Need help with maple tops -

[Okamibnu]

My luthier is about to start to build my 7 string fanned fret headless guitar, and I can't decide which maple I shall use for the top. It is a design based on shoggie with golden hardware. Here they go

Master flamed maple
Vs
A sweet multicoloured piece of spalted maple he chopped himself in the woods...

Which one would you guys use?

 

[KnightBrolaire]

I vote spalt. Looks very unique.

 

[Humbuck]

Of those two def the spalt maple!

 

[Pikka Bird]

I can't decide without more information. It depends very much on what kind of finish you'd like to put on top of it...

 

[Okamibnu]

I was thinking about a caramel finish in the flamed one,Pikka bird...

 

[Dcm81]

That spalt is quite unique so, yeah, take the spalt!

 

[AliceLG]

SPALT!

 

[Pikka Bird]

I was thinking about a caramel finish in the flamed one,Pikka bird...

Could be cool... What for the spalt? Natural?

 

[purpledc]

I prefer the spalt. I am a huge fan of flamed maple. But its really common. If the finish is a poly finish either would be fine. But my only worry about the spalt is spalt is created by bacteria eating away at the wood. This makes for a very attractive look but depending on how long the tree had been infected and the portion of the tree it was taken from it can be very soft. Stabilizing with resin can help prevent it from easily denting but resin is essentially plastic which doesn't sound all that great IMHO. If however its a solid hard piece of spalt with no resin stabilization I would go for it. That does look like an exceptional piece of flame in terms of uniformity and straight figuring but I have developed a bit of a preference for more unique, wild and crazy flame patterns. It really depends on you.

 

[timbryant99]

That spalted maple is fantastic. What wood is he using for the body back and what is the fingerboard? If the fingerboard is fairly monochromatic (i.e. ebony, rosewood, etc..), I would pick the spalt. If it is super figured, then the flame. It may look too busy if you have the spalted top and a very figured fingerboard. One man's opinion.

 

[MoonJelly]

I'm not always into spalt, but that spalted piece is exceptional.

 

[Okamibnu]

Could be cool... What for the spalt? Natural?

Most likely... With some gloss finish to enhance the colours

 

[Okamibnu]

That spalted maple is fantastic. What wood is he using for the body back and what is the fingerboard? If the fingerboard is fairly monochromatic (i.e. ebony, rosewood, etc..), I would pick the spalt. If it is super figured, then the flame. It may look too busy if you have the spalted top and a very figured fingerboard. One man's opinion.

The fingerboard is brazilian rosewood, and the body is Southern Yellow Pine (Araucaria genre, with sonority very close to alder, but with a nicer bottom end), with a 1mm mahogany plate between the top and the araucaria body.
Neck is a flamed maple/mahogany/maple/mahogany/maple with thin ebony plates between, so a 9 piece, with carbon fiber rods.
ABM single saddles/hard piece, bareknuckle juggernaut slanted set.

I'm thinking about chambering it a bit, and was researching about formula auri, with a nautilus shape to avoid woof notes. I guess I'm going nuts about all this research about ergonomic guitars... lol

 

[Okamibnu]

I prefer the spalt. I am a huge fan of flamed maple. But its really common. If the finish is a poly finish either would be fine. But my only worry about the spalt is spalt is created by bacteria eating away at the wood. This makes for a very attractive look but depending on how long the tree had been infected and the portion of the tree it was taken from it can be very soft. Stabilizing with resin can help prevent it from easily denting but resin is essentially plastic which doesn't sound all that great IMHO. If however its a solid hard piece of spalt with no resin stabilization I would go for it. That does look like an exceptional piece of flame in terms of uniformity and straight figuring but I have developed a bit of a preference for more unique, wild and crazy flame patterns. It really depends on you.

Thanks for the advice... It is a sicamore maple, and it is actually stable. I guess the guy was vey lucky to get it before the point that it becomes too soft.

 

[purpledc]

Thanks for the advice... It is a sicamore maple, and it is actually stable. I guess the guy was vey lucky to get it before the point that it becomes too soft.

Well man that's all I need to hear. You will never find a piece of wood that looks like that again. You can always get another flame top.

 

[Okamibnu]

Here is some update with the project. The hardware just arrived - AMB headpiece and singles saddles, BKP juggernauts.
Here is the neck and body in the glue process.

 

[Okamibnu]

The woods in the neck are flamed maple, brazilian walnut stripes and pink lyptus (it's how we call it here).

 

[LiveOVErdrive]

Oh you made the right call on the spalted top. That guitar is gonna be beautiful.

 

[HighPotency]

I was hesitant at first about the spalted maple but after seeing it on the body like that, you made the right choice.

 

[pondman]

That is going to look superb