Roasted Maple Necks | Are they worth it?!

Chris asks the big question.....
Are roasted maple necks worth it?!
SKIP
0:00 - Intro
0:13 - What are roasted maple necks?
0:36 - Where did it start?
1:14 - The Science
2:14 - What benefits are there?
3:50 - Playing
4:26 - More Benefits
5:05 - ARE THEY WORTH IT?
5:25 - Budget Guitars available with Roasted Maple
Guitars Featured
Sterling CT50 Cutlass, Toluca Lake Blue
www.gak.co.uk/en/sterling-ct5...
Sterling CT50 Cutlass HSS, Firemist Silver
www.gak.co.uk/en/sterling-ct5...
Squier Contemporary Telecaster RH, Roasted Maple Fingerboard, Shoreline Gold
www.gak.co.uk/en/squier-conte...
Squier Contemporary Telecaster RH, Roasted Maple Fingerboard, Pearl White
www.gak.co.uk/en/squier-conte...
Fender Roasted Maple Stratocaster Neck, 22 Jumbo Frets, 12" Radius, Flat Oval Shape
www.gak.co.uk/en/fender-roast...
AMP MICS:
Shure Beta 27
www.gak.co.uk/en/shure-beta-2...
Sennheiser e 609 Silver Dynamic Microphone for Guitar Cabs
www.gak.co.uk/en/sennheiser-e...
AMP
Fender '68 Custom Princeton Reverb
www.gak.co.uk/en/fender-68-cu...
🎤 Vocal Mics
Sennheiser EW 122 P G4 Wireless Handheld Microphone System, Channel 38
www.gak.co.uk/en/sennheiser-e...
🎸💼👜 SHOP GAK MERCH
www.gak.co.uk/Results?q=GAK%2...
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#RoastedMaple #Guitar #MapleNecks

[@matthewtyler-jones8317]

Bought my new Squier contemporary tele at the weekend. The neck is lovely, it’s not an incredible natural work of art, with flaming all the way up the back, or Birdseye fingerboard, but it’s still a real pleasure to look at and to touch. It looks … mature? played in? I love it. As I am only learning (in my 54th year!) I can’t comment on any tonal qualities. (But I can on the pups, which I am also enjoying - the range of tone, between the jangling rail at the bridge and the solid neck humbucker, is really fun)

[@thomaswrobel2348]

I love the feel. They're just so smooth and fast

[@MrTennisgolf]

Thanks for the tech and history of roasted woods and necks.

[@CHAINDRIVENOFFICIAL]

I have a Suhr with a roasted neck. It really feels wonderful and the instrument really sounds lovely even unplugged. If I have a choice moving forward will get more roasted necks.

[@ramencurry6672]

I would get a roasted maple neck guitar only for studio or home use but not for touring. Because it can get chipped and is brittle. I’ve seen photos of it all scratched up and pieces of wood flaking off.

[@ernestpetu5691]

That seems to be the main problem

[@DrRachelRApe]

I have one and it's great, it feels so smooth.

[@outermarker5801]

I got a JET JS-400 SB and love it. The thing nails those bell like vintage strat tones at neck, 4 and 2 positions to a T.

[@markedwards664]

Absolutely worth it. They feel amazing! Firm response and great resonance.

[@armara70]

It's like having a compressor pedal built in.

[@ileutur6863]

wood doesn't affect sound. Only stability

[@VirginaAV]

I would only agree for the body, I think the neck does change the tone.@@ileutur6863

[@Cognitoman]

lol tone wood

[@XlouietheflyX]

I have a Squier Contemporary Telecaster RH. The roasted maple neck is great but be very careful when drilling / screwing into it to change tuners or the string tree. I was forewarned that due to the hardness they can crack fairly easily. So I drilled the holes carefully to just smaller than the screws so that there was just enough wood for the screw threads to grab onto, rather than using the screw to cut the hole in any way. I fitted Gotoh SG381 tuners and a Graph Tech string tree this way.

[@CoolDaysEnd]

Brilliant Video! Thanks!

[@joshs7642]

The roasted neck on my EBMM Stingray RS is insane. It's a work of art.

