What is a Les Paul Flame Top

The Les Paul Traditional 120 Flame Top begins with a non-weight relieved Grade-A mahogany body and a gorgeous flame maple top. This echoes the beauty of the highly desirable tradition of Les Pauls through the years, a vibe that’s carried through with a slim, fast neck profile on its Grade-A mahogany neck.

What is flame maple veneer?

These curly maple wood veneer sheets are known by many names including “flame”, “tiger”, and “fiddleback” maple. The figure, which occurs in less than 1 in 25 logs, contains cross-grain shimmering ripples where cell orientation is balanced but uneven.

What is quilted maple top on a guitar?

A popular choice on electric guitars, quilted maple is undoubtedly one of the prettiest looking wood tops in the world. The figuring of the wood gives an instrument a unique style – and one that is impossible to copy. It is made simply by cutting the maple to shape, as it is a distortion of the grain pattern.

Is flamed maple rare?

Flame maple is found only in a small percentage of maple trees and the really eye-popping examples come from less than one percent. Most people do not realize that the flame is not the actual grain pattern of the wood.

How does flame maple occur?

Flame maple is especially popular in guitars, and has been for decades. Generally, the process includes cutting the maple to shape, forming it if necessary through mold-warping and applying a clear coat or lacquer to protect the finish, and ensure the wood holds its shape.

What is a flame maple tree?

Autumn Flame Maple trees are a patented variety of tree with the scientific name Acer rubrum. Its leaves are the classic lobed maple shape and are bright green with a hint of scarlet in the spring and summer, turning to a brilliant red early in the fall. Some trees produce yellow leaves as well.

What is Gibson flame top?

Gibson Les Paul Traditional Flame Top Solidbody Electric Guitar Features: Classic ’60s Les Paul design and features with a gorgeous flame maple top. … Vintage-style ’59 Tribute humbuckers provide the extra-hot tone that made the Les Paul the original rock guitar. Mahogany neck with comfortable SlimTaper neck profile.

What is figured maple top?

The use of a figured maple top with thicknesses ranging from 4mm to 20mm glued on the body of the instrument to obtain different tonal mixes is very common on guitars and electric basses, and it impacts both the aesthetic and the sound. Maple is often used in combination with a mahogany body. …

What is top wood on a guitar?

Cedar. Although spruce is the most commonly employed top wood, cedar comes in at second place. Traditionally used on classical guitars, cedar is becoming increasingly common in steel-string instruments.

What is a curly maple tree?

Curly maple is a variety of wood that is favored by musical instrument craftsmen. The wood is sought after but is not a type of maple. It refers to the patterning inside the wood. The grain forms into several different and unique patterns such as birdseye, tiger, quilted and other interesting grain effects.

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Is quilted maple rare?

Good, quality quilted maple is definitely rarer than quality curly maple.

What is quilted maple worth?

Is Quilted Maple Expensive? Yes, highly figured quilt maple is expensive. Additionally, the cost is similar to highly figured birdseye sugar maple lumber. Specifically,as of December 2020, prices range from $3 per board foot for lightly quilted maple to $150 per board foot for extremely dense quilt figure.

What is the difference between curly and quilted maple?

Curly maple figuring is similar to quilted maple, but curl is a primarily horizontal pattern perpendicular to the wood grain. Unlike quilted maple, curly maple is most pronounced when the board is quartersawn, and the curls usually become much less pronounced or absent in flatsawn sections of boards.

What causes flame figure in wood?

Figures in wood can be caused by many things, including disruptions in the normal grain, color and form of the wood from injury, molds, insects, and fungi. Most figured wood originates from burls, which are large, tumor-like growths found on trees.

How does wood Get flame?

Ignition and combustion of wood is mainly based on the pyrolysis (i.e. thermal decomposition) of cellulose and the reactions of pyrolysis products with each other and with gases in the air, mainly oxygen. When temperature increases, cellulose starts to pyrolyse.

What does bird's eye maple look like?

