daveq Posted August 11, 2003 Report Share Posted August 11, 2003 If I were to build a guitar with a maple quilt top, what options would I have for the body wood (I want a transparent / translucent stain finish)? If I used something like Walnut or some other dark wood, wouldn't it look strange? Do I need a lighter colored wood for this to look good? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jupiter Posted August 11, 2003 Report Share Posted August 11, 2003 I don't think it would look bad at all. Have you ever seen the Ibanez Exotic Wood series? They put them out several years ago. Some of them had 1/4 inch thick maple tops on mahagony bodies with a natural finish, and i thought they looked wonderful. The different colours of the woods compliment each other. For some pics, go to Jemsite.com , and look in their guitar galleries. If you're thinking of doing a transparent coloured stain { blue, black, whatever }, then you should be okay, too. The Ibanez RG3120 has a flame maple top over a mahagony body, and they are stained either red or blue/green. The stain pretty well hides the colour difference between the woods. Hope this helps! Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roli Posted August 11, 2003 Report Share Posted August 11, 2003 White walnut would be okay with maple top, in sound and look either, but black walnut could be way too bright sounding, if topped with maple... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted August 11, 2003 Report Share Posted August 11, 2003 black walnut is what i have on my v and it is not at all bright.matter of fact it seems to smooth out the harshness of the maple and alder.it is a good combination, try it sometime Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Rosenberger Posted August 11, 2003 Report Share Posted August 11, 2003 Ash, Swamp Ash, Mahogany, Korinna, Alder, Koa All look great with transparent finishes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveq Posted August 12, 2003 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2003 Thanks for those replies. Scott, you mentioned that Alder looks good with a transparent finish - Do you (or anyone else reading this) think it would look good on it's own or were you saying it would look good with a maple top on it? I have an alder guitar ready for finishing now that I was planning on painting but it does look very nice natural. I just didn't think anyone did transparent finishes on alder without a fancy maple top? Let me know if you think it is worth trying. Thanks again for all of your thoughts. DaveQ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Rosenberger Posted August 12, 2003 Report Share Posted August 12, 2003 I just didn't think anyone did transparent finishes on alder without a fancy maple top? Let me know if you think it is worth trying. Most of the Fender 3 tone Sunburst Strats are Alder. Some are Ash but the majority are alder. Take a rag dampened with Naptha and wipe down your guitar, that will give you an idea of what it will look like with a clear finish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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