The one advantage you may find in spalted maple is greater sustain. The dryer the wood, the more resonant the tone, and because spalted wood has higher moisture content the drying process is much longer and more rigorous than standard maple, often creating a more complex top end and elongated sustain. It pairs well with a mahogany body that is balanced and produces more mid-range. It's going to help create really tight lows and crystal clear highs, adding a nice level of clarity to the ends of the tonal spectrum and extend your instruments dynamic range. Spalted maple has the same benefits as any other maple veneer. The spalting process doesn't change the tonal characteristics of the wood for the most part. Being a difficult wood to find, spalted maple always makes for a unique and coveted instrument. High contrast between the spalting and normal grain can give a guitar a more dynamic three dimensional look. Here's a breakdown on how spalted maple will affect your guitar's tone, character, and collectability.Īs you can see, spalted maple can provide some truly stunning patterns and textures. Wood like this isn't easy to come by and often carries a premium price tag compared to it's flame and quilt counterparts. A good luthier finds spalted maple that has excellent grain while still retaining it's original hardness and structural integrity. The fungi needs to be present in the wood long enough to create an exotic spalting pattern, but if it remains too long it starts to degrade and soften the wood. What makes spalted maple so rare in lutherie is it's narrow window of usability.

While the lines don't weaken the wood, the fungus that creates them can.

These lines are built up by the fungus as a way to delineate itself from the rest of the wood or other fungi. It's unique appearance is due to fungus that invades the wood and creates distinct black striping called zone lines. Like most maple, spalted maple is used as a veneer and typically paired with a mahogany body. Here's a short guide on what spalted maple is and it's place in guitar building. While most of us know about our 5A maple flame and quilt tops, there is one variation that we get asked about a lot: Spalted Maple. Exotic tone woods help give these amazing boutique instruments the visual appeal they deserve. But it's not enough for a guitar to play and sound great, it has to look great too. Unparalleled playability, first class craftsmanship, and rich tone help set many of today's boutique guitars apart from the rest.

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