maple top on _____?

[rguser]

the other thread about other brands led me to sites of anderson, suhr and musicman. ( I mean I respect jackson, esp, schecter, washburn, etc but they all stick to proven formulas just like ibanez in terms of wood. )
I was mostly interested in bodies with a carved maple top because of my recent itch for RGA121
so maple on mahogany is the norm. which is great. and there's other choices

Maple Top on Swamp Ash
This combination is very rare at Anderson. We have used it on a few Hollow-T's (without pickguard). The tone was great and sounded very similar to the Maple/Basswood version of the same guitar.
Maple Top on Basswood
This is by far the most popular body wood combination for all of our Drop Top models. Basswood/Maple produces a very rich, full sound with great low, middle and high end. Its timbre is a bit more of a fundamental tone with fewer overtones than the more traditional body woods. It is extremely popular for many styles of music because of the wide tonal spectrum that it produces. This combination is rather light in weight and looks beautiful with almost all transparent colors. $100 more on Hollow T series.

------------------------------------from anderson

is the description on overtones above correct? if true, I will definitely stay away from it. How can it be popular if it sounds Hi-Fi?

Basswood Back / Quilt Maple Top - Ok, this may be the Holy Grail of tone, The Basswood response is extended by a 3/16" Maple top adding more clearity and grind to the fattness of the Basswood, my favorite! Usually colors chosen will be opaque on the back with transparents on the top, LP style. Most Excellent with a Maple neck.

Ash Back / Quilt Maple Top - Auditioned with a Madagascar Bois de Rose fingerboard. I used to think that the Alder Body / Pau Ferro fingerboard was one of the best overdrive tones.... Hmmmm , the Ash Back has that open ring with good clarity, The Maple top seems to add another dimension, Not harsh at all but very alive sounding both clean and dirty. Also an excellent look for transparent colors both on the back and front. Makes for a light guitar as well. I'm getting the itch to build myself one real bad! Nice punch, scooped mids. 1 piece Maple neck also a killer tone for this combo.

-----------------------------------------from suhr

if this description of maple on ash is correct I will go for it.
that happens to be musicman axis super sport with 2 P90's! does anyone have one of those? musicman is much cheaper than anderson and suhr. how's the quality compare?

[IbanezNorthwest]

Ash and Maple will sond excellent.... Suhr will give you that option... you can't go wrong on quality there!!

I have a Mahogany Body Suhr with Carved Quilt Top and a Mahog neck with RW Board

and a Suhr with a Basswood Body, flat maple top and all maple neck

both are awesome!!

[rrhea]

...or you could get two Carvins with 1/2 inch thick maple tops for the price of one Suhr.

I love Suhr, but I think I'd rather have two flawless guitars than just one.

RR

[red5]

You should take note that Ash may sound like a cross between mahogany and alder, often sounding more like one or the other depending on what part of the tree the wood came from. A bad piece of ash is not so great.

But a good piece of ash makes a fine sound on acoustics and electrics alike

[lloop9]

hmm... does ash & swamp ash sound the same? I'm under the impression that they sound bright & bassey at the same time, kinda have "scooped-out" sound in the mids.

[IbanezNorthwest]

For excellent Swamp Ash, you should put Melancon on your list of guiutars to try out!!

[rguser]

Originally Posted by red5

You should take note that Ash may sound like a cross between mahogany and alder, often sounding more like one or the other depending on what part of the tree the wood came from. A bad piece of ash is not so great.

But a good piece of ash makes a fine sound on acoustics and electrics alike

I am not sure about the ash and swamp ash, either.
do they sound similar?
my fender lite ash (swamp ash) strat with maple board sounds awesome. it's not between mahogany and alder, not by a long shot. punchy bass and open highend.
the weight is similar to basswood but the tone is day-n-night.