MAPLE !!! Images & Impressions :)

[michaelw]

I have to admit it took a while before I found a maple guitar i really liked.

I played a Taylor 614 about 2 years ago which changed my mind, before that most of the maple guitars I'd played were either Col Clarks or Matons, which are ok but not in teh same league as Taylors as far as unplugged tone goes.

When I first got the R Taylor it was strung with lights and had very dead strings on it, it hadn't been played much the previous owner just never bonded with it.

As soon I cleaned all the grime off it, did a set up and put some mediums pb's on it, well lets just say it came to life.

hi coldshot,
i've heard some very good things about Cole Clark (electronics) & Maton (messiahs & minis) &
i was wondering if either company has used 'true' maples (suchas big leaf or hard rock) -
i was doing some looking & it looks like that they are using queensland maple, sometimes quite
extensively (including neck & bracing), which was described as a mahogany 'substitute' &
i was curious if the tone may have also leaned more toward mahogany (or sapele or koa) ... or not

thanks for sharing the pic of the R Taylor - sure sounds like a sweetie

[John429]

thanks for sharing the pics of your 612ce, John
very nice

i especially like the silking on the top & the flamed 3 piece back (not many of those out there)

the back drop material looks very similar to the 'Pink Poodle' lining
that Taylor starting using again in their deluxes cases ... very cool 

just wondering if you happened to take any pics of the back of Shereen's 614ceL30
with the tea mug & candle light set up - the pics that you shared earlier are exceptional

 

Hi Michael,

Thanks for your nice comments on my 612ce and my photos! Per your request, I just shot a couple pix of the back of Shereen's 614ce L30;
http://429mustangcougarinfo.50megs.com/s2d.jpg
http://429mustangcougarinfo.50megs.com/s1d.jpg

[michaelw]

Hi Michael,

Thanks for your nice comments on my 612ce and my photos! Per your request, I just shot a couple pix of the back of Shereen's 614ce L30;

ssssscorching

beautiful flame on Shereen's guitar also &
again, great pics John (thanks)

added a couple more rosette pics for you 'over yonder' also

[John429]

I just spent about twenty minutes reading through this thread and admiring all the guitar photos! I just wanted to share some comments about each guitar!

Coldshot
- I love the figured maple on your RT! I can just imagine how magical that guitar must sound.

Schooner
- Both of your maples (previous and current) are magnificent! I especially like the bear claw on the first one and the quilting and Koa binding on the second.

Gary
- Very cool silking pattern on your 612 and an especially nice quilting pattern!

Davwir
- Your 654-L7 looks striking with that mini wedge on the back. Also, the coco rosette is a nice touch.

Justice and Mercy
- Wow - what an incredible flaming pattern on the back of your 616ce Sunburst!

Edward - I enjoyed your little essay on Maple guitars and thank you to Michael for starting this great thread on Maple guitars 

[John429]

beautiful flame on Shereen's guitar also &
again, great pics John (thanks)

added a couple more rosette pics for you 'over yonder' also [/font][/color]

Thanks Michael! I'll head back over to the rosette thread to see what you posted.

[michaelw]

a little 'r & b'

the quilt shows up a little better in this one

purfling, rosette, fretboard inlay - i may have posted this one the wrong thread

[Edward]

OK, now yer talkin!  Those are the shots I was asking about in the rosette thread.  Beautiful!   Not to mention shows your penchant for maple.  Nice to know I'm not alone in my mental illness  ...of which, I do not "suffer from" but rather embrace wholeheartedly
And man that PS' back-edge abalone really makes that guitar pop, as do the fretboard inlays, and extension, and ...aw just beautiful overall!

Edward

[John429]

Michael - are these two your guitars? Or are they example pictures showing purfling and rosettes? Either way - very nice!

[michaelw]

thanks Edward & John,
i was able to play an example of the PS14LTD first &
based on that guitar, i was able to spec out the 614cL2

a good while down the road, i was able to add a PS14LTD to the 'stable' & there was
a discernable tonal difference between the two (i enjoyed both of them very much), but
eventually i was forced to make a decision & in the end, the one that stayed was the 6

the painstaking craftsmanship on the PS was absolutely amazing & i heard that
back then (03) the inlay work on one took a person the better part of a week to do

[michaelw]

perhaps something scared the 'blue' right out of this one

[Edward]

OK, so I was perfectly satisfied with merely referencing that "other thread" over here ...but then Michael posts his beauty.  Which is oh so very nice!!!  So I'm a joinin the party here ...hope that's ok









BTW, I can't stop remarking how amazingly deep and resonant the bass is on this guitar ...this one totally blows away any preconceptions anyone may have about maple or small bodies ...let alone the two together!  And the clear mids with an almost "vocal" presence and crisp, defined (and never zingy) top end.  Just so balanced.  And lush.  I cannot help but smile, involuntarily and spontaneously, in amazement (and thankfulness!) at this guitar under my fingertips.  Sorry for the gushing ...I'll stop (well maybe out loud, anyway ).  The tone is truly something to behold: gotta love it when the tone matches the look!

Edward

[John429]

Edward, if you ever do any sound clips or videos with your Maple R Taylor, please let me know. I would really like to hear what it sounds like!

[S MS Picker]

This 2010 GS6E is on the way from IN to MS.I didn't have a GS so I traded a 2010 DN5E Cherryburst and some $$ for it. These are the dealer photos, I'll try to do some when I get it.
Steve

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[michaelw]

stunning burst & quilt

that is absolutely beautiful, Steve

enjoy

[Edward]

Oh yeeaaahh.  Stunning burst and quilt, indeed!  Congrats, Steve!

Hey John,
I've never posted sound clips before.  Maybe I'll try it...
FWIW, I was in the "process" of saying goodbye to my beloved GA7-E just earlier today (which fortunately will be within arm's reach so I'll have visitation privileges ), and was doing some serious A/B-ing between this RT and it.  Keep in mind the RT is a Style 2, that's a GC body for anyone who just tuned in.  And it returns a voice that is as deep, if not a bit "throatier" than the larger GA.  Yeah, maple vs roswood, and a smaller body to boot, and it's somehow deeper??!!!  And volume: umm, can it be louder? ...the voice is a bit different, and I dont want to confuse timbre with volume, but informally this style 2 seems a touch louder than the GA.  And the mids ...while I love what cedar brings to the table in warm mids with good presence, the engelmann top (and everything else, I assume, but the engel has got to have lots to do with this I would guess??) on this RT brings eveything I love about a cedar/rw guitar, and then delivers more of it.  Weird, when I try and wrap my brain around it.  I mean, how much more different can these two guitars be, yet somehow the RT cops that big, round, warm tone of cedar, solid defined bass notes, and then kicks it up further.  The treble strings are even a bit thicker sounding, yet has that crisp top that defines the notes well.  All the while being characteristically maple in it's punchy attack and "forward" tone.  All this is through the filter of my innacurate ear, mind you, but that's what I hear.  And it's nice ...very nice given I love the ced/rw combo and this RT-2 makes me feel like the cedar somehow never left me.  Man these RTs are remarkable guitars!

Edward