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Post by premiumplus (Dave) on Jan 17, 2015 4:29:37 GMT -7
I bought this about a year ago at GC, a LP Jr. Special GC 'exclusive'...I was looking for a P-90 guitar and this one was light, sounded great unplugged. It's really resonant and lively. But it has the baked maple fretboard which really turned me off at first. I figured that if they were using some new technique (at least new to me, I never heard of baked wood before) it was for cost saving, not for it's great tone or playability. I thought it was a way to increase profits, nothing else. A year later, it's one of my go to guitars. Sounds and plays great. Is baked maple as good as rosewood? I'd have to play two identical guitars to see if there was a difference in tone, and even then it would be hard to say if any difference in tone was primarily due to fingerboard wood...we've all played two "identical" guitars that sound different, right? But I think it works...It wears well, plays smoothly, and sounds great. The fingerboard is bound which was a nice bonus in an 'inexpensive' guitar, and I wish my 'Tribute' LP Goldtop played as well. So what do you all think about these new baked maple boards? Any negative issues out there, or are you happy with them?
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Post by Baconator on Jan 17, 2015 5:21:29 GMT -7
I don't have one, but I've played a few and they seem nice to me. There's a stigma around them, especially amongst Gibson folks because it's not traditional. But aside from that, there are a number of guitar builders that are using some form of heat-treated maple for necks and fingerboards and if it wasn't a great idea I really doubt Suhr would be offering baked maple necks as a $150 upcharge.
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Post by BritInvasion on Jan 17, 2015 5:22:36 GMT -7
Like you I was initially put off by the idea ( we guitarists really don't like change when it comes to our gear , do we?) but the fact is it works well IMHO. Feels a lot like ebony to me , It's wood , not some composite and should last a long time, Like the old '50s Fender with fretted maple necks have lasted. Heat treating ("baking") wood should make it harder and a little more dense. I have no real problem with it.
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Post by Stan on Jan 17, 2015 7:22:16 GMT -7
I've never tried one.
But it just seems wrong somehow :>).
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Post by heynewguy (Ol’ Bill) on Jan 17, 2015 7:32:00 GMT -7
My son Will, who works at Musikraft, loves the roasted necks/bodies. This process also makes them a little bit lighter. He says he wants one at sometime. Not sure what the up charge is. I'm sure it's on their website.
As always, YMMV.
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Post by Joey Beverages on Jan 17, 2015 7:34:59 GMT -7
Rosewood or ebony seem to make me happy as of late. Tried a few baked-maple 'boards and just caint seem to be happy with the feel of 'em .... That said, if it makes you happy and gets you the desired tone ... looking forward to your future posts. cheers always, Joel
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Post by Jaguarguy (Mike) on Jan 17, 2015 8:47:05 GMT -7
I've always liked maple necks - I wouldn't have problems with a baked neck on a Gibson. Nice looking guitar Dave!
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Post by smolder on Jan 17, 2015 8:51:55 GMT -7
I have a Les Paul Junior special with baked maple and like it a lot. There are a lot of grouches out there that whine every time Gibson does something untraditional. Maple is nice and snappy and I think it works particularly well with P90's. I'm also a sucker for bound fretboards.
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Post by nmz on Jan 17, 2015 14:09:47 GMT -7
If you like it then that's all that matters!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 17, 2015 16:13:33 GMT -7
My son Will, who works at Musikraft, loves the roasted necks/bodies. This process also makes them a little bit lighter. He says he wants one at sometime. Not sure what the up charge is. I'm sure it's on their website. As always, YMMV. I've got a new neck on the way from Musikraft with the baked maple option. It's a $100 up charge. Their claim is that it also helps make figured wood, which is inherently less stable than plain wood, more stable. We'll see. The neck is at the finisher (MJT) now. I've seen the pics- it is massively flamed. Can't wait to bolt it on. My current neck has gotten a bit skinny for my current tastes- this one is much thicker. Maybe 3 more weeks.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 17, 2015 16:14:59 GMT -7
And, to follow up on that, while everything does effect tone, my personal feeling is that fretboard wood is a pretty small ingredient in the overall tone of a guitar. If it feels good, and you can play on it, it probably doesn't make that much of a difference.
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Post by Luke on Jan 17, 2015 20:36:52 GMT -7
I've never played a baked maple neck before. I think one looks great though. I'm a sucker for bound necks. Just think it looks super classy on anything. The heritage cherry finish with the P90s makes me jealous. Nice looking axe.
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Post by premiumplus (Dave) on Jan 18, 2015 4:17:14 GMT -7
I love this forum. I learn a lot here and I never knew that baked maple was an upgrade. I know that this particular guitar rocks, and that after I got over the idea of no rosewood, I really like the way it plays. It really does feel just like ebony to me, and it seems like it will wear very well. I grip chords and bend strings hard, and it shows no wear at all. Thanks for all the kind words, guys! It means a lot.
