[Chazmo]

Originally Posted by dragonfly66

I've played some maple guitars (all likely under $700) that I found way too harsh for me. I finally played a 614 and thought, "Wow, this sounds nice." I've stayed away from maple since I've heard that is a one trick pony for cutting through the mix in a band. I've heard that maple doesn't have a lot of overtones and thus isn't all that great for fingerstyle.

So maple owners, can a maple guitar be a good all-around guitar or your only guitar?

Are there any other myths about maple guitars that you can squash here?

Maple works great with 12-strings. I have two maple 12s -- a Taylor and Guild jumbo.

I don't know anything about cutting through the mix, but I've been told for recording that maple's dry sound is very good for clarity. Frankly, the un-mic'd sound of my maples appeals to me just as-is. I tend to go to rosewood or mahogany most of the time, but maple is a wonderful change of pace.

Maple can also be exceptionally beautiful (and Taylor knows this well). The figuring and 3-D effects in the natural wood are just uncanny, and also maple takes bursts beautifully well. Since I love to show off.... Look at the quilted maple on my 655: