Maple Tele body - any good as a tonewood?
- Thread starter CIM
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slack
Friend of Leo's
Don't have any experience, but I'd guess bright as hell.
No experience with a maple tele, but I did have a Charvel strat copy with a solid flamed maple body once. There are five words I would use to describe it:
VERY bright sounding.
INSANELY heavy.
My two cents...
Jake
VERY bright sounding.
INSANELY heavy.
My two cents...
Jake
Geo
Poster Extraordinaire
I had an H. S. Anderson "Mad Cat" Tele in the '70s that
was a maple body except for a thin strip of Mohagany
or Rosewood down the center of the body.
Anyway it was a bit brighter than an Alder Tele but
more so than bright, it had amazing note clarity.
It was great to record with because of the clarity.
Chords just stood out along with the notes.
It was very piano like for lack of a better description.
This guitar company later sold the rights to Hohner (sp?).
They produced what is now referred to as the "Prince"
Tele. (These were identical or very close)
was a maple body except for a thin strip of Mohagany
or Rosewood down the center of the body.
Anyway it was a bit brighter than an Alder Tele but
more so than bright, it had amazing note clarity.
It was great to record with because of the clarity.
Chords just stood out along with the notes.
It was very piano like for lack of a better description.
This guitar company later sold the rights to Hohner (sp?).
They produced what is now referred to as the "Prince"
Tele. (These were identical or very close)
Kelsey
Tele-Holic
I had an early G&L ASAT with a flame maple body that was slightly thinner than a Tele body. I didn't find it any brighter than swamp ash. It was a beautiful guitar, but the neck was just too skinny for me and caused serious pain in my left arm. 
So I traded it for one of those heavy mahogany guitars with a carved maple top. I certainly don't think it's overly bright. 8)
So I traded it for one of those heavy mahogany guitars with a carved maple top. I certainly don't think it's overly bright. 8)
Lance
Friend of Leo's
Gonna agree
I had a custom strat in a one piece flame maple. Fairly bright but not very interesting sounding...kinda thin. I guess it lacked the overtones of other woods. Maybe that's why LPs have the cap in maple only.
I had a custom strat in a one piece flame maple. Fairly bright but not very interesting sounding...kinda thin. I guess it lacked the overtones of other woods. Maybe that's why LPs have the cap in maple only.
telel6s
Friend of Leo's
Not a Tele but an L6S
I've got a mid-70's Gibson L6S. Solid maple and about 3/4 the thickness of a Tele. Even with humbuckers, it is still pretty bright. I would think that single-coils on an all maple body would be a bit of a problem in the high end.
As for weight, because of the L6S's thickness, it's not too bad but still heavier than my Tele with Bigsby. A full thickness body of all maple would be reason to get one of those 5" padded guitar straps.
I've got a mid-70's Gibson L6S. Solid maple and about 3/4 the thickness of a Tele. Even with humbuckers, it is still pretty bright. I would think that single-coils on an all maple body would be a bit of a problem in the high end.
As for weight, because of the L6S's thickness, it's not too bad but still heavier than my Tele with Bigsby. A full thickness body of all maple would be reason to get one of those 5" padded guitar straps.
The more dense the wood is the more highs it will produce.
Maple on a Tele body will produce a super bright sounding guitar that would need humbuckers to sound right.
An all Maple Tele with Tele pickups would be so bright sounding people would be running for the doors to escape the treble blast.
Maple on a Tele body will produce a super bright sounding guitar that would need humbuckers to sound right.
An all Maple Tele with Tele pickups would be so bright sounding people would be running for the doors to escape the treble blast.
e-merlin
Doctor of Teleocity
My experience tells me that there isn't much difference if any. I built a Strat with a Maple body and later put the the pickguard, pickups and all, on a MIM and they sounded the same. Body wood does not play a large part when it comes to tone in solid body guitars in my experience.
Slim
Tele-Holic
My main Tele for the past year has been a solid one-piece maple body. It is bright, but I have to agree with Geo; incredible clarity. You can almost hear your pick strike a chord before it hits the strings. Very responsive, but unforgiving. I also have to disagree with the trebleness; it accentuates the brights, but also the bass. The bass is tight and contained maybe(?), and again, articulate. It is heavy, but stains gorgeously.
