Flame Maple Top Guitars: Necessity or Indulgence?

Flame Maple Les Paul
Photo “Flame maple top” by zsolt.palatinus

Everyone wants a sweet flamed maple guitar top, right? We’ve all seen the dramatic maple tops, and some are so obsessed with them that they’d never consider a guitar without it. What is flame maple and why—or why not— might you want a flame maple guitar? In this article we’ll dive into the various types of figured wood, including flame maple. Although many wood species feature figure patterns, we’ll focus on maple, which is the most common figured wood used on electric guitars.

Not all Figured is Flamed

Flamed maple refers to a kind of “figuring” that occurs naturally in maple wood. Flamed maple is actually only one of the common types of figured wood used in luthiery. Other types of figuring include Quilted, Curley, Birdseye, and for the adventurous, Spalted. Trees of all species grow in a variable climate with changing environmental conditions and growth patterns, and sometimes develop certain grain patterns. Some biologists believe that genetic factors play a part as well. In the case of Flame maple, the pattern resembles fiery flames.

Why Use Figured Wood?

Because it looks nice. Really… That’s the only reason, and it’s why we see so many flamed guitar tops. There’s no structural or strength benefit, and allegedly highly figured wood is actually less stable than non-figured wood. And, not all figured wood is created equal: Guitar makers use two construction methods to adorn guitars with lovely figured wood: Veneers and Solid wood. Both veneer and solid wood can have beautiful and dramatic wood figure (Note: There is a third less commonly used method which involves a taking a photo of figured wood and gluing it to the guitar. We won’t cover that method here because it is relatively rare).

Veneer

A veneer is a very thin layer of wood that is glued onto a base wood; veneers are entirely for appearance and do not contribute substantially to the tone of the guitar. Veneers do not have to be figured, but often are. The chief benefit is cost savings, because guitar manufacturers are able to create multiple veneer layers from a single billet of wood.

Solid Wood

Solid wood is just that—the figure runs throughout the entire piece of wood used. Examples of solid figured wood are commonly seen on the tops of “maple cap” guitars from makers such as Gibson, PRS, Earnie Ball. Because these guitars use maple tops that are much thicker than a veneer, there is an audible effect on the tone. Maple-capped mahogany is the classic Les Paul formula, and is said to impart some of maple’s tonal articulation to the mahogany.

Guitar makers have long known that a guitar’s appearance is at least as important as its tone, and as a result there is a premium charged for figured woods, particularly solid tops. Veneers are great because the cost savings for the manufacturer means that relatively inexpensive guitars can be offered with beautifully flamed wood. Whether it’s worth the tradeoff to pay for solid woods is up to you, but that decision should be made on the basis of tone, especially with hollow and semi-hollow guitars. We’re focused on appearance here, so we’ll cover the tonal differences in another article.

Types of Figured Wood

As we said, flamed maple resembles flames in a fire. It’s among the most common types of figuring in maple, which is why you see it on “bookmatched” guitar tops from makers such as Gibson and PRS. Flame figuring varies in width and intensity, and some people enjoy a more subtle flamed look. 

Flame also has a tendency to visual movement, which is when the wood appears to “move” as it refracts light from different angles. Flame maple guitar necks are known for hidden flame figure, where the flame figure emerges when viewed from certain angles, while absent from others. Interestingly, many of the famous Les Paul “Bursts” from the late 1950s display relatively tame flame figuring in comparison to what is expected today.

Check out a selection of beautiful guitars offering Flamed Maple here:

Quilted Maple

Quilted maple is one of the rarest forms of figuring, and the one that is arguably the most dramatic. As the name suggests, quilted maple looks similar to a quilt, and often appears in “3D”, showing a lot of depth. and Guitar makers often put extra effort into staining their quilted maple to bring out this effect. PRS is known in the industry for offering some of the most dramatic quilted tops. Although beautiful, some people feel that quilted tops can be overdone, and are distracting. A heavily quilted top can make a flame top look boring in comparison! Yet, we consistently see the biggest upcharges for dramatic quilted tops, so the appeal is undeniable.

Check out a selection of beautiful guitars offering Quilted Maple here:

Spalted Maple

I added earlier that spalted is for the “adventurous”, and it truly is. Spalting is a singular look that comes from early stages of decay in the wood, brought on by a fungus. It imbues the lumber with deep black lines of varying thicknesses, and can result in tinted areas and increased color variation. Although the wood is technically partially decayed, it is still plenty strong to be used for guitar making. The best thing about spalted maple is its uniqueness, and if you like the look it is a strong statement.

Check out a selection of beautiful guitars offering Spalted Maple here:

Birdseye Maple

Birdseye figuring is among the rarest of maple figuring. On guitars, Birdseye more commonly seen on guitar necks, and less commonly on tops. Many times you’ll see a few instances of Birdseye figuring on maple necks that aren’t classified as Birdseye.

Conclusion

Next time you’re looking at guitars with figured tops, will you look at them differently? One of the great things about wood as a natural material is its uniqueness. That’s why I never insist that a guitar top has to have a particular figuring; many guitars look great, even better, with more subtle figuring. Of course, there’s no point in denying the appeal of a beautiful, dramatic, 3D quilted top either! I’m curious to hear your opinions on which type and level of figuring you prefer, and how much it affects your guitar buying decisions.

Happy Playing!

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