Last Updated on February 26, 2023 by Teemu Suomala
Classy white look and smooth feel…that’s what maple fretboards are all about!
Personally, I don’t have any “favorite one-fretboard material to rule them all”, but I do like maple fretboards, both roasted and non-roasted. This is why I was delighted to put together this article listing the cream of the crop guitars with maple fretboard (both acoustic & electric). I also reveal my 5 favorites.
So I basically picked the best guitars with maple fretboards, many of which I have had the pleasure to play myself, from hundreds of different guitars…just for you! If you have any questions, check the FAQ section or leave a comment.
Let’s get started!

Author: Teemu Suomala
I first grabbed the guitar in 2009. I started this website in January 2020 because I couldn’t do window installation anymore due to my health problems. I also noticed that most guitar websites don’t do a really good job, so I decided to just go for it! I got lucky and managed to get awesome people to help me with my website. I also got lucky because I have you visiting my website right now. Thank you. I do all this for you guys. If you have any recommendations, tips, or feedback, just leave a comment, I would love to chat with you. I have been fortunate to produce content for several large guitar websites, such as Songsterr, Musicnotes, GuitarGuitar, and Ultimate Guitar. I spend my spare time exercising and hanging out with my wife and crazy dog(I guess that went the right way…).
13 Acoustic Guitars With Maple Fretboard
For all of us who don’t like to stay away from guitar playing when traveling, Traveler Guitars are a lifesaver. Here I’ve highlighted the Ultra-Light Edge-model, which is, as the name suggests, Ultra-Light, has a beautiful & smooth maple fretboard, and is budget-friendly.
Price Range Icon Meanings:
$= $45-159
$$= $160-299
$$$= $300-599
$$$$= $600-899
$$$$$= $900
*Consider all links in this post to be affiliate links. If you purchase, at no additional cost to you, we may earn a small commission. It helps us to keep the lights on, thanks! 🙂
Model | Fretboard | Top Material | Body Style | Price Range | Check Current Price (affiliate links) |
Startone CG-851 3/4 Blue – Cheapest Classical Guitar With Maple Fretboard | Maple | Laminated Basswood | Classical 3/4 Sized | $ | Thomann* |
Startone CG-851 7/8 | Maple | Laminated Basswood | Classical 7/8 Sized | $ | Thomann |
Startone CG 851 4/4 | Maple | Laminated Basswood | Classical | $ | Thomann |
Harley Benton CG200CE | Maple | Laminated Basswood | Classical Cutaway | $ | Thomann |
Thomann Classic Guitar 1/2 | Maple | Laminated Spruce Top | Classical 1/2 Sized | $ | Thomann |
Thomann Classic Guitar 3/4 | Maple | Laminated Spruce Top | Classical 3/4 Sized | $ | Thomann |
Thomann Classic 4/4 | Maple | Laminated Spruce Top | Classical | $ | Thomann |
Squier SA-105CE – Cheapest Acoustic Guitar With Maple Fretboard | Lacquered Maple | Laminated Spruce Top | Dreadnought With Cutaway | $ | Thomann |
Squier SA-150 – Best Budget Acoustic Guitar With Maple Fretboard | Stained Maple | Laminated Lindenwood top | Dreadnought | $ | Guitar Center |
Cordoba Protege C1 Matiz | Maple | Spruce | Classical | $$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Traveler Guitar Ultra-Light Acoustic Standard | Maple | East American Hard Maple-body | Traveler | $$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Traveler Guitar Ultra-Light Edge – Best Travel Guitar With Maple Fretboard | Maple | Pionite HPL-body | Traveler Ultra-Light | $$$ | Sweetwater |
Ibanez Joe Satriani Signature JSA5 – Best Overall Acoustic Guitar With Maple Fretboard | Cultured Maple | Solid Engelmann Spruce | Joe Satriani Dreadnought With Cutaway | $$$$ | Sweetwater |
65 Electric Guitars With Maple Fretboard
If you are after a maple fretboard, snuggly offset body shape, twangy Telecaster tones, and budget price, check Squier Paranormal Offset Telecaster out. It is a budget guitar, and it can sometimes suffer from budget-guitar problems, but overall, it’s a really good guitar for the money.
Price Range Icon Meanings:
$= $79-199
$$= $200-499
$$$= $500-999
$$$$= $1000-1499
$$$$$= $1500
Model | Fretboard | Pickups | Body Style | Price Range | Check Current Price (affiliate links) |
Harley Benton TE-20MN BM Standard Series – Cheapest Electric Guitar With Maple Fretboard | Maple | 2 x TE-style single coil pickups | Telecaster | $ | Thomann |
Harley Benton ST-20MN CA Standard Series | Maple | 3 x ST style single coils | Stratocaster | $ | Thomann |
Kramer Focus VT-211S – Cheapest US-Market Electric Guitar With Maple Fretboard | Maple | 2 x Kramer SC-1 single coils & 1 x HB-1 humbucker | Modern Stratocaster | $ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Harley Benton TE-80 NT Deluxe Series | Maple | 2 x Roswell Alnico STA-N-BLK / STA-B-BLK single coils | Telecaster | $ | Thomann |
Kramer Guitars Baretta Special | Maple | 1 x Alnico V humbucker | Modern Stratocaster | $ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Ibanez GRX70QA Review – Best Tight Budget – Read The Full Review | Maple | 2 x Infinity R humbuckers & 1 x Infinity RS single coil | Modern Stratocaster | $ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Squier Affinity Series Telecaster | Maple | 2 x Ceramic single coils | Telecaster | $$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Squier Affinity Series Stratocaster | Maple | 3 x Ceramic single coils | Stratocaster | $$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Squier Affinity Series Telecaster Deluxe | Maple | 2 x Ceramic humbuckers | Telecaster | $$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Ibanez Gio GRG7221M – Cheapest 7 String Guitar With Maple Fretboard | Maple | 2 x Infinity R humbuckers | Modern Stratocaster | $$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Yamaha Pacifica 112VM