[@088Noir]

Roasted maple here. Never going back to other stuff again since I do not live in Brighton but the conditions are the same. Salty… as f. Lots of humidity. Finally I don’t have to be a truss rod fiddler master 🤩

[@demodeiowa]

Just purchased a 7 string with roasted maple and the only complaint I have is that it starts to look dirty with gunk right after ur first session

[@andrewbecker3700]

Imho the stability is the biggest advantage, next to the looks obviously. I have an HSS version of the Sterling Cutlass in the video. As far as truss rod adj. being difficult, its definitely an advantage to have a 2 way adj. rod, and do it in stages if necessary. If all tension is released from an oldschool one way truss rod and theres still not enough relief, your quite possibly screwed. Unless your confident enough to do pro level luthier work involving complex clamping techniques to get them right, I'd move on.

[@cripplehisguitar2798]

I’m just in the process of doing my first guitar. I purchased all the parts finished so I don’t have to fiddle around with finishing. Roasted Flame Maple Neck with quilted Maple ST body done in this killer red. I’m doing this because I always wanted a guitar with a roasted neck. I’ll let you know what it looks like if you like and maybe send some pics.

[@notkwcly1368]

I'd love to see it. Do you have an instagram or anything with pics?

[@cripplehisguitar2798]

@@notkwcly1368 Well a few hiccups the body got destroyed during shipping so I’ve gone a different route. Unfortunately the new body won’t be here until mid to late January. 🤣🤣🤣 However when it’s finished I’ll send you some pictures.

[@notkwcly1368]

@@cripplehisguitar2798 oh damn that sucks. Thanks though hope it goes well

[@Redaxerocker1]

@TwoDot or now?

[@tylersmith9868]

So you assembled a guitar?

[@H0kram]

Hey thanks for the video. Sire is advertising their new Z series with two neck categories : roasted maple and hard maple, depending on the version. What's " hard " maple? You know any difference between the two other than the color? I wonder if it's plain marketing.

[@johnmac8084]

Useful, thanks

[@phililpb]

perfect if you are on a world tour or you live in Brighton. bit of a niche market?

[@MrArjen1960]

Yes I have a Harley Benton headless guitar with roasted neck, I love it its stable and resonant. The only problem is that adjusting the neck, takes some time to adjust because of the stiffness of the material. Also it smells real nice lol ;0 .I read an article they use it to artificially make wood older, roasted wood seems to have properties like a will aged peace of wood. (Soundwise) now for a solid body instrument there will be less difference but its nice to know he ?

[@Hi-levels]

My HB has roasted maple neck and its really not stable at all.

[@MrArjen1960]

@@Hi-levels Hard to tell what's wrong with it, but Thomann's service is excellent !

[@Hi-levels]

@@MrArjen1960 I need to adjust the truss rod often. That's the issue. Probably about the drying process

[@raffaele.eleonorafrazzi6387]

Nice video since I did not know about “torrefaction”. I wish I have a roasted neck guitar... I play an American std Tele and an American Professional II Strat with satin finish. As all of you know, they play beautifully. Cheers 👋🏻

[@jeekyboi9564]

Roasted maple is not that big o' deal. Sure it looks cool and has benefits but the hype over it is just a sales gimmick

[@Hi-levels]

Harley Benton fusions have them and it's cheap

[@RobFeldkamp]

Nice metallic blue body and rosewood fretboard close-ups :) totally convinces me to buy a roasted maple neck.

[@Dannyboyy86]

😂

[@EulogyfortheAngels]

I love love love the roasted flamed maple neck on my JP15 ❤️❤️❤️

[@Big_betty2]

Had the same one they have great fast necks

[@sangamdahal5565]

Can we use oil on it?

[@maysboy11]

Kinda wondering how they roasted maple fingerboard plays. I see you all demoed the Sterling Cutlass with roasted maple neck but rosewood fingerboard. Trying to decide between the two myself

[@GakCoUk]

They feel nice to me! To be honest it comes down to personal taste, so it might be worth giving one a go before committing to one over the other. There's no right or wrong answer!

[@mixedimagearts]

I wanted to put my bass on the carpet and accidentally dropped it a little roughly from a height of about 10 cm flat on the head stock, resulting in some cracks in the wood. I would never buy roasted maple again and I couldn't really tell any difference in sound.

[@ronmoes42]

Seems to me this is a gentle way of petrifying the wood. It like roasted neck the most, but also when it is birds eye maple. If Fender would be smart they should offer necks in orange, that is one of the most pleasing colours for a neck, it goes with many body colours as well and it is not expensive to make. a thin layer to impregnate the neck will give you an superB end result!

[@USMCDR]

Makes the wood harder...

