Maple body with maple neck...is this a good combination

[wyldefan]

Hi everyone. I am interested in buying a guitar with a maple body and maple neck. I will not be able to hear it before I buy it though. I put up a post looking for GMW guitars. I got a reply on a beautiful charvel start type guitar with a hard rock maple body and birds eye maple neck. I have heard that this combination tends to sound very bright. Can anyone give me some advice.

[ChickenScratch]

Re: Maple body with maple neck...is this a good combination

Yes, maple has a very bright tone and it's a pretty dense wood so it tends to be really heavy if your entire guitar is made of the stuff. Maybe you could go with a maple top on the body to help cut down the weight and still have the all maple look your going for.

This might not help but if you like Kerry King's tone his guitar is all maple, can't think of anyone else now.

[Marc Ralston]

Re: Maple body with maple neck...is this a good combination

George Lynch also prefers guitars with maple bodies.

[rstites]

Re: Maple body with maple neck...is this a good combination

My 1984 Charvel is solid maple bodied with a maple/maple neck. It sounds great, but not all maple bodied guitars have been so good in my experience, so it may be a bit hit-n-miss. It'd definitely a bright and penetrating sound and it is hard to get much for lows out of it. I'd say it's great for an 80s rock sound, but isn't so great for a more modern sound with emphasis on the low end.

Ross

[MountainDog]

Re: Maple body with maple neck...is this a good combination

I've got an ESP Kamikazi IV, maple/maple w/duncan screamin demon, and haven't noticed it being too bright or harsh. In fact it sounds about the same as my KamiII and III, which are maple body/ebony fingerboard (and this being run thru my amp with settings as set using my Alder/Ebony Jacksons). If you do find your maple/maple is too bright, just swap the pickup for one with reduced highs and more lows, such as the Duncan Original Trembucker, or the Invader, or also an EMG85.

ChickenScratch is right about the weight though, those Kamis are heavy!

[jr73]

Re: Maple body with maple neck...is this a good combination

ide double check with the guy, hard rock maple isnt usually used for bodies. its very dense & heavy, big leaf maple is usually used in bodies not as heavy. I personally like maple guitars they are bright & sustain for days. its a great combo with a HIGH gain amp, because it will not get as muddy or lose clarity. if it seems to lack low end i find using bigger low strings sometimes help gives it a little more punch. also if its a V-trem it wont be as bright as a floyd

[wyldefan]

Re: Maple body with maple neck...is this a good combination

Yeah it is made out of Eastern Hard maple. I have hears good and bad things about using a maple boday with a maple neck. I wish I could hear the guitar fist but I can't. I would be getting the guitar for a great price though. Anyone else have some feedback.

[pro-fusion]

Re: Maple body with maple neck...is this a good combination

My '89 Carvin DC145 is maple/maple, as all standard Carvins were prior to about 1992, when they switched to alder body wings.

I love the sound of my 145, very intense and heavy. I also do not think that my guitar lacks low end, but I would agree that the pickups have a lot to do with that. The Carvin M22 pickups on it are very punchy, while not overly emphasizing low-end.

That said, a maple/maple guitar is not going to be mistaken for a Les Paul soundwise, but they have a great sound of their own. The greatest thing about my Carvin's sound is its ability to really cut through a mix. It never sounds thin or wimpy, the way basswood bodied guitars can. Nor does it ever get muddy and indistinct, the way mahogany guitars can.

As an only axe, I'm not sure that maple/maple is a good first choice because it is not tremendously versatile, in my opinion. But as part of a stable of axes, it's a great combination to have when you need that extra 'oomph'.

[toejam]

Re: Maple body with maple neck...is this a good combination

Originally posted by pro-fusion:
My '89 Carvin DC145 is maple/maple, as all standard Carvins were prior to about 1992, when they switched to alder body wings.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Are you sure it's maple? At that time I believe Carvin made their guitars out of poplar standard and then switched to alder. I thought the maple bodies were before that. I had the '90 and '91 catalogs that said they were poplar. Maybe '89 was the last year they were using maple as standard. Though, you could always, and still today, order one of their guitars with a maple or whatever other kind of body wood they offer.

[k65h]

Re: Maple body with maple neck...is this a good combination

Toejam!
Carvin's were all maple in the 80's.
Both my '89 carvin's are all maple.

It was in '91 or '92 that they switched to poplar.
Then around '94 they switched to alder.
It's been that way ever since.

Kent

[toejam]

Re: Maple body with maple neck...is this a good combination

Ah, thanks for the info, Kent. I could have sworn they used poplar before that.

[777SteveVai777]

Re: Maple body with maple neck...is this a good combination

Marty Friedman - V220 maple

[jr73]

Re: Maple body with maple neck...is this a good combination

Tim, this charvel san dimas?, strathead or pointy? silly $ or not bad? the reason why i ask is , I dont think you would have a problem trading for the same guitar with an alder body. its always an option...?

[Inazone]

Re: Maple body with maple neck...is this a good combination

If you go maple/maple, try to find a suitable pickup combination (if it doesn't come with one), because a bright pickup on top of an all-maple guitar might not sound so great. My brother insisted on using his maple-body Hamer USA Diablo in the studio for his rhythm tracks, and it has a pair of Duncan JBs in it. He was comfortable playing the guitar, which is a good thing of course, but it was an EQing nightmare because he was all highs and no lows. I think a thick maple top over another wood might sound a lot better than just maple throughout.

[wyldefan]

Re: Maple body with maple neck...is this a good combination

I thank you all for your feedback. I have decided to not buy the guitar. The guitar was put together by GMW. I am to afraid I will hate the overall tone of maple on maple. Thanks everyone.