Maple neck on a Les Paul?

daveyh

Is there a noticeable effect in the sound of a Les Paul if it has a maple neck? I’ve recently seen a discussion where it’s described as giving it more ‘growl’ which sounds quite interesting and right up my street tbh.  

ICBM

In my opinion, yes.

I wouldn't quite describe it as 'growl', but they do sound less middy and woody than the mahogany-neck ones - it's a harder, more 'ringing' sound.

They also have significantly less of a tendency for headstock detachment as well .

Funkfingers

The maple neck is associated with the Norlin ownership period. Unfortunately, the neck construction and timber choice was not the only feature that deviated from the original specs (or, for that matter, the late Sixties re-issue run). It is difficult to say how much any single detail change contributed to the overall sound.

shugz

Maple neck not til later 70s. They were using a few interesting construction methods right enough throughout the Norlin era.

Not all bad though, don't believe the truth when it comes to those guitars as there were still some good uns - maple necks included (even if for the purists it's a bit of a mindbend:))

As ever, trying for yourself always the best way of knowing for sure.

Cheers
Hugh

FelineGuitars

A definite shift in sound - it hards harder, and the sound compresses less.

More direct sounding to my ears - almost sounds bigger (doesn't mean better - that is all in the ear of the beholder)

For most things I probably prefer a mahogany neck on my LP style guitars (Feline Lions in my case), but there are times that the maple is good.

** Not everything has to be trying to be a 1958/9 Les Paul - other flavours are good

Funkfingers

shugz said:

As ever, trying for yourself always the best way of knowing for sure.

I have tried one. The other guitarist in my teens/early twenties covers band had a 1976 or 77 Custom. I never particularly liked the way it played or sounded. (The latter may have been the fault of the band's low rent solid state amplification.) He still has the guitar but very rarely plays it. 

ICBM

I think if I could have a custom-made Les Paul, it would be a mahogany-body ‘54-style Custom with a 2-piece maple neck, as was fitted on all the higher-end Gibsons in the 50s - so the Custom should really have had one! There’s just something I like about the sound and the feel of a maple neck - even through the lacquer, they feel different.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that my favourite acoustic is the Gibson Dove, which also has a maple neck.

Henrytwang

My 70s maple necked Les Paul sounds brighter than my mahogany necked ones but that may be due to many factors, all sorts of things have been messed around with on Les Pauls over the years.

OilCityPickups

Henrytwang said:

My 70s maple necked Les Paul sounds brighter than my mahogany necked ones but that may be due to many factors, all sorts of things have been messed around with on Les Pauls over the years.

You have to remember that these maple necked 70s LPs were fitted with very different pickups than their earlier mahogany neck brothers. The T-Top was a, low wind Poly wire pickup that has a more biting tone than the plain enamel wound 50s PAFs.
The Delux had the mini humbucker ... again ... much thinner and more biting. 

midlifecrisis

I have a 2009 les paul raw power, which has a maple neck, and maple body. To me it sounds slightly brighter than my mates les paul standard but not hugely different.

Danielsguitars

i just tried a 72 goldtop of marcs at mojo and it is definitely a different sound, i compared to the goldtop i just dropped off to him

I think it's a brighter tone and maybe more harsh, it did sound and play well and I'd say try one if you can

i should have said this is a 3 piece neck, thought it was mahogany and maple

It's all subjective anyway