Woods like Maple have some amazing looks when they include figuring. Even when raw, the look is amazing when the light hits it. The figure seems to move around and have real 3D depth to it. Simply oiling or clearcoating figured wood looks a million dollars.
Amazing quilted back on an exhibition-grade Washburn acoustic
Dyeing figured Maple adds another level of brilliance to the wood. Whilst this is a tradeoff - lessening the chatoyant 3D movement - the colours bring a whole new life to the figure. So how to top-end manufacturers and boutique guitar makers get their tops to re