Bird’s eye is a type of figure that occurs within several kinds of wood, most notably in hard maple. It has a distinctive pattern that resembles tiny, swirling eyes disrupting the smooth lines of grain. It is somewhat reminiscent of a burl, but it is quite different: the small knots that make the burl are missing.

Can you make oak look like maple?

You will have a better chance of matching the color of the maple to the oak by using a dye instead of the pigment-based stain (either oil- or water-based). Matching the color will require a bit of experimenting, as it is unlikely for you to find a dye that will be just the hue that you want.

How fast does a flame amur maple grow?

USDA Hardiness Zones:3 – 8Growth Rate:Moderate, to to 2′ per yearMature Size:Up to 12′ height and 4′ widthDrought Tolerance:Yes

How big does a flame maple get?

The Autumn Flame Red Maple grows to around 50 feet tall and as much across, in time, and especially during its early years it can grow 3 feet in a year, so it will soon be a great specimen in your garden.

Where does flame maple grow?

Planting: Your Amur Flame Maple will grow in any spot in your yard that gets full sun or partial shade, but more sun will produce brighter colors in the fall. This tree is also adaptable to all pH levels and most soil types except finely textured soils like clay.

Is Autumn Blaze maple a good tree?

In addition, the Autumn Blaze is very hardy and can withstand a wide range of climatic conditions. The big drawback of the Autumn Blaze maple is its structural weakness. The tree tends to crack easily at branch unions, which leads to broken branches and property damage after even mild storms.

Is maple wood good for guitar?

Maple is a very hard type of wood with good tonal qualities and good sustain. … Maple is also often used as a top for the guitar body, partly because it is beautiful (think flame or quilted maple tops), and partly because it can give a bright sound that would otherwise be murky.

What type of maple is used for guitars?

Rock maple – often called ‘hard maple’ or ‘sugar maple’ – is a stable and strong tonewood that suits ideally to be used for bolt-on electric guitar necks.

Is KOA a good guitar wood?

Lightweight, rigid, yet bendable, Koa is a great material for guitar manufacturers to work with. When paired with the right soundboard, it also has a wonderful tonal quality. … If you’re a hard and heavy pick player, Koa might not be your bag – it’ll get very bright very fast.

Is Tiger maple the same as curly maple?

Tiger and Curly Maple are terms used to describe the figure present in Maple. … The term Tiger Maple is most often given to Curly Soft Maple because the curly stripe in it resembles the stripe of a tiger. The term Tiger Maple is also given to a Curly Maple with exceptional or heavier than the normal figure.

What is ambrosia maple?

Ambrosia maple is a type that’s displays a patchwork pattern of stunning gray streaks infused with maple’s usual clear white color and plain grain. It’s an astonishing effect provided by beetles and the wood gives you a whole new outlet of creativity.

How expensive is tiger maple wood?

At the retail level, expect to pay about $5/bf for 4/4 soft tiger maple and $6/bf for 4/4 hard tiger maple. Prices start to soar with thicker, wide and highly figured stock.

Is curly maple Hard Maple or Soft Maple?

Curly Soft Maple is creamy white and has a wavy, or “curly” grain. It is a bit less lustrous than Hard Maple and growth rings are comparatively indistinct. Rays are narrower than in Hard Maple. Weight varies from about 30lbs to 35lbs per cu.

What is curly maple wood worth?

Board-Feet< 10100 – 4994/4 Curly Hard Maple (1 Com & Btr, Sap & Better)$11.00$8.25Curly Soft Maple4/4 Curly Soft Maple (1 Com & Btr, Sap & Better)$7.00$5.25

What is curly maple good for?

Prized for its beautiful appearance, curly maple is frequently used in the manufacturing of musical instruments, such as violins (hence the term fiddle back) and guitars.

Is quilted maple hard?

Quilted Maple // Acer macrophyllem You’ll appreciate how substantially softer it is than Hard Maple, too. Quilted figure occurs in the Big Leaf Maple tree of the Pacific Northwest U.S. and Canada.”

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