will sg with maple quilt top sound different than a reg sg

natelc1979

New member
i was wondering if anyone had experience with playing or hearing an sg with a quilt top on it and if they had does it sound different than a regular all mahogany sg. and if it did what was the difference between the tone?
 
Re: will sg with maple quilt top sound different than a reg sg

It will sound slightly brighter, that's the effect of a maple top.
 
Re: will sg with maple quilt top sound different than a reg sg

will it sound more like an lp?

you know... Les Pauls are pretty heavy guitars. there is much more wood in them than SGs. Also, remember the neck woods matter too.

It'll sound like an SG with more sharpness than usual.
 
Re: will sg with maple quilt top sound different than a reg sg

will it sound more like an lp?

No, LP's have a lot of thick mahogany on them, which gives them more low-end and sustain. SG's can't quite do that with their thin bodies. The single cutaway/double cutaway designs also make a difference.

Of course individual pieces of wood vary, so some all-mahogany SG's could sound brighter than one with a quilt top. But everything else being equal, maple makes for a brighter, tighter sound.
 
Re: will sg with maple quilt top sound different than a reg sg

Pics?
Model names?
Not doubting you, but I perused their Facebook and didn't see any.

just google SG Supreme and a crap ton should pop up

Edit:

:arg: Jolly beat me by mere seconds! :doh:
 
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Re: will sg with maple quilt top sound different than a reg sg

SG Supreme
just google SG Supreme and a crap ton should pop up
Edit:
Jolly beat me by mere seconds!
Awesome guys, thanks.
Yea, now that I see it, I remember.
Mostly I recall that flame burst finish.

I found this while searching.
Was the SG Carved Top Autumn Burst a custom shop creation?
 
Re: will sg with maple quilt top sound different than a reg sg

While the Supremes have a flamed top, isn't it a veneer? Seems like it would be too thin to be a real maple top.
 
Re: will sg with maple quilt top sound different than a reg sg

I have a Gibson Raw Power SG which is all-maple. Body, neck, fingerboard, everything. GIbson says it's chambered but it really isn't. Even it doesn't sound that much different than a normal mahogany/rosewood SG. You notice the difference but it's nothing major. It affects more to the way the guitar feels. The attack of the notes is abit snappier and it feels stiffer but sound-wise not so much.
 
Re: will sg with maple quilt top sound different than a reg sg

I don't think it'll brighten up.

Yes a LP with a maple top sounds brighter than one with a mahogany top. But...
  • ... that's a thick carved top, but thin veneer. The latter probably only dampens
  • ... the mahogany top LP has a glued on top and isn't a one-piece thing
  • ... an SG is extremely thin
 
Re: will sg with maple quilt top sound different than a reg sg

In theory, I think it would make quite a difference. I would think this because the SG is already thin, and the body-to-top ratio would be less than it would on a Les Paul, so the maple top would have a more drastic effect. No idea on if it really is as big of a difference as it seems.
 
Re: will sg with maple quilt top sound different than a reg sg

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Re: will sg with maple quilt top sound different than a reg sg

FWIW, I have seen people saying these are unusable bright.
 
Re: will sg with maple quilt top sound different than a reg sg

It would probably make a slight difference. But it will vary guitar to guitar. I have played maple topped black beauties (in fact, I own one) that are far muddier than traditional-style mahogany topped black beauties (which I would love to own).
 
Re: will sg with maple quilt top sound different than a reg sg

FWIW, I have seen people saying these are unusable bright.

Maple's brightness is created by the clash of the amount upper mids in a pickup and the upper mids of the maple. Maple actually kinda attenuates a bit of the bass and treble. Thats why a JB sounds great in a all maple guitar, it tightens the bass and does away with some treble thus making it sound incredible. IIRC ash and etc... are actually bright I the treble frequencies.

The is all IME and IMO of course.
 
Re: will sg with maple quilt top sound different than a reg sg

Maple's brightness is created by the clash of the amount upper mids in a pickup and the upper mids of the maple. Maple actually kinda attenuates a bit of the bass and treble. Thats why a JB sounds great in a all maple guitar, it tightens the bass and does away with some treble thus making it sound incredible. IIRC ash and etc... are actually bright I the treble frequencies.

The is all IME and IMO of course.

If these SG supremes are too bright I don't think it is the maple.

If they are too bright then it is because after you subtract the new layer the actual mahogany body way too thin.
 
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