Members grunge782 Posted June 26, 2011 Members Share Posted June 26, 2011 As you all have probably noticed by now (and some annoyed ), I'm somewhat of an acoustic noob. I tried doing some searching around about different woods tonal properties, but I could not find much about maple: in particular maple necks and maple back and sides. I have also been looking around at some guitars with koa back and sides that I would like some light to be shed on in terms of their tone. So what is maple "supposed" to sound like in comparison to something like mahogany or rosewood? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members katopp Posted June 26, 2011 Members Share Posted June 26, 2011 Toanz is in da fingaz, mate!Supposedly the actual design, thickness, bracing, etc. can influence the tone more than the woods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members grunge782 Posted June 26, 2011 Author Members Share Posted June 26, 2011 Toanz is in da fingaz, mate!Supposedly the actual design, thickness, bracing, etc. can influence the tone more than the woods. True, but companies/builders pick certain woods for a reason right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Etienne Rambert Posted June 26, 2011 Members Share Posted June 26, 2011 For Spruce tops, give me Maple back & sides every time. My preferences: 1. (tie) Maple/Spruce -- Rosewood/Cedar 2. Solid Mahogany 3. Rosewood/Spruce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kwakatak Posted June 26, 2011 Members Share Posted June 26, 2011 Depends on the maple I suppose but if you're looking at maple guitars under $2000 they're going to be laminated maple and I haven't come across one that I've liked. To my ears they sound bright with less bass response but with really clear trebles. Koa to my ear sounds similar but a little more "mellow" - or quieter. They're both pretty-looking woods but give me a nice plan set of mahogany or rosewood and I'm happy. Both seem to have more "bottom end" but rosewood tends to have more sustain. The real indicator of tone is the top wood though. Sitka spruce is the most common and the most versatile. Adirondack spruce is louder and clearer and more responsive but it's getting rarer so it's pricier. Cedar is popular for those with a lighter touch but it sort of offers a natural compression effect that fingerstyle soloists might prefer. Mahogany has a quick decay so it's good for fingerpicking. I've never tried a Koa top but IIRC I've heard that its response is similar to mahogany. There are other factors that come into play, but as far as tone wood selection goes IME sometimes prettier isn't better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gitnoob Posted June 26, 2011 Members Share Posted June 26, 2011 Probably the three major factors are a guitar's size/shape, then the thickness/bracing, and then the wood species. The wood species of the back mostly affects the "color" -- the harmonic content. If all else is equal, rosewood adds a lot of color, mahogany adds a bit, and maple adds the least. In other words, you're hearing the spruce on a maple-backed guitar. Some people call that "bright." To me, I'd describe it as dry and a bit sterile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Michael Martin Posted June 26, 2011 Members Share Posted June 26, 2011 Others here know way more about this topic than I do--but I am amazed at how guitars made of similar woods have vastly different tonal character. Spruce top/maple side+back Gibson jumbos I've played aren't "bright", but the Takamine dreads I have played really are. I really love the spruce/hog combo of the Hummingbird. Or maybe it's just that pickguard... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tony Burns Posted June 26, 2011 Members Share Posted June 26, 2011 The words i typically associate with maple is bright and clean ! My Greven is made from Broadleaf maple - I like that wood alot ! Neck is flame rock maple ! Might as well show you the front as well ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mister natural Posted June 26, 2011 Members Share Posted June 26, 2011 ^ beautiful instrument Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grant Harding Posted June 27, 2011 Members Share Posted June 27, 2011 I played a beautiful Gibson jumbo that had maple back and sides a year or so ago and it was a great guitar. It was really clear and articulate, but not boomy in the bass. I was playing it plugged in through a PA though, so I don't know what the signal path was or any EQ. The guitar controls were set to flat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members grunge782 Posted June 27, 2011 Author Members Share Posted June 27, 2011 Hmm, maple probably isn't for me then. Sounds like rosewood is better suited for my tastes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grant Harding Posted June 27, 2011 Members Share