It probably doesn't have as much character as other woods like ash or mahogany, and probably not as versatile. I'm building a mahogany Tele for those reasons, but I'm also hanging on to the maple one for the afore mentioned reasons.
I guess I personally wouldn't recommend spending a fortune for an all around, 'go to' main guitar, but try it if you want a Rickenbacker-y alternative.
It probably doesn't have as much character as other woods like ash or mahogany, and probably not as versatile. I'm building a mahogany Tele for those reasons, but I'm also hanging on to the maple one for the afore mentioned reasons.
I guess I personally wouldn't recommend spending a fortune for an all around, 'go to' main guitar, but try it if you want a Rickenbacker-y alternative.
jidai
Tele-Meister
I've never played a solid maple guitar but given my experience with lots of maple-topped axes it gives a bright, resonant tone. Maple top guitars are pretty loud not plugged in (just resonating off the body) compared to pure alders, etc. I kinda like it but a solid maple guitar would be fairly heavy.
Robin Nahum
Friend of Leo's
Thinline Experience
I have always enjoyed the look of big blond Gibsons and sought to work this look into a Warmoth body Thinline with a quilted maple top and a rock(?) maple back.
If you go to: www.telecastergallery.com and key 'nahum' in the search engine you can see pictures of it.
It has an SD Vintage P90 in the neck and a SD Jerry Donahue in the bridge. The aim of the P90 was to complement the expected brightness of the maple, as was the USACG mahogany neck. The Jerry Donahue in the bridge was something that the Warmoth rep suggested might work with the P90.
Immediately after completion, it didn't seem to have much sustain and just seemed 'flat'-sounding. However, after a while, I'm not sure what happened but it started to come good.
It has a clean clear tone and does sound brighter (but not unpleasantly so) than one of my other Thinlines with a maple top and mahogany back and Fralin Steel Pole Tele pickups which are designed to be P90ish.
I find that the P90 by itself is great for comping. I can then mix in the JD for solo work. With this guitar, I set the treble on the amp to about 7. With the other guitars it is usually about 4 or 5.
R
CIM said:
I have always enjoyed the look of big blond Gibsons and sought to work this look into a Warmoth body Thinline with a quilted maple top and a rock(?) maple back.
If you go to: www.telecastergallery.com and key 'nahum' in the search engine you can see pictures of it.
It has an SD Vintage P90 in the neck and a SD Jerry Donahue in the bridge. The aim of the P90 was to complement the expected brightness of the maple, as was the USACG mahogany neck. The Jerry Donahue in the bridge was something that the Warmoth rep suggested might work with the P90.
Immediately after completion, it didn't seem to have much sustain and just seemed 'flat'-sounding. However, after a while, I'm not sure what happened but it started to come good.
It has a clean clear tone and does sound brighter (but not unpleasantly so) than one of my other Thinlines with a maple top and mahogany back and Fralin Steel Pole Tele pickups which are designed to be P90ish.
I find that the P90 by itself is great for comping. I can then mix in the JD for solo work. With this guitar, I set the treble on the amp to about 7. With the other guitars it is usually about 4 or 5.
R
purpletele
Friend of Leo's
me
I have a Hohner "Te Prinz" that's maple back and sides, witha flame maple top and a mahogany strip where the bookmatch is. It's not as bright as I would thought. The sound is hard to explain, but it's more similar (to my ears anyway) to ash than alder. VERY rich sounding, and the neck pickup is heavanly. I'ts a good companion to an alder Tele.
I have a Hohner "Te Prinz" that's maple back and sides, witha flame maple top and a mahogany strip where the bookmatch is. It's not as bright as I would thought. The sound is hard to explain, but it's more similar (to my ears anyway) to ash than alder. VERY rich sounding, and the neck pickup is heavanly. I'ts a good companion to an alder Tele.
