What's the tonal difference between roasted and regular maple necks?

[lowyaw]

If any at all.
I know, too many variables, and I am sorry to post "one of those threads", but oh well. Share your insights.
Strat-style guitar, alder body.
Merci.

 

[Oinkus]

none

 

[Suave Eddie]

 

[olejason]

none

 

[lowyaw]

oh come on
i know torrefied wood is harder than regular. so roasted necks are great deal more stable.
just been wondering if anyone has anything to say abou tone. we've had 57 pages of hoobaloo on "FS sounds better than QS", courtesy of @Tag and I personally enjoyed every page
I am in the process of ordering a custom built strat. am given the choice of torrefied or regular maple. just want to know more.

 

[Hydraone]

Correct, the harder wood will be more stable. If there's a tonal difference, it can be compensated for with the smallest tweak of the Treble knob. It's teeny tiny.

 

[RicardoDiazHimself]

No tonal difference like what you would expect from different types of wood (if you pray to the church of tonewood).
But more stability and a super nice sleek feel which is worth it.
Some people would say it adds the benefits of crystallizing the resins inside the wood, like they would be after decades of natural drying like vintage pieces.

 

[OM Flyer]

I am in the process of ordering a custom built strat. am given the choice of torrefied or regular maple. just want to know more.

I'd get the torrefied one, simply for the better stability. Any tone difference is likely imaginary, and if not, it's mitigated by a hundred other factors.

 

[cap10kirk]

No tonal difference. Roasted is a little more stable, that's it.

 

[jvin248]

.

Stability is the key benefit.

If worried about wood tone ... remember you can sort for different ends of a volume pot tolerance range to get brighter/darker or the tone cap higher/lower for darker/brighter as the controls alter the 'dimed' guitar tone. A volume pot has a 20% tolerance range to work with.

.

 

[Doctor Morbius]

Roasted maple definitely has a "darker" tone. It also has a dry sound, so it's not a good match with reverb or echo effects.

 

[Doctor Morbius]

A volume pot has a 20% tolerance range to work with.

I bought some recently on Amazon that have a 5% tolerance.


... or so they claim.

 

[s3gle]

But flat sawn is better/more sonically suited than quarter sawn.

Very little experience here, but I don't see anything in roasted that justifies the process except maybe you live near a large body of water, therefore needing durable things that float. From what I remember the reasons are along similar lines as quarter sawn for high end builds, it exists, it costs more, it is a niche skill and has yet to have proven mass market appeal outside of DIY boutique and custom orders. I'd rather have really dark orange or red stain personally. Heavy poly lacquer too but I see that's not tgp approved. AFAIK your heavy flame, roasted walnut gold hardware neck would be, though

 

[lowyaw]

But flat sawn is better/more sonically suited than quarter sawn.

Very little experience here, but I don't see anything in roasted that justifies the process except maybe you live near a large body of water, therefore needing durable things that float. From what I remember the reasons are along similar lines as quarter sawn for high end builds, it exists, it costs more, it is a niche skill and has yet to have proven mass market appeal outside of DIY boutique and custom orders. I'd rather have really dark orange or red stain personally. Heavy poly lacquer too but I see that's not tgp approved. AFAIK your heavy flame, roasted walnut gold hardware neck would be, though

hippie sandwich?

 

[stonem]

Roasted necks sound like pancakes.

 

[PatriotBadger]

*Sigh*....time to shatter the maple myths again. Torrefied maple is no harder than standard dried, nor is it stronger or have greater crush strength. It is roughly the same. It is more stable because the celluloid structure is crystallized and thus sealed, preventing ingress and egress of moisture (which hard maple is terrible in that regard, absorbing and expelling moisture very easily). The crystalline cellulose structure also removes malleability and flexibility, so torrefied wood is more brittle and prone to tear-out, chipping, and cracking. Think of it like trying to break a 4-inch diameter maple branch fresh off the tree, versus one drying outside for 50 years.

Tone? Yeah, okay.

 

[Benz2112]

I have one roasted maple necked guitar, but it is a unique guitar, and I haven't a/b'ed it with a regular maple neck. It looks and feels great.

 

[s3gle]

hippie sandwich?

I don't get your reference. But in an effort to reply, I keep hoping there's something in roasted that works with a poly coat and would match a tight solid color from the Fender chart. Finishes with painted necks and matching headstocks with flame/figure on the back would be cool to see again. There just used to be so many more options on offer for combination veneer/painted. Then I realise I don't like/don't want about 80-90% of colors for the paint job. Oh well

But maybe there is potential in painted headstock/frets and roasted for Fender type necks. It is difficult to imagine what, though. & so much extra work...

 

[ClickClack]

What's the tonal difference between roasted and regular maple necks?

They add salt to the roasted ones.
Oh wait, I thought you were asking about "nuts."

 

[chrisjnyc]

Roasted is darker sounding, not as dark as rosewood, but closer to that rosewood tone than regular maple.