Flame maple top warping?

Rich G.

Rich G.

Experienced
I have an Suhr Pro Series S3 that has developed a peculiar problem. The flame maple top has become very wavy. Admittedly, The guitar has spent the majority of its life in the case. It's been a few years since I last looked at it. I took it out of the case to check something on it and I notice the top is all wavy. It doesn't just look wavy, you can feel the waves in the top.

I've searched the web and have found no other instances on Suhr guitars or any other guitars for that matter. Has anyone else encountered issues like this on any of their guitars?

IMG_8646.JPG IMG_8647.JPG
 
They are very good about taking care of issues, even if you are not the original owner. I have a Suhr guitar with a quilt maple top that the clear coat stated peeling off around the neck pocket, pick up routes, etc. I sent them a few pictures & they offered to refinish it for free. Turned out they had gotten some bad grain filler from their supplier that caused the problem. Great customer service! Very Fractal like!
 
notalemming said:
TI sent them a few pictures & they offered to refinish it for free. Turned out they had gotten some bad grain filler from their supplier that caused the problem. Great customer service! Very Fractal like!
Click to expand...

Hmmm... I sent them the pics I posted here. They said "This phenomenon is simply the nature of a very thin finish". They offered to refinish it for $350 + shipping.
 
I guess since mine was discoloring & the clear coat peeling off, they couldn't call that the nature of the finish and they knew it was due to defective grain filler. I've never had either issue on any other guitar including other Suhr guitars, all with very thin finishes. $350 does sound pretty low for a refinish so at least it sounds like they are offering it at cost or near cost but still a drag to have an issue with an expensive guitar. I hope you get it sorted out!
 
I have a few flame maple top guitars, and never had a problem like that. I have 2 Suhr guitars and have no problem with either. The $350 does sound pretty reasonable but if they refinish it, what guarantee do you have that it will not happen all over again?
 
I have a mid priced Ibanez rg with a flame top and it came like that new. It plays amazingly well but that wavy look has always irritated me. With flame and quilt maple those waves are hard and soft spots in the wood which is why they can dye them and make them stand out (the soft absorbs more stain). I would imagine since the wood is multi-density that temp and humidity, not to mention that the stain could've been oil or water based, could affect the surface more.
 
Man, take that thing out and play with it. It's a crime to keep something like that just locked away for years at a time. (...that's what she said!)
 
The wood will behave this way over time as it's wood! I have finished some really nice Flame Koa prices perfectly flat and a few months later the pattern comes back in the finish.

My Carvin has the same pattern where you see the high spots in the grain of the wood. This is actually a good thing when you stop and think about it. It let's people know that it actually made of real wood.

I suppose you could get a guitar with a photo top and never have to think about it again.
 
Given the humidity in your part of the country combined with the thinner finish and number of years in 'storage' it's actually not surprising to see.
 
That’s a humidity issue. Either the top wasn’t properly stable before it was built, or it has been subject to extremely dry conditions, causing the grain in the top to shrink (or possibly swell, though you’d likely see blushing effects if that were the case) causing the ripples.
 
All very valid points, guys.

Since discovering this, I have left the case open. The waves don't seem to be a deep as they were before... but maybe that's just me seeing things.

I do try to keep the whole house at a RH of 45%. I have a whole house humidifier, and keep my house rather cool in the Winter (which keeps the RH high)... and by cool I mean thermostat set to 63 max, 50 when I'm not around.

Is it a shame that it sits in the case so much? Yes, it is... but I have a bunch of guitars like that. Playing in 3 bands with gigs during the week and on weekends plus a full time job doesn't leave me much time to fully enjoy all the guitars I have. I gigged with the S3 for a little while, but I never really bonded with the neck shape. It has sort of a D shape. I like the feel of the Standard Slim Warmoth neck I use on my main gigging guitar. It has an open ( feel to it.

How does it sound? It sounds great. Very resonant guitar.

What will I do with it now? Nothing at the moment. It is tempting to get it refinished- but what's to say that it won't happen all over again with this piece of wood. I think I'll just accept it as it is and call it some very unique 'relic' character.
 
I have something similar on the burl maple top on my Kiesel, but maybe a little less than your picture. I can't feel the waves though. Before I bought it Jeff Kiesel said in a live stream that that's something you can expect with burl woods of any type. So it's something I knew about beforehand, but bought it anyway. I'm guessing it's just the nature of the figured woods, where some areas are less dense and shrink more than other areas.

It doesn't look bad. You will only notice that if you're holding at the right angle.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom