New theory on maple guitars

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CountFunkula

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About a year ago, I got an all-maple Carvin and I could never find the right pickups. It always sounded too bright and hard. To counteract this, I've always used overwound pickups thick in the mids such as the Alt 8, C8, CUOA5, and CC. However, I read about the actual tone of maple. It isn't super bright at all. In fact, it's extremely middy (especially high mids). The treble is actually attenuated, and the bass is attenuated even more. Apparently Tim Mills agrees with this, and recommends ceramic pickups for maple guitars. So, even with all these "thick" and "smooth" pickups, it still sounded harsh. It turns out that I had an overdose of mids. I turned down the mid knob and my amp and presto! Sounded instantly better, bigger, and smoother. To further test this theory, I'll be slipping an A5 and Ceramic magnet in the C8 that's in there now. Thoughts? Just in case the Custom/C5 doesn't work, any pickups out there with a scooped midrange/big bass/moderately smooth treble?
 
Re: New theory on maple guitars

Not sure about body wood but for my necks they have to be all maple. I like the attack,snap and clarity the maple fingerboad has over rosewood.
I think my late 83 kramer baretta is all maple body? it weighs a tone for a strat shape.that has a JB in it sounds great as is wont touch that one:naughty:.
 
Re: New theory on maple guitars

Many people assume that Maple is a super-bright wood because it is stiff and dense. However, many pickups regarded as "bright" sounding actually work great in Maple!

An all-maple guitar transfers sound energy quickly, giving it that great "snap" and "attack" that Ed and others have noted. It's "tight" on the bottom and controls the higher frequencies well.

I'd toss a Screamin' Demon, '59 bridge, PA-TB3 or PA-TB1 in that sucker and go from there! Custom 5 might be a good choice, as well.
 
Re: New theory on maple guitars

masta' c said:
Many people assume that Maple is a super-bright wood because it is stiff and dense. However, many pickups regarded as "bright" sounding actually work great in Maple!

An all-maple guitar transfers sound energy quickly, giving it that great "snap" and "attack" that Ed and others have noted. It's "tight" on the bottom and controls the higher frequencies well.

I'd toss a Screamin' Demon, '59 bridge, PA-TB3 or PA-TB1 in that sucker and go from there! Custom 5 might be a good choice, as well.
Click to expand...
I was wondering that myself and you answered it. I would think my new demon would kill in my old maple baretta but i swore i would never touch that one from stock. it is supposedly worth of lot to kramer collectors?
 
Re: New theory on maple guitars

When a guitar sounds "bright" it is never treble. An electric guitar has no treble in the audio sense.

It is always high-mids, and different ones. A lot of people report than a maple body the normally piercing JB go well together, because they have their piercings next to each other (but not on top of each other) combining to a good bump in the upper mids that is then pleasant. Plus is tightens up the JB's loose bass.
 
Re: New theory on maple guitars

Oops! Thought I put the JB in my list! Yep, that's another to try...worked wonders for many superstars with maple guitars!
 
Re: New theory on maple guitars

uOpt said:
When a guitar sounds "bright" it is never treble. An electric guitar has no treble in the audio sense.

It is always high-mids, and different ones. A lot of people report than a maple body the normally piercing JB go well together, because they have their piercings next to each other (but not on top of each other) combining to a good bump in the upper mids that is then pleasant. Plus is tightens up the JB's loose bass.
Click to expand...

NO wonder my JB sounded tighter than everyone elses! I was arguing this to no end here and it was the maple body the whole time!:banghead:
 
Re: New theory on maple guitars

Ed Hunter said:
NO wonder my JB sounded tighter than everyone elses! I was arguing this to no end here and it was the maple body the whole time!:banghead:
Click to expand...

How does your JB sound in that maple body?
 
Re: New theory on maple guitars

I have two solid maple bodied guitars, and I have JBs in both. They just seem to work in maple...
 
Re: New theory on maple guitars

uOpt said:
When a guitar sounds "bright" it is never treble. An electric guitar has no treble in the audio sense.

It is always high-mids, and different ones. A lot of people report than a maple body the normally piercing JB go well together, because they have their piercings next to each other (but not on top of each other) combining to a good bump in the upper mids that is then pleasant. Plus is tightens up the JB's loose bass.
Click to expand...
The point about peaks lining up is well taken and one I've mentioned before. But "never treble" is way too strong. I've run into plenty of guitars with harsh, ugly treble or presence. Less common than dull guitars or guitars with piercing mids, maybe. Less noticed by guitarists with diminished high frequency sensitivity, certainly... ;)

A lot of guitarists do confuse upper mids with treble and lower mids with bass, though.

Ed Hunter said:
NO wonder my JB sounded tighter than everyone elses! I was arguing this to no end here and it was the maple body the whole time!:banghead:
Click to expand...
I've lost count of how many times I've mentioned the JB is known to work better in maple and it's a completely different beast there, in those threads. Not a new revelation. :)
 
Re: New theory on maple guitars

Stock JB in my all maple Carvin DC 127T rocks! Plenty of tight bass and round highs cut through the mix like a Ginsu knife. One thing I've noticed about this guitar is that it is not a very loud (unplugged) guitar and the output of the JB (plugged in)does not overpower the rest of the band and I don't have to adjust the volume when switching guitars.
 
Re: New theory on maple guitars

How do actives work? Gibson puts them in this all Maple Les paul;

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Re: New theory on maple guitars

At this juncture, we should point out that this usually does not apply to semi-hollow maple guitars, like Epi 335's, which tend to be more warm-sounding. Guitar design is also a factor.
 
Re: New theory on maple guitars

My Steinbergers are all maple and a little bit of composites. I use a C5 in the bridge of one of them, and a CC in the bridge of the other. Both sound great. Strange.
 
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