Baked maple fingerboards

[SugarBear 6]

There's some pretty strong opinions regarding the use of torrefied "baked" maple on Gibson electrics, seems that it's selling ok so far...but I doubt Gibson would continue using it if rosewood was available. So if Gibsons acoustic factory had no choice other than using this material on popular models, would you be the 1st in line..or stay away? J-45 with a baked maple board, for instance.

[GotTheSilver 18]

No. There are too many great guitars out there already to buy one made of second choice materials. I would wait until Gibson is using rosewood again, or buy a used one if I could not wait.

[Morkolo 233]

I'd have to play one first to give a fair answer. That being said the fact that a guitar comes with a maple fretboard be it baked, figured, flamed whatever has never stopped me from purchasing a guitar before.

[BigKahune 449]

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Baked maple, or any kind of maple, is fine with me.

 

So are all the other alternative woods/materials being used by Gibson and other manufacturers. It's all about being green.

 

 

 

BTW, your similar thread over on the Les Paul forum got locked down. .

 

 

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[SugarBear 6]

Yes it did, not my doing though, if that's what you're insinuating. It's a legitimate topic, and I for one would likely pass but am interested in opinions on this.

[damian 1,582]

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Baked maple, or any kind of maple, is fine with me.

 

It's all about being green.

 

 

 

 

 

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I also have no problem with Baked Maple.......Folks are loving it.....I'd love to see a Gibby LP with a maple neck through, even acoustics with

 

maple necks.....I'm eyeing a PRS with a set maple neck and maple fretboard.....Maple is great, as is ebony, rosewood, bakelite, etc etc........

 

{ In jest, and fun; } I even have an acoustic made entirely of " SugarBear Maple."..... ......

[dchristo 32]

I think the maple fretboards are fine, the few that I have seen, you didnt notice the difference

[EuroAussie 192]

Lets not go down that path again ... pleeease.

[zombywoof 250]

I like maple boards. But I could not answer until I had a chance to play a few guitars sporting the new fangled ones.

[zombywoof 250]

Ok, so what do ya'll think would make folks screech louder - a J-45 with a traditional rosewood board that was shipped over ready to be slapped on the guitar from India or one with a non-traeditional maple board but fashioned from scratch right here in the good old U.S.A.

[zombywoof 250]

Just to play Devil's Advocate (sorry it has been that kinda day) how is a maple board different than using something like Zebrawood, Koa or some other kind of wood that you never saw on an Gibson to make a top or body. Seems that Bozeman and Nashville have a tradition of veering from tradition.

[damian 1,582]

 

.....

[Jinder 165]

I'd give it a strum and if it sounded great, I'd buy it. If it sucked, I wouldn't. It doesn't appeal off the bat, but I'm not a high-minded traditionalist. If everyone took that approach, we'd still be playing Lutes, Lyres and Hurdy-Gurdies.

[Del Nilppeznaf 47]

I'd give it a strum and if it sounded great, I'd buy it. If it sucked, I wouldn't. It doesn't appeal off the bat, but I'm not a high-minded traditionalist. If everyone took that approach, we'd still be playing Lutes, Lyres and Hurdy-Gurdies.

 

+1

 

haha

exactly Jinder..always enjoy your posts.. BTW did you ever do a review of that bargain soundhole pup from the states?

[Deadgrateful 10]

I think time spent thinking about what Gibson is making it's fingerboards out of is time better spent playing. Personally I don't care if my guitar is made of baked dinosaur crap. It's getting played, I'm not eating my dinner off of it.

[j45nick 460]

Personally I don't care if my guitar is made of baked dinosaur crap. It's getting played, I'm not eating my dinner off of it.

 

 

Trust me, baked dinosaur crap is not a good choice for a guitar. Your dog won't know whether to lick your hand, or pee on it.

[BigKahune 449]

Trust me, baked dinosaur crap is not a good choice for a guitar. Your dog won't know whether to lick your hand, or pee on it.

 

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[michaeljohnr 11]

Trust me, baked dinosaur crap is not a good choice for a guitar. Your dog won't know whether to lick your hand, or pee on it.

 

 

Plus the giant peanuts stick out way too far and it makes fretting difficult.

[BluesKing777 240]

There's some pretty strong opinions regarding the use of torrefied "baked" maple on Gibson electrics, seems that it's selling ok so far...but I doubt Gibson would continue using it if rosewood was available. So if Gibsons acoustic factory had no choice other than using this material on popular models, would you be the 1st in line..or stay away? J-45 with a baked maple board, for instance.

 

 

Any nice photos of this 'baked maple' fingerboard?

 

 

Sounds delicious! Baked goods, Baked Apple Pie, Maple Syrup on Baked Goods, BAKERY!

Baked Maple....

 

I suppose it is just maple burnt a bit to make it look a rosewoody colour?

 

Why do the other major guitar makers not use it? (Why don't they need to use laminated bridges?)

 

 

BluesKing777.

[MissouriPicker 388]

I don't know if it would bother me. If the guitar sounded and played like a Gibson, then I probably wouldn't know the difference.

[retrorod 93]

I just LUV the smell of baked maple.... :o

[pschaafs 0]

Anybody know why they bake it? Unbaked maple is not odd for fretboard, but it would seem that someone thought that baking it was a good idea...

[duluthdan 84]

Anybody know why they bake it? Unbaked maple is not odd for fretboard, but it would seem that someone thought that baking it was a good idea...

Unbaked maple is harder to chew? Probably to slowly remove as much moisture as possible, also would give them the chance to discard any split pieces ?

[damian 1,582]

Anybody know why they bake it? Unbaked maple is not odd for fretboard, but it would seem that someone thought that baking it was a good idea...

 

I have the scientific file somewhere... ......Basically, think of hardwood that sits next to a wood stove; At the right temperature it

 

continues to dry out....Too close, and it either burns, or begins to carbonize; ie, begins to turn into "coal".....So, "Baking" maple is a

 

process of not just drying the wood, but heating it to a specific stage where it hardens on a molecular level.....The result is a very stable

 

and strong state of the wood.....It's actually a process that's been used for many generations......( This is only a very short version....)....

 

( Think terms like "crystalization", etc etc....).....

[Malchik 59]

I have no problem with the wood alternatives. My only gripe with Gibson is they should have picked a material and stuck with it on all their guitars. Out of all the woods, katalox is definitely the closest to rosewood.

 

If one switch bugged me, it would be the choice to use richlite on Customs.