# The nicest top wood?



## eon_shift (Nov 29, 2008)

What do you think the nicest or most unusual top wood is?

Pictures would be great ill start by saying spalted maple.


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## AK DRAGON (Nov 30, 2008)

Flame Maple (this is a JCRG7-1VV)


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## budda (Nov 30, 2008)

spalted maple doesn't usually look that awesome.

walnut, flame maple, quilt maple, koa, and and another type of maple whos name i forget right now come to mind.


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## shadowlife (Nov 30, 2008)

Quilted maple...


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## Mattmc74 (Nov 30, 2008)

I love Quilted maple tops!
Here is a pic of my Fender Showmasters top.


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## AK DRAGON (Nov 30, 2008)

shadowlife said:


> Quilted maple...



 That's gotta be a 4A+ Quilt


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## killiansguitar (Nov 30, 2008)

Mmmmm Flamed Maple.


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## ibznorange (Nov 30, 2008)

that is _the_ best looking spalted maple ever 

My choices
Figured Claro Walnut




cant find a better picture of this guitar but the walnut figure is INSANE

Figured Wenge


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## Stealthdjentstic (Nov 30, 2008)

I love walnut they use for basses. I also like quilted maple.


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## poopyalligator (Nov 30, 2008)

I love quilted maple tops. I think when you get the right piece they look amazing



Look at that thing. They used to have closeups of the guitar, and that thing is beautiful. That spalted maple body looks amazing though. I have never seen a piece with that much character before.


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## MrJack (Nov 30, 2008)

Spalted maple, it just looks great.


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## noodleplugerine (Nov 30, 2008)

Buckeye Burl. Bar none.


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## hufschmid (Nov 30, 2008)

just an opinion

a fancy top i agree is awesome, but some ''simple woods'' can look just as awesome when you look at the structure of the wood...

if you take mahogany, sometimes you wont believe how incredible it can get...
here are some exemples of some solid sapeli mahogany guitars I built... who would want to put a cap on such gorgeous wood?


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## Unknown Doodl3.2 (Nov 30, 2008)

Burl Redwood

REDWOOD LACE CURLY BURL TABLE TURNING CARVING SLAB - eBay (item 160300927184 end time Dec-01-08 22:26:09 PST)

Redwood Burl Lumber Slab Guitar Billet Figured Quilted - eBay (item 190267750126 end time Dec-17-08 19:41:56 PST)









these ones are ordinary, i can't seem tofind somereally nice examples today. But this top wood is insane. It looks like brimstone


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## -Nolly- (Nov 30, 2008)

I'm not normally the hugest fan of quilted maple, but my guitar does it for me in a big way.






This is the spalt top my next Blackmachine will have:






The one in the OP is pretty wild, but I always thought it looked better as a piece of wood than a guitar.


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## Sepultorture (Nov 30, 2008)

hufschmid said:


> just an opinion
> 
> a fancy top i agree is awesome, but some ''simple woods'' can look just as awesome when you look at the structure of the wood...
> 
> ...



actually if it was bolt on i'd say leave it, but if i wanted a guitar that was neck thru and wanted a see thru paint job, i'd get a cap

thats what i am gunning for, 5 piece maple/walnut neck through mahagony body with quilted maple top


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## hufschmid (Nov 30, 2008)

-Nolly- said:


> I'm not normally the hugest fan of quilted maple, but my guitar does it for me in a big way.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



wow this is indeed amazing


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## sami (Nov 30, 2008)

eon_shift said:


> What do you think the nicest or most unusual top wood is?
> 
> Pictures would be great ill start by saying spalted maple.



insane!


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## bulletbass man (Nov 30, 2008)

Figured walnut, burled buckeye, Brazillian Rosewood, figured koa, figured wenge all are great to me.

Zircote can look great too.

If you want something simple though I like black limba.


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## budda (Nov 30, 2008)

figured wenge:


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## BigPhi84 (Nov 30, 2008)

-Nolly- said:


> This is the spalt top my next Blackmachine will have:



Wow, that looks like an ole-time sea-charting map!


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## -Nolly- (Nov 30, 2008)

BigPhi84 said:


> Wow, that looks like an ole-time sea-charting map!



Yeah, I can see that.


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## Snorelax (Nov 30, 2008)

Lace-






Not sure-













White ebony-





Burl somethin-


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## sami (Dec 1, 2008)

Snorelax said:


> Burl somethin-



LOL!


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## TheCopeOfHeaven (Dec 1, 2008)

i love poplar burl tops...


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## hufschmid (Dec 1, 2008)

this here is the most crazy wood I've ever seen in my life!
curly high figured mahogany!
Mahogany - Special High Figure - Information and Pricing at LMI


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## techjsteele (Dec 1, 2008)

hufschmid said:


> this here is the most crazy wood I've ever seen in my life!
> curly high figured mahogany!
> Mahogany - Special High Figure - Information and Pricing at LMI





 That is the most beautiful top wood I've ever seen!!!!! Rep for you sir!


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## hufschmid (Dec 1, 2008)

techjsteele said:


> That is the most beautiful top wood I've ever seen!!!!! Rep for you sir!



i want to put my hands on some of that stuff, seams to be a weird phenomena on mahogany which is very very rare... the prices speak


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## Uncle Remus (Dec 1, 2008)

Swirly Brazilian Rosewood *drools* 

Twill hopefully be on my custom that's getting made :} but shhh...


