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Jonathan Spool
04-08-2011, 11:49 PM
I have some access to figured maple that I will use for some of my own turning and flatwork. I am hoping that I can pay for some of my wood through milling and selling some of it for Luthier work. I would like to know what guitar builders are looking for (both acoustic and electric) when it comes to the figure, and dimensions of the wood they purchase. I am hopingt to put out some wood for solid electric guitars, and some bookmatched backs for acoustics.
Thanks
Jonathan

Roderick Gentry
04-18-2011, 4:39 PM
There was a thread recently on the delcamp classical forum about maple tonewood types . Also look at supply houses for woods, like LMII. Sides and backs are nearly always quarter sawn, however with maple, birdseye is flat or riffed, art of the possible. I prefer curly maple in accordance with tradition, but birdseye of the same quality sells for more money around me.

I actually like plain maple, but I guess nobody will ever buy it. It is a spiritual or serene wood.

Preferred maple seems to be european or bigleaf.

Quality needs to be exceptional, and accurately graded. There can be flaws out of the body outline, which pretty much means you need those outlines to categorize your wood. There are online patterns. Sides and backs needn't come out of the same piece, but same tree would be nice. In reality they tend to just get matches for similarity.

There are a lot of little details with wood, but within reason looks will sell just about anything.

Robert Dixon MN
04-20-2011, 2:51 PM
preferred Maple for most solidbody electric guitars is Eastern Maple, not Western (Bigleaf). The better the figure, the higher the price.