GlennLewis
Tele-Holic
speaking from personal experience
It sounds great, and looks pretty nice too.
http://168.144.54.56/images/maplecasterfront3.jpg
No it is not too bright, yes it has great clarity, No it is not too heavy however the longest I've ever stood with it in a gig is about 5 hours. I wound the bridge pick up a bit hot so it would have better output balance with the neck humbucker, and no, it doesn't even make your ears bleed.
I'd rate it as a good tone wood, but I love maple so I'm kind of biased in that regard.
It sounds great, and looks pretty nice too.
http://168.144.54.56/images/maplecasterfront3.jpg
No it is not too bright, yes it has great clarity, No it is not too heavy however the longest I've ever stood with it in a gig is about 5 hours. I wound the bridge pick up a bit hot so it would have better output balance with the neck humbucker, and no, it doesn't even make your ears bleed.
I'd rate it as a good tone wood, but I love maple so I'm kind of biased in that regard.
Paul G.
Friend of Leo's
More old wives tales...
Guitar players are so susceptible, you know -- heavy = sustain, Maple fretboard brighter than Rosewood, etc.
You can't predict what an all-maple guitar will sound like using those methods.
Early MusicMan guitars had maple bodies and were painfully bright.
G&L made some very tele-esque guitars with maple bodies and they sounded rather warm and clear.
If you can afford to experiment, by all means do so, but your best bet would be to a) go with what you know or b) try to find some older maple G&Ls and play them to see what you think.
P.
Guitar players are so susceptible, you know -- heavy = sustain, Maple fretboard brighter than Rosewood, etc.
You can't predict what an all-maple guitar will sound like using those methods.
Early MusicMan guitars had maple bodies and were painfully bright.
G&L made some very tele-esque guitars with maple bodies and they sounded rather warm and clear.
If you can afford to experiment, by all means do so, but your best bet would be to a) go with what you know or b) try to find some older maple G&Ls and play them to see what you think.
P.
G&L Broadcasters...
.....if I'm not mistaken, had maple bodies.
I briefly owned one (unfortunately had a bad neck) and thought it sounded good, not overly bright as I recall.
-Eric
.....if I'm not mistaken, had maple bodies.
I briefly owned one (unfortunately had a bad neck) and thought it sounded good, not overly bright as I recall.
-Eric
John E
Friend of Leo's
Hard to predict...
What a guitar will sound like with different body woods. Seems like the whole guitar together has more to do with it than just the body wood type. I can tell you that I had a cruddy little Godin Radiator that was a Maple body with a hollowed out top (the pickguard covers the whole top of the body). And that guitar sounded Incredible. Wasn't to bright at all. Just right actually, if it had a better neck (well one that I liked anyway) I would still have it.
What a guitar will sound like with different body woods. Seems like the whole guitar together has more to do with it than just the body wood type. I can tell you that I had a cruddy little Godin Radiator that was a Maple body with a hollowed out top (the pickguard covers the whole top of the body). And that guitar sounded Incredible. Wasn't to bright at all. Just right actually, if it had a better neck (well one that I liked anyway) I would still have it.
By the time I get to Fenix
As it happens I had a Godin SD a while back - a bit like a radiator with a maple body but no body cavities. It wasn't especially bright but had quite a smooth, compressed sort of sound. For some reason I didn't keep my Godin either...
But the reason I asked about Tele's and maple bodies is I am contemplating a maple body Fenix Tele - at least I think it is maple as it looks slightly flamed in places - about 7 or 8 years old. I can't check it out properly in advance (for one thing it still has the original factory strings on which are completely dead) but it looks good and is not expensive - I'll report back on how it works out if I get it...
As it happens I had a Godin SD a while back - a bit like a radiator with a maple body but no body cavities. It wasn't especially bright but had quite a smooth, compressed sort of sound. For some reason I didn't keep my Godin either...
But the reason I asked about Tele's and maple bodies is I am contemplating a maple body Fenix Tele - at least I think it is maple as it looks slightly flamed in places - about 7 or 8 years old. I can't check it out properly in advance (for one thing it still has the original factory strings on
which are completely dead) but it looks good and is not expensive - I'll report back on how it works out if I get it...
