Flame maple ( tiger maple), also known as flamed maple, curly maple, ripple maple, fiddleback or tiger stripe, is a feature of maple in which the growth of the wood fibers is distorted in an undulating chatoyant pattern, producing wavy lines known as "flames". This effect is often mistakenly said to be part of the Wood grain of the wood; it is more accurately called "figure", as the distortion is perpendicular to the grain direction. Prized for its beautiful appearance, it is used frequently in the manufacturing of fine furniture and musical instruments, such as violins, guitars, and bassoons.
During the westward expansion of early settlers and explorers into the lands west of the Appalachian Mountains, curly maple was often used for making the stocks used on .
About the wood
When wood from a tree with undulating grain is split, the wood splits along the undulations, so that the split log shows, and one can feel, the physical waviness.
When the wood is sawn flat, effectively cutting off the "tops" of the "waves", the result is an alternating pattern of end grain and flat grain. As end grain naturally absorbs more stain than flat grain, staining the sawn wood accentuates the striped pattern.
Usage in guitars
Figures on (1958-1960)
According to
The Beauty of the 'Burst by Yasuhiko Watanabe, the figures seen on the sunburst Les Paul are categorized into 8 types: 6 types of flame maple (
Curly,
Ribbon curly,
Flame,
Tiger stripe,
Fiddleback,
Pin stripe), and 2 other types (
Blister and
Bird's eye).
[
"" (For details, see excerpted images on [1], [2])
] Note that usually the last two types are not considered as flame maple variations, along with
quilt maple.
Figures on
- 6 types of figure maple wood
File:Peavey EVH Wolfgang guitar (body) at Hard Rock Cafe San Antonio, Texas.jpg|Curly
File:PRS Custom (1988) Santana guitar (body), MIM PHX.jpg|Ribbon curl
File:Gibson Custom 50th Anniversary 1959 Les Paul Standard (body) edited.jpg|Flame
File:2012 Gibson Les Paul Standard Plus body (by ravas51) vertical.jpg|Tiger stripe
File:Ephiphone Slash Signature Les Paul (clip), Juliens Auctions Preview 2011-03-08.jpg|Fiddleback
File:D'Angelico EX-SD body.jpg|Pin stripe
- Other types of figure maple wood (for comparison)
File:Agile AD-3000 body front.jpg|Blister
File:Epiphone Les Paul Classic Birdseye (1994-1998) body.jpg|Bird's eye
File:BACCHUS.jpg|Quilt maple
See also
Notes