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Post by Stan on Jan 18, 2015 5:47:59 GMT -7
I was thinking and came up with some questions I have no answers too. Like what will be the long term prognosis of baked maple in the sense in the guitar world it's new so an unknown in the long term perhaps. Why bake in the first place? What will the wood do after many years/decades will it crack, blister, have dimensional changes or what ever. Has any other type of baked wood been used on guitars or for that matter in any other application before, or is the baked concept a Gibson an original idea?
So why aren't other maple woods that are used in guitars baked?
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Post by BritInvasion on Jan 18, 2015 6:13:58 GMT -7
Baked or roasted maple process was originally invented as a way to get lumber that would work well for making sauna doors. From what I've read , they bring the moisture content down to 4%. The result of the process is a wood that is rot resistant and very stable dimensionally. I think the reason you don't see a lot of it is that it's fairly new to the guitar industry and it costs more ( extra time,vacuum and higher temps in the kiln) than regular maple. Gibson isn't the only manufacturer using it , I know Suhr offers it.
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Post by Stan on Jan 18, 2015 6:59:37 GMT -7
I just read I think that Taylor might be using it on their Spruce acoustic tops.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 18, 2015 7:35:52 GMT -7
Baked or roasted maple process was originally invented as a way to get lumber that would work well for making sauna doors. From what I've read , they bring the moisture content down to 4%. The result of the process is a wood that is rot resistant and very stable dimensionally. I think the reason you don't see a lot of it is that it's fairly new to the guitar industry and it costs more ( extra time,vacuum and higher temps in the kiln) than regular maple. Gibson isn't the only manufacturer using it , I know Suhr offers it. Yep, this. Here's a pic of the roasted maple neck from Musikraft that I am having finished now. Kinda blingy, I know...
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Post by Stan on Jan 18, 2015 7:58:31 GMT -7
Wow it looks alive. Be careful :>
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Post by heynewguy (Ol’ Bill) on Jan 18, 2015 8:45:08 GMT -7
Baked or roasted maple process was originally invented as a way to get lumber that would work well for making sauna doors. From what I've read , they bring the moisture content down to 4%. The result of the process is a wood that is rot resistant and very stable dimensionally. I think the reason you don't see a lot of it is that it's fairly new to the guitar industry and it costs more ( extra time,vacuum and higher temps in the kiln) than regular maple. Gibson isn't the only manufacturer using it , I know Suhr offers it. Yep, this. Here's a pic of the roasted maple neck from Musikraft that I am having finished now. Kinda blingy, I know... Nice!
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Post by premiumplus (Dave) on Jan 18, 2015 19:37:38 GMT -7
Baked or roasted maple process was originally invented as a way to get lumber that would work well for making sauna doors. From what I've read , they bring the moisture content down to 4%. The result of the process is a wood that is rot resistant and very stable dimensionally. I think the reason you don't see a lot of it is that it's fairly new to the guitar industry and it costs more ( extra time,vacuum and higher temps in the kiln) than regular maple. Gibson isn't the only manufacturer using it , I know Suhr offers it. So I wonder what the lower moisture content would do to the tone qualities, especially if it were used like regular maple, in the top cap of a Les Paul? I bet that used in a fingerboard it sounds like an ebony board. It seems like since the moisture content comes down with baking, that the overall density would increase, the wood pores would shrink and the wood would be harder and stronger. Maybe brittle, too? That's good stuff, thanks!
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Post by Pete aka shouldb on Jan 25, 2015 1:41:34 GMT -7
If it looks good, if it feels good, if it plays good...... then it IS good! End of....... IMHO. Enjoy!
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Post by rcrecelius on Jan 25, 2015 21:28:35 GMT -7
My son Will, who works at Musikraft, loves the roasted necks/bodies. This process also makes them a little bit lighter. He says he wants one at sometime. Not sure what the up charge is. I'm sure it's on their website. As always, YMMV. Very cool...my favorite neck is a Musikraft on my silver sparkle tele...it's the V to C shape.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2015 13:25:13 GMT -7
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Post by BritInvasion on Jan 26, 2015 17:05:04 GMT -7
Wow that's nice, and dig the abalone inlays!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2015 18:39:02 GMT -7
Thanks! Can't wait to get this bolted on and ready to play! I put a "f" decal on tonight. Need to hit the headstock with a couple light coats of lacquer tomorrow, and get the tuners (gotoh kluson locking) on, and I should be on track to get it out the door on Saturday.
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Post by El Gato Blackie on Jan 26, 2015 19:36:29 GMT -7
I'm late to the party. My Gibson LP Deluxe has a baked maple fretboard, the guitar is at least 3 years old. When I bought it, I AB'ed it with a much higher priced LP that had a rosewood fretboard. The fretboard feels and sounds great. Nothing unusual about it. Time will tell if it holds up, but I'd be really surprised if it didn't.
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