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Thread: Maple top mandolin

  1. #1

    Default Maple top mandolin

    I have a Morgan Monroe mandolin model MMS-3 that was a gift to me by a generous brother. I know Morgan Monroe is not a sought after name but I believe this is one of their top models. I've had it for about 4 years and it sounds and plays great. I started looking around online and found some of their better models have a maple top. I examined this one closely, and though it has a sunburst finish it does look like maple where you can see the grain. Anyone else have a mando with a maple top? I've not heard of maple being used for a topwood. Is this unusual? Thanks, Danny Gray

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  3. #2
    coprolite mandroid's Avatar
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    Default Re: Maple top mandolin

    An Electric Pickup will make up for the hardwood tops's lack of resonance .

    Tops of acoustic String instruments are traditionally softwoods

    Spruce, Redwood, Cedar,,
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  4. #3
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    Default Re: Maple top mandolin

    I have heard of mahogany and black walnut both being used for tops on flat top mandolins. Of course, as hardwoods go, those are both kind of soft, relatively speaking, so they may have acceptable response. Maple is considerably harder than either of those, and never heard of it being used for any acoustic top. I have not heard of any hardwood being used for any carved top mandolin, only flat tops.
    Don

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  5. #4
    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
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    Default Re: Maple top mandolin

    Carved or archtop electric guitars often have maple tops even laminated maple. Then again, they are meant to play amplified.
    Jim

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  6. #5

    Default Re: Maple top mandolin

    Pretty sure the Morgan Monroe maple top instruments have a maple veneer on an otherwise normal laminated top, which might be layers of spruce-ish wood or mahogany-ish wood. Nowhere in the ad I saw is the word "solid" used. The key here is that spalted maple would be an exceptionally poor choice, so it must be a veneer. So likely their other models with curly maple or whatever are also veneered.

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    On the other end of the spectrum, this Dean Grand Concert is a fantastic instrument with a walnut top (though don't try to compare it to a Loar, they're not in the same phylum).

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  7. #6

    Default Re: Maple top mandolin

    Double post. Doh.

  8. #7

    Default Re: Maple top mandolin

    Uh. Mr. Jacobson?
    Is that Dean on your bench?
    I would love to check out one of those.
    Agree that the Dean has a walnut top, but doesn't it have a spruce soundboard?
    I remain curious as to other woods for body and soundboards than the "usual."
    Cheers.

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  10. #8

    Default Re: Maple top mandolin

    AN MMS-3 mandolin should have a solid spruce top and solid maple back and sides.

    As a general rule, maple is not going to be the best choice for a top wood. Of course, there may always be exceptions.
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  11. #9
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    Default Re: Maple top mandolin

    A 17 Martin is all mahogany including top and whoever made Bean Blossom mandolins made an all mahogany mandolin. One I played in a music store sounded so good I told a friend to go buy it so I wouldn't have to and he did I have seen acoustic guitars although they have been cheep ones with maple tops I'm sure they were plywood

  12. #10
    formerly Philphool Phil Goodson's Avatar
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    Default Re: Maple top mandolin

    Here are some online specs:
    Morgan Monroe MMS-3 Features:

    Rocky Top Series

    Gloss Sunburst Finish
    Solid Carved Spruce Top
    Solid Carved Maple Back/Sides
    Ebony Extended Fretboard
    Dovetail Neckjoint
    Etc......
    Phil

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  13. #11
    Certified! Bernie Daniel's Avatar
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    Default Re: Maple top mandolin

    Quote Originally Posted by Dan of SC View Post
    I have a Morgan Monroe mandolin model MMS-3 that was a gift to me by a generous brother. I know Morgan Monroe is not a sought after name but I believe this is one of their top models. I've had it for about 4 years and it sounds and plays great. I started looking around online and found some of their better models have a maple top. I examined this one closely, and though it has a sunburst finish it does look like maple where you can see the grain. Anyone else have a mando with a maple top? I've not heard of maple being used for a topwood. Is this unusual? Thanks, Danny Gray
    Many years ago -- maybe early 1990's I owned a Morgan Monroe MMS-3 it had a spruce top and maple back (not 100% sure if it was solid woods anymore - -but I think they might have indeed been solid). There was a contemporaneous model, MMS-2, that had a Sycamore back (American sycamore) with a spruce top. (added: Phil beat me to it-- below). They were OK mandolins for their day but do not measure of to current standards in terms of tone and projection.
    Bernie
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  14. #12
    The Amateur Mandolinist Mark Gunter's Avatar
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    Default Re: Maple top mandolin

    I have a 1920ish parlor guitar that was built with solid maple. Top, back, sides, neck, ladder braces and fretboard. It has a painted black headstock with white stenciled logo: Encore Lustre. It was not playable when I bought it, but had been a player in its day, judging from the fretboard wear. I never heard it as such, because I converted it to a resonator guitar, but I was surprised to find all solid maple construction on a cheap stenciled parlor.

    Edited to say, the guitar can be seen in my avatar!
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