Only roasted maple in the future?

[SuperTheBass]

I imagine "which brand has the best maple roasting process" will become a big talking point if it's not already.

 

[micguy]

Roasted necks are more brittle and can't survive the same impact levels normal, moisture-filled necks. This is why they went out of favor. Back in the 2020"s they didn't understand this - The Future

Torrefaction (aka roasting) is not a new process - the Vikings - not the football team, the actual Vikings (who relied on their hardware for constant warfare and pillaging) torrefied the wood they made their warships out of, because it held up better in the environment. So, the knowledge about what the correct process is (and the experiential knowledge that properly torrefied stuff holds up just fine) is over 1400 years old.

If you want a neck to survive physically, making it like a Fender (straight grain through the non tiltback headstock), or with a scarf joint (if you want a tiltback headstock) is far more important than whether or not the wood is roasted. I've made about 20 basses with roasted necks, and never had an issue with it being brittle or weak.

 

[stevensivak]

It looks dirty....

 

[dlmarquez]

my understanding is that roasted maple is also more stable, and that to me is a pretty inportant consideration

 

[ricardol]

 

[DuluthDank]

Over-roasted maple can remind me of a person with a tanning addiction, in that it's not always the most aesthetically pleasing. Light roasting can be okay though. IMO the biggest benefit of roasting isn't looks, but weight reduction for roasted bodies. I'd like to see more roasted bodies with solid color paint, just for the weight.

 

[OldManNewBass]

Roasted maple neck & fretboard, you say...?

I've got this coming in from Sweetwater, had it set-up with thru-body LaBella flats; and no, the headstock is NOT painted, that's the roasted maple itself...!

 

[depalm]

It seems roasted maple is more prone to break. Gotta be careful when working with this kind of wood.

I like both, use both but hope people would find some good material to replace wood on instrument manufacturing.

Gold is more common in universe than wood.

 

[ElectricBass72]

I put roasted maple necks in pretty much the same category as gravel bikes.

My gravel bike..... gonna replace the aluminum frame with a roasted maple frame.

 

[JRA]

i have one ax with a roasted maple neck --- i like it! it looks great on that ax, but it would probably look just as good on any other instrument i have. FWIW, i'm ok with the look of just about any fingerboard (especially if it has no frets!).

i voted "it will be a mix..." but i really have no clue about the OP's poll question.

It looks dirty....

ooh, yeah....it is! wait 'til you actually play one.....

 

[skycruiser]

Roasted maple neck & fretboard, you say...?

I've got this coming in from Sweetwater, had it set-up with thru-body LaBella flats; and no, the headstock is NOT painted, that's the roasted maple itself...!

Sire is definitely one of the "over roasters". Like burnt coffee beans. But I like the dark look personally.

 

[D.A.R.K.]

Doesn't the process of roasting basically cure the wood? So it wouldn't need to be dried for long periods of time? That would make me think we will see more of it than less in the future.

 

[micguy]

my understanding is that roasted maple is also more stable, and that to me is a pretty inportant consideration

It is - if you have a few necks made with the stuff, it's obvious. It's particularly obvious if the neck AND fretboard are both roasted.

 

[micguy]

Sire is definitely one of the "over roasters". Like burnt coffee beans. But I like the dark look personally.

Torrefaction is the same basic process that you use to make charcoal - an oven with little to no oxygen. The lighter the product, the closer it is to wood, The darker the product, the closer it is to charcoal. Yes, roasting wood makes it bit more brittle, but the necks I get from Warmoth (which aren't that dark) are pretty close to working with regular wood in that respect. Darker necks will be more brittle, but I have no idea how significant the difference is. The darkest roasted maple I've seen was Gibson trying to make maple look like Rosewood or Ebony - as they have the rest of the neck to rely on for strength, that's probably OK (the headstock joint is the weak spot anyway due to no scarf joint).

 

[micguy]

Doesn't the process of roasting basically cure the wood? So it wouldn't need to be dried for long periods of time? That would make me think we will see more of it than less in the future.

Pretty sure you still need it to be dried before torrefaction.

 

[srosenthal13]

I prefer my petrified maple necks. They've been rock solid for millions of years.

 

[Water buffalo]

IMHO, Roasted maple is the fad de jure. That may sound harsh, I do like it, but I like a lot of alternatives as well. It's kind of like swamp ash, in the beginning it was kind of a special thing. A few years down the road, everywhere you look... Swamp ash bodies. Roasted woods seem to be following the same path.

I vote carrots.

YMMV.

 

[-Stingray]

The only neck I ever had stabilty issues with was roasted (Spector).

Roasting imho guarentees nothing.

 

[JazznFunk]

It is - if you have a few necks made with the stuff, it's obvious. It's particularly obvious if the neck AND fretboard are both roasted.

My SBMM Ray34 has a roasted maple neck and fingerboard and it definitely has a different feel and tone vs a standard maple neck.... but in a good way. The neck has not moved in years, even without graphite reinforcements in the construction.

 

[Gervais Cote]

I’m a big fan of roasted maple necks mostly for its stability but I think both will remain over time.