TOOL
Maple neck
Stiff, stable, bright — the electric default.
| Typical density | 0.62 – 0.75 g/cm³ |
|---|---|
| Tone | Bright, snappy, strong upper mids |
| Grain | Straight, fine, close; often lightly figured |
| Colour | Pale cream to amber, darkening under finish |
| Common species | Hard maple, rock maple, flamed maple |
| Typical use | Electric guitar necks; acoustic necks as a laminate |
| Neck blank size | 75 × 30 mm minimum for a one-piece electric neck |
|---|---|
| Moisture at glue-up | 6 – 8 percent |
| Stability | Excellent |
| Grain direction | Vertical or quarter-sawn for stiffness |
| Carving | Cuts cleanly with a spokeshave and rasp |
| Price band | Moderate |
Hard maple is the standard electric guitar neck: stiff, dimensionally stable, and bright-sounding. It machines and carves cleanly, takes a finish well, and holds its shape under string tension better than most alternatives.
It is heavy, which is the main reason acoustic builders usually prefer mahogany for necks. Where maple is used on an acoustic it is normally laminated with a stiffer core or paired with a heavier fretboard to keep the balance right.
At this stage
Maple wants to be quarter-sawn so the grain runs vertically through the thickness. Flat-sawn maple moves across the width and takes the fretboard with it.
Suits these instruments
- Electric (bolt-on and set neck)
- Archtop
- Acoustic (laminated necks)
Works with
- Ebony or rosewood fretboard
- Truss rod
- Nitrocellulose lacquer
- Titebond
- Maple dust is a respiratory irritant and a sensitizer. Extraction when routing or sanding is standard practice.
- A router cutting a neck profile takes a lot of material at once. Take shallow passes and keep your hands clear of the cutter.
Working notes
- A laminated neck — three or five strips with the grain reversed — is far stiffer than a one-piece and resists warping.
- A figured maple neck is weaker along the flame than plain stock. Consider a stiffer fretboard or a laminate.
- Seal end grain immediately after cutting to stop it drying faster than the rest.
- Warm the neck slightly before gluing a fretboard so the joint does not close on cold glue.
Related
Spruce top
The default soundboard: stiff along the grain, light, and loud.
Cedar top
Opens fast, plays warm, and marks if you look at it wrong.
Mahogany back & sides
Dry, focused and punchy — the working musician’s back wood.
Rosewood back & sides
Deep bass, long sustain, and a wall of overtones.