in town before I bought. My ears led me to my Dove. The only other guitars that made the final list before buying were the other Gibson maples, SJ-200's and J-185's.

Gibson Dove

[tadol]

I have a few maples, by SCGC, and find them to be very clear voiced, with a quick attack and beautiful fundamental tone. All of mine also have maple necks, which I think helps with their sustain. Their FTC model is amazing, with a projecting voice that I have not heard on any other guitar. Its interesting how maple can really allow the tonal characteristics of the top wood to stand out, so that you can really hear the differences between cedar or european or sitka spruce, allowing a maple guitar to really be voiced for the type of music you want to use it with. That said, it is also important to know that like rosewood, there are a few different maple species, and growing conditions can make a huge difference in whether a set of maple is going to make a great guitar or not. I have played a few factory built maple guitars that did have that dull thud cardboard sound, and I have also played an outstanding maple guitar by Bruce Sexauer that I still believe may be the best maple guitar I’ve ever played, and I happen to also know he brought back from Italy an outstanding set of Bosnian maple, that may make one thats even better - I’m hoping that will be made sooner than later -

[Johan Madsen]

Maple will bring you clarity and a very pure kind of sound , focused and snappy, very full sounding in the middle and upper register, with bunches of headroom for agressive playing. Maple is one of my favorite tonewood and my next guitar will probably have maple b & s. That being said some maple guitars can sound very harsh also, so you’d better try it first before bying it. I played a 3000 $ Takamine recently which had spruce/maple combo , it sounded way too harsh for my taste .

[donlyn]

While I am a big Rosewood fan, I've been remiss about praising maple, and here's why. Simply that I don't currently own a Maple guitar with solid maple back and sides. But I do have two with maple laminate. So in the last few days I've spent a little extra time with each of them, and I have to say that I am very pleased with their sounds.

I am speaking of my Alvarez AJ60S and my Epiphone EJ-200.

The Alvarez has a great sound, and being a slightly undersized (16.25" lower bout) jumbo doesn't hurt. The shape is more akin to a Grand Orchestra than a traditional jumbo. Anyway, as I've mentioned before, this guitar is good enough to use playing out, and I have done just that. I string it with Elixir PB Lights. It's best tone is when played a bit on the quieter side. I have mentioned this elsewhere, but some years ago I spent an afternoon in a medium size guitar store and played about every acoustic guitar they had. The Alvarez was the second-best sounding guitar I played that day, second only to one of their high-end Taylors which was 10 times more expensive and out of my budget that day anyway. But the Alvarez screamed 'buy me' and so I did.

And the Epiphone is a direct clone of a Gibson J-200 with the 17" lower bout, and has a big sound when desired. I string this with Elixir PB HD Lights, as the body size gives me a lot of bass without the need of using a medium gauge.

Don
.

[Bear Davis]

Love maple on Jumbos!

Not so much on smaller guitars.

[woodnhands]

Seeing your lamentation about regretting the sale of your walnut, was it by any chance a Ted Thompson T-3 Deluxe Cutaway? Just curious. I was the original owner of a Claro walnut one with bloodwood binding. I sold it many years ago. Recently I listened to recordings I made with it. I regret selling it. I'm kind of hoping to track it down.

[printer2]

There are different kinds of maple, some stiffer and harder like sugar maple and softer and less dense as in big leaf maple. I would expect guitars made from both would sound a little different. Mind you, I have some walnut that also ranges from softer and less dense to hard and heavy.

[iim7V7IM7]

And it still is Tad...

Originally Posted by tadol

I have a few maples, by SCGC, and find them to be very clear voiced, with a quick attack and beautiful fundamental tone. All of mine also have maple necks, which I think helps with their sustain. Their FTC model is amazing, with a projecting voice that I have not heard on any other guitar. Its interesting how maple can really allow the tonal characteristics of the top wood to stand out, so that you can really hear the differences between cedar or european or sitka spruce, allowing a maple guitar to really be voiced for the type of music you want to use it with. That said, it is also important to know that like rosewood, there are a few different maple species, and growing conditions can make a huge difference in whether a set of maple is going to make a great guitar or not. I have played a few factory built maple guitars that did have that dull thud cardboard sound, and I have also played an outstanding maple guitar by Bruce Sexauer that I still believe may be the best maple guitar I’ve ever played, and I happen to also know he brought back from Italy an outstanding set of Bosnian maple, that may make one thats even better - I’m hoping that will be made sooner than later -