Official Luthiers Forum!

Hey - I've made one instrument using Red Maple before - I'm thinking about trying it for a guitar. I searched but couldn't find any information. Has anyone else used it before for back and sides? As far as grain orientation goes, I'd be inclined to think that somewhere in the 45 degree neighborhood might be best for the sake of stability/bend-ability. Any thoughts? or should I just go for quartersawn? or should I just stay away from this all together? Also, any comments on tone maybe?

Thanks

PS. This is the instrument I made with it, just so everyone knows what wood I'm talking about.

As you can see from your past results, it is totally illsuited for instruments. Since I am such a nice guy, I'll be right over to pick up all that you have so it is not cluttering up your shop.

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

That sure is swell of ya Bryan. The luthier community is full of helpful people. If bryan can't make it to help you dispose of that maple, I can probably drop by to help out!

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http://www.CostaGuitars.com
PMoMC

I've made a some archtop mandolins with red maple, and I'm making an archtop guitar with it now. I've not made a flat top guitar with it, but I've made a few with both European and Big Leaf maple, which are considered "soft" maples, as is red. I find their working properties similar, although their appearance is somewhat different; European maple is usually very uniformly light and even in colour, whereas the American maples often show streaks and color variation and is a bit darker overall.

Back in the day, Gibson made thousands of mando family instruments and guitars with red maple (as well as other maples, and birch!), some which had slab cut wood, others with quartered, and everything in between. Most have held up fine, but I've heard comments from experienced repair people that the instruments which most often show up with cracked backs are the ones that have flatsawn wood, which stands to reason; maple isn't the most stable wood to begin with, and it will move considerably more with humidity when flatsawn than quartered. I've used both quartered and slab sawn red maple in my instruments, some of which have seen quite heavy use, and none have cracked to my knowledge. I personally don't have enough experience to comment much on the sound of red versus other soft maples, but I do know it can make a fine sounding instrument. Pretty, too!

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

Way to go Arnt, your informative post just cost me and Tony some nice wood.

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

Ha ha ha!!! Arnt, you and you're wacky habit of always saying the opposite of what you really mean! What a character! Notice how there are no pics of these "instruments" he "made"?
I'll be right over to help clear out that pesky maple do you have room for real tonewoods! Bryan is coming too.


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http://www.CostaGuitars.com
PMoMC

The way I see it, I just saved you from having to help Nils clean up his wood pile and schlep all his lousy wood over to your place. You should thank me!

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

Gee Arnt, I hadn't looked at it that way! I do have a bad back and heavy lifting is not good for it so thanks! I always liked you!


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http://www.CostaGuitars.com
PMoMC

Hahaha, thanks guys.
Looks like I'll go ahead and do it. It just kinda has surprised me that there aren't too many red maple instruments out there and that I've never seen it (not that I;ve looked hard for it) offered as a b/s side.
And if this goes really well, maybe ill be dumping some rosewood sets. Ill let you know if I stick them out on the curb.

When you stick them out on the curb, put them at the base of the tree and give the signal (Ca-caw), I’ll drop down and grab them. Whatever you do, don’t put them by the bush; I see Tony hiding back there and I don’t want him to strain his back.

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

Here's a F5 I finished this summer, it has a slab cut red maple back.

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

This is an ambrosia red maple L-00 guitar I built in the early-1980's. A lot of the ambrosia maple I see is red maple.

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John

Quartersawn is always the most stable, i.e. least movement across the grain. To the best of my knowledge, quartered or flat makes no difference for bendability (although, if there is curl, the curl will usually be most intense on the QS surface, which would also mean you might have some issues in bending, such as faceting, but I wouldn't let that stop me).

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Todd Rose
Ithaca, NY

https://www.dreamingrosesecobnb.com/todds-art-music

https://www.facebook.com/ToddRoseGuitars/