Posted June 27, 2011 My solid rosewood/spruce jumbo is similar in shape, but has more punch in the lower mids to my ear. Might just be what I want to hear though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grant Harding Posted June 27, 2011 Members Share Posted June 27, 2011 Hmm, maple probably isn't for me then. Sounds like rosewood is better suited for my tastes.The shape and construction of the guitar will make the major difference as many people have pointed out. If you want a big bottom and lots of treble, then a dread, maybe mahogany. If you want articulate and balanced for picking, maybe a smaller bodied guitar. Once you're sure what shape you like, choose the one you like best regardless of what the woods are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members grunge782 Posted June 27, 2011 Author Members Share Posted June 27, 2011 The shape and construction of the guitar will make the major difference as many people have pointed out. If you want a big bottom and lots of treble, then a dread, maybe mahogany. If you want articulate and balanced for picking, maybe a smaller bodied guitar. Once you're sure what shape you like, choose the one you like best regardless of what the woods are. Yeah I'm pretty sure a dreadnought is more up my alley. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kwakatak Posted June 27, 2011 Members Share Posted June 27, 2011 Two words: quilted mahogany! I'll leave the name of the builder out so that I'm not accused of spamming but during a recent visit to a certain shop I picked up a dread built with an Adirondack spruce top and quilted mahogany back & sides which I might add was also quite lightly-braced and man that guitar was a CANNON. Clear trebles, robust bass. Before I thought that the sitka spruce/East indian rosewood Martin HD-35 was my Holy Grail of dreadnoughts but now I'm not sure. This guitar was 3X the price after all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Pine Apple Slim Posted June 27, 2011 Members Share Posted June 27, 2011 Not enough bottom for my tastes, unless you go really big, then maple is fantastic:My friend has one of these, a carved back Guild maple Dred from 1980 or so. Similar to a D18 in tone to my ear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members grunge782 Posted June 27, 2011 Author Members Share Posted June 27, 2011 Here is a question, what wood (and/or design) gives a softer sound or softer attack. I don't like really snappy tones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted June 27, 2011 Members Share Posted June 27, 2011 In terms of wood, probably cedar. Mahogany is kinda mellow but not everyone's cup of espresso. I'd say maybe a dreadnought with a cedar or possibly mahogany top. Godin (Seagull, Simon & Patrick, Norman) and Takamine make good cedar-topped dreads. For mahogany, Guild GAD25 or Martin D15. Tanglewood if you can find one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gitnoob Posted June 27, 2011 Members Share Posted June 27, 2011 Here is a question, what wood (and/or design) gives a softer sound or softer attack. I don't like really snappy tones. I'd go with a mahogany top, like the Martin 15 series. Warm fundamental tone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Pine Apple Slim Posted June 27, 2011 Members Share Posted June 27, 2011 An all mahogany dred like the Martin D15 will get you in the ballpark. Also, cedar tops are generally softer than spruce, are usually combined with mahogany back and sides. Or you could just use old dead strings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members grunge782 Posted June 27, 2011 Author Members Share Posted June 27, 2011 Thanks for the info guys. I'll have to go and try out some mahogany top guitars then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members masterbuilt Posted June 29, 2011 Members Share Posted June 29, 2011 I love my solid mahogany Martin... avatar pic. It's a D-15 and sounds sweet. Maple is bright, very loud. If you combine it with the wrong wood, you'll get mud. If you use it on the back and sides with a solid spruce top, the sound will be very distinct and clear. My loudest ukulele is maple back and sides with a solid spruce top. Koa is not like maple at all. Koa can have a pronounced "bark" to it, when constructed lightly. It can be sweet and mellow with heavier bracing. If made like my KoAloha ukuleles, it is loud, sweet-- a sound canon. On the right guitar, it can deafen you by its punch, although not anywhere near as clear as maple. There are some less expensive woods out there that are siblings of Koa... acacia species like Australian Blackwood. "MonkeyPod" is becoming popular because it is in high supply and sounds good. It has a similar sound to Koa, but a little less punch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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