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  #16  
Old 07-03-2020, 12:53 PM
seangil seangil is offline
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Default Maple

I'm just starting on building and most resources on tonewood describe maple as having a deadening effect as compared to rosewood. They saw that it tends to be favored for styles of music where you don't need a lot of sustain and want relatively crisp sound - some types of jazz for example. That's what the articles say at least, but I think that other choices by the luthier probably are more important.

I haven't found many maple guitars in shops, but I have really liked the few that I have found. They do seem to have a slightly different qualitative sound, but hard to describe. I plan on building myself one at some point.
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  #17  
Old 07-03-2020, 01:17 PM
jseth jseth is offline
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Maple is a fine wood for many styles of play...

Again, the BUILDER has far more to do with the sound of the instrument than the woods involved in the construction of it... FAR more to do with it! Along with that, the wood used for the back and sides is FAR secondary to the wood used for the top or soundboard...

If I had to guess, I'd say maybe 10-15 % of the "total" sum of the tone and volume of a guitar comes from the back and side wood... more of a "flavoring" than a staple of the sound.

Another great player who uses maple guitars is Pat Metheny... his acoustic tone on his earlier recordings was primarily responsible for my choosing maple back and sides for my Mark Angus F-40 in 1979 when I had Mark build it for me... 41 yearsw on and that guitar is still with me, still a gem of an instrument!
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  #18  
Old 07-03-2020, 03:50 PM
GeneralDreedle GeneralDreedle is offline
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https://youtu.be/YcBn38hffQw,. This is Maple guitar I got
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  #19  
Old 07-03-2020, 04:10 PM
Rockysdad Rockysdad is offline
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I have a Larrivee L-03 Flamed Maple Custom Shop Deluxe, it gets played more than my other guitars.
I'll not be parting ways with it.
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  #20  
Old 07-03-2020, 04:13 PM
llew llew is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rockysdad View Post
I have a Larrivee L-03 Flamed Maple Custom Shop Deluxe, it gets played more than my other guitars.
I'll not be parting ways with it.
As a big fan of the L body Larrivee I bet that one is really special!
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  #21  
Old 07-03-2020, 04:14 PM
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Doug Young Doug Young is offline
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One of the best sounding guitars I've played was Al Petteway's Maple Circa OO. I also have a terrific Maple Ed Claxton Malabar - OO-ish sized. Of course all of Taylor's 600 series are maple. They're out there...
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  #22  
Old 07-03-2020, 04:28 PM
HFox HFox is offline
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I have a wonderful Flamed Maple/German Spruce F model Santa Cruz that is a great finger style guitar.....SCGC builds with Maple better than most. It's a keeper.
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  #23  
Old 07-03-2020, 04:59 PM
mcduffnw mcduffnw is offline
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I think Lawrence Juber's current Martin signature model that he is using, and has for the last several years, is maple back and sides.


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  #24  
Old 07-03-2020, 06:19 PM
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Pickcity Pickcity is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Brooklyn Bob View Post
My maple J200 is my favorite fingerpicker.
I have always found the J200 to be a great fingerpicker.
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  #25  
Old 07-03-2020, 07:39 PM
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mystfingerstyle mystfingerstyle is offline
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My favorite guitar for fingerstyle is my Waterloo Scissortail in maple. I just can't get enough of that sound.
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  #26  
Old 07-03-2020, 07:45 PM
sdelsolray sdelsolray is offline
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I enjoy maple back and sides on an acoustic guitar, preferring Oregon Big Leaf Maple to other maples. That being said, it takes a knowledgeable builder to make a guitar that works well for me.
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  #27  
Old 07-03-2020, 07:59 PM
atthepoint atthepoint is offline
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Gibson J-185. Have a True Vintage model. Very comfortable to play and works great for finger style. Good projection.
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  #28  
Old 07-03-2020, 08:08 PM
GeneralDreedle GeneralDreedle is offline
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I also have a Guild Maple Jumbo that's great for fingerpicking, very balanced.
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  #29  
Old 07-03-2020, 08:32 PM
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iim7V7IM7 iim7V7IM7 is offline
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There are a variety of maples (just like with mahogany and rosewoods). From the US there is Bigleaf, Red and Sugar (Hard) Maple (among others). From Europe, there’s Sycamore Maple. These woods vary in their density, stiffness, and hardness. Maple when flatsawn can sometimes produce quilted or birdseye figures. When quartersawn, sometimes a fiddleback curl.

I have an unusual Bigleaf Maple | German Maple 000 sized guitar with a carved maple back. It is a fantastic, responsive finger-style guitar with fast attack and fat authoritative trebles. Maple is indeed one of the great tonewoods when used properly.

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  #30  
Old 07-04-2020, 01:07 AM
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Well, because maple is so close to white, it sounds too bright. You need a browner wood like mahogany to tame the trebles. African Blackwood is too dark, though.
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