Spalted Maple is a highly desired and rare to find tone wood. Using it in guitar building is a very delicate process and only a skilled luthier knows how to. The unique pattern of black striping is the result of fungus invading the wood. While these lines themselves do not compromise the wood's integrity, the fungus itself can. By drying the wood properly, this process can be stopped, stabilizing and eliminating the fungus. A crucial step to guarantee the guitars' durability. This means that the right timing is of utmost importance. The fungus needs enough time to create the pattern, but leaving it for too long it will start to degrade and soften the wood, compromising its strength and stability. While the drying process may be lengthier for high-moisture woods like spalted maple, the resulting stability ensures that the instrument remains strong and resilient for decades to come.

Spalted maple requires a careful and methodical approach when it comes to finishing. We applied multiple very thin layers of transparent nitro-cellulose lacquer, carefully hand polished between each application, highlighting the figuring of the grain, while maintaining the sound characteristics of the wood.

Please Note: The characteristics of spalted maple (varying density) make the top and back a little more sensitive to changes in humidity compared to our flame maple tops and backs. It does not affect the playability or longevity of the guitar, but may affect the nitrocellulose lacquer. If the guitar has been in a case for an extended period of time, it needs some polishing. 

The tops, backs and necks of our guitars are completely carved by hand, using exclusively premium solid tone woods with outstanding tonal quality. Our guitars are built from one piece, allowing the wood to vibrate more freely, producing a more complex and dynamic sound.

The construction of our semi-acoustic guitars - all of which are equipped with a square center block at the bridge position - eliminates all possible feedback problems entirely while maintaining its acoustic properties. The center of the top maintains its original thickness, while the rest of the wood is carefully carved away by hand. In this way, there is no tension on the top and therefore there is no tendency to bend and/or deform over time. This method eliminates the need for a center block that covers the entire body length of the guitar needed for stability and to avoid feedback.

Every guitar we build has a completely unique look. The hand polished nitro-cellulose lacquer highlights the individual character of the grain, while maintaining the sound characteristics of the wood.