Our store in Melbournes CBD has a great range of High End Acoustic Guitars that use Maple Tonewood in their construction, so we have a quick look at what makes Maple such an attractive tonwoods for many manufactures.
Taylor, Maton, and Gibson all choose to use maple in some of their high-end guitars, but each manufacturer may have slightly different reasons based on their individual approaches and the specific characteristics they seek in their instruments. Taylor uses the Big Leaf Maple from the Pacific North west in USA, Maton uses Queensland Maple from Australia and Gibson uses a Birdseye Maple from the North East in the USA. Each of these Maple types have different charecteristics.
Taylor Guitars: Taylor emphasizes the transformation of maple's traditional bright acoustic sound into a warmer, richer, and more sustained tone. They aim to broaden maple's tonal range from a single-dimensional sound to a more musical and versatile voice. Taylor's maple guitars are designed to produce greater warmth, complexity, volume, sustain, and responsiveness while retaining maple's naturally clear and linear qualities. These guitars are also highly reflective of the player's technique, making them suitable for dynamic playing styles. 
Taylor's 614ce Grand Auditorium Acoustic Guitar is an exponent of Maple Tonewoods with Big Leaf Maple Back and Sides and a Hard Rock Maple neck.
Maton: Maton uses Queensland Maple as a Mahogany substitute, primarily for its excellent balance and even response across all frequencies. Queensland Maple, a rainforest hardwood from Northern Queensland, is light, strong, visually striking, and has become the backbone of the Maton sound. Maton guitars benefit from the balanced tonal characteristics of Queensland Maple, contributing to their renowned tone.A great example of Maton using Maple is in the Tommy Emmanuel Signature model which is pictured below. 
Gibson: Gibson's use of maple in guitars like the J-185 Birdseye Maple acoustic-electric is aimed at achieving a direct, punchy tone with a ton of headroom. The addition of Birdseye maple back and sides provides excellent separation to the guitar's tone, ensuring that each note of a chord rings separately without sounding muddy or clustered. Gibson emphasizes the strong fundamental tone and broad dynamic response of their maple guitars. 
The Flamed Maple used on the back and sides of the Gibson J-185 highlights the beauty of this Guitar.
Taylor, Maton, and Gibson utilize maple in their high-end guitars for its tonal characteristics, but each manufacturer may focus on different aspects such as warmth, balance, punchiness, or separation in their specific models. These differences reflect their individual approaches to guitar design and their efforts to achieve distinctive and desirable sonic qualities in their instruments.
To learn more about these amazing guitars please contact our staff today on 03 96545115.