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## techjsteele (Dec 1, 2008)

I'm now GASing for a guitar with a mahogany body with that figured mahogany top. It would be a crime to paint those tops though, so it'd have to be a natural oil finish for sure.


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## hufschmid (Dec 1, 2008)

techjsteele said:


> I'm now GASing for a guitar with a mahogany body with that figured mahogany top. It would be a crime to paint those tops though, so it'd have to be a natural oil finish for sure.



i dont think it exists, it would have to be a cap.... its too small thats the reason they sell it for acoustic back and sides.... but surely a guitar back would be perfect to make a thin top cap


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## jymellis (Dec 1, 2008)

i really like the ebony top on the ibanez s2170se
Ibanez :: Electric Guitars :: S2170SE

and the burl poplar top on the s2170fw
Ibanez :: Electric Guitars :: S2170FW

not to mention the flame maple on my s7420


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## techjsteele (Dec 1, 2008)

hufschmid said:


> i dont think it exists, it would have to be a cap.... its too small thats the reason they sell it for acoustic back and sides.... but surely a guitar back would be perfect to make a thin top cap



That's what I meant, having it as a top (cap) to a normal, non-figured mahogany body. Those pieces would be a fitting top wood for mahogany, IMO, because mahogany has such an awesome tone on its own.


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## Randy (Dec 1, 2008)

Big fan of the one I've been installing on my brother-in-law's 7420:


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## darbdavys (Dec 1, 2008)

don't know why, but the Blackmachines are the absolutely nicest guitars for me. they're simple and being naturally black (when with ebony top), they look totally awesome. My dream guitar 

MOAR SECKS


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## hufschmid (Dec 1, 2008)

darbdavys said:


> don't know why, but the Blackmachines are the absolutely nicest guitars for me. they're simple and being naturally black (when with ebony top), they look totally awesome. My dream guitar



those are some fantastic guitars


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## CentaurPorn (Dec 1, 2008)

Not sure if it is my favorite but it looks pretty damn sexy.

Mike told me what it was once but it has slipped. Burl Walnut maybe? It is a combo of the finish and top that I love. Not just the top itself


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## hufschmid (Dec 1, 2008)

CentaurPorn said:


> Not sure if it is my favorite but it looks pretty damn sexy.
> 
> Mike told me what it was once but it has slipped. Burl Walnut maybe? It is a combo of the finish and top that I love. Not just the top itself



wow gorgeous

on my side, i stained this swiss flamed maple cap black and oil finished it for a natural tough... i call it the ghost guitar


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## CentaurPorn (Dec 1, 2008)

Very nice!


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## poopyalligator (Dec 2, 2008)

that bimble box burl looks insane. I would love to see that on a guitar


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## TonyFlyingSquirrel (Dec 2, 2008)

I still love the good ole' quilt maple, followed by spalt, flame, and then Flame or Quilted Koa.


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## budda (Dec 2, 2008)

CentaurPorn said:


>



that. is gorgeous. give it passives and give it to me 

 what finish is that? blah i want more info! looks like a framus headstock?


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## eon_shift (Dec 2, 2008)

It looks like buck eye burl but i could be wrong.


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## canuck brian (Dec 2, 2008)

buckeye burl looks fantastic, figured maple and I really like wenge.

I laughed pretty hard when someone compared the tonal properties of spalted maple to a potato.


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## budda (Dec 3, 2008)

if that's buckeye burl, i need to change the type of top on my custom.. sorry brian


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## hairychris (Dec 3, 2008)

eon_shift said:


> It looks like buck eye burl but i could be wrong.



PRS did some awesome weird tops around 90/91. Seen burls, lacewood and I think a redwood. DO WANT!


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## guitarbuilder93 (Dec 4, 2008)

WHABAM! imbuya.  just found this today! only in a veneer though  






BUBINGA!


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## TonyFlyingSquirrel (Dec 4, 2008)

We have a few necks in the Showcase made of Imbuya, they smell like a fine cigar.

Camphor Burl on the other hand, smells like lighter fluid.


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## hairychris (Dec 4, 2008)

TonyFlyingSquirrel said:


> Camphor Burl on the other hand, smells like lighter fluid.



Ahaha, my next guitar is camphor burled. I didn't think that it smelled *that* bad - slightly medicinal, maybe, when I checked the body out!!


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## Yoshi (Dec 5, 2008)

courtesy of Luna_Sea @ Bmusic


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## budda (Dec 5, 2008)

that bubinga is nuts!


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## ZeroSignal (Dec 5, 2008)

Oh man. Some day I'm going to have a guitar made out of the craziest woods I can get my hands on! Definitely a white ebony fretboard. And some crazy burled shit... Sorry... it's late here.


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## Trespass (Dec 6, 2008)

This thread > All


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## Snorelax (Dec 6, 2008)




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## budda (Dec 6, 2008)

low blow! lol


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## Harry (Dec 6, 2008)

Snorelax said:


>



Christ, for a split second, I thought I was looking at body organs when I saw the top pic


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## Scootman1911 (Dec 7, 2008)

The picture in the first post is crazy!


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## hufschmid (Dec 7, 2008)

HughesJB4 said:


> Christ, for a split second, I thought I was looking at body organs when I saw the top pic



wow


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