Roasted maple
Maple heated in a low-oxygen kiln until its sugars caramelise, sold as roasted or torrefied maple.
The treatment drives off moisture and alters the cell structure, which darkens the wood from pale cream to a warm amber and reduces how much it moves with humidity. For a neck that is a real practical benefit: the blank is more dimensionally stable, so relief holds and the instrument needs less adjustment as the seasons change. It is commonly described as sounding slightly drier and more resonant than untreated maple, with some brightness traded for a warmer, more open attack. The cost is brittleness, since roasted wood splits more readily in thin sections.
Example: A bolt-on with a roasted maple neck often needs no finish at all, and it holds its relief through a humid summer better than raw maple.
typical use: Necks, fretboards and occasionally bodies.
See also
Related
- PageTone wood
- PageMaple
- PageTorrefied wood
- PageAdirondack spruce
- PageAfrican blackwood
- PageAfrican mahogany
- PageAaron Dessner
- PageAce Frehley