[@RyanMcQuen]

I have observed less fret sprout on my roasted maple necks.

[@DarkoP9.13]

"no sweat ...." hahahahahaha

[@bleepblabloop]

've come to learn that roasted maple necks is a marketing gimmick. It's a cost savings boon for manufactures, whereas they can use higher kiln temps to drastically speed up curing time. As a result, they can get away with sourcing wood from younger trees and not have to let blanks sit stacked and stickered in a warehouse. Also, the finishing process is much simpler. I've A/B compared a lot of different guitars with different wood combinations over the decades. Roasted maple necks sit in the mix differently. To me, it sounds like the notes have less bounce and bloom.

[@electricurinal]

I've had one for a while on a US Fender Pro Strat special run model. They are ok. They look great. Everything said here is true but there are a couple of downsides. First, they are stiffer than a regular neck so when you do need to adjust the truss rod, there is a lot of resistance to the adjustment which could put more stress on the threads of the truss rod system. Second, they are harder and more brittle and it's a lot easier to ding your neck, which leaves a darker spot on it.

[@klodianberisha9696]

It crystallizes the wood cells and sounds twice as good as a normal maple

[@MrZlic]

what is the brand of the guitar that delivers roasted neck for 100+ punds ?

[@GakCoUk]

Jet Guitars! They're on our website, but they're extremely popular and hard to get hold of, so if you want one, 100% leave a deposit to reserve one

[@MrZlic]

@@GakCoUk but I just learned about that guitar, very interesting, do you have a video review?

[@phillipholt6005]

I wonder why Epiphone and Gibson aren't using these are am I misinformed?

[@danieldupuys2002]

They don't use mapple necks but mahogany.

[@tristan_840]

​@@danieldupuys2002I think you meant ebony.

[@Les537]

@@tristan_840 No he meant mahogany. LP, SG, 335 they are all mahogany necks with various fretboards - rosewood, ebony.

[@Fotosaurus56]

I have a 2016 Gibson ES Les Paul Special..a semi- hollow body Les Paul with a torrified maple neck. Stays in tune and I believe brighter but it's the only Gibson I have and probably ever need. A keeper for sure.

[@Thejam4]

Yes they are worth it.

[@biagiocauso2791]

A bit muffled on bass notes and too warm and j....z it dents deep like crazy

[@bshia13]

4:28 HAHA!

[@elquintoviernesazul]

Maple CAP?

[@christoguichard4311]

This bloke has watched too many episodes of old Top Gear...😅

[@ltgray2780]

Shijie. Check them out. 1st Class.

[@stephenlodise2762]

They only look good. Hard to adjust , and bright thin sounding , especially unplugged. Idk I find a non roasted , flat sawn cut , easier to play . They allow the action especially on Strats and Telecasters to be softer Than let’s say a quarter sawn , or a rift cut. Just my opinion of course.

[@Magik1369]

Roasted maple necks sound better, play better, and feel better. They also help the guitar stay in tune better. You have to play one to appreciate it

[@zonakmahanta]

It's so brittle and can be cracked easily.. so i do not prefer...better to go for quarter sawn with carbon fiber enhancement...

[@BlackPhillip666]

Can you tolerate hearing your own voice?

[@GakCoUk]

I'm assuming you can't 😂

[@BlackPhillip666]

@@GakCoUk Yes, listening to my voice recorded is 'bothersome'. My voice, that I hear oganically, is cool. -Just wondering, because your voice is familiar to me, in a 'bothersome' way(this is a random observation, and inquiry, not a reflection of your content).

[@jeffrowlette]

Yes, Jimi Hendrix would have sounded sooooooo much better if he had a roasted neck! LOL......appearance only. If you suck at guitar, this won't help.

[@scat4me]

The constant hand and arm gestures are really annoying.

[@martinq1920]

You need something actually worth worrying about. How pathetic.

[@scat4me]

@@martinq1920 Your response is also annoying...

[@user-xm9rn1px6k]

I disagree on the durability,😂 Roasted maple necks are a gimmick, they are very brittle and can be easily scratched just using your fingernail and they chip/splinter very easily they don't sound any different they look nice that's all........... Listen with your ears not to what's trending, the power of suggestion is at play here

[@lchown1813]

Yawn.....sure whatever you say! Yet another gimmick!

[@zounds13]

And what exactly qualifies you as an expert?

[@martinq1920]

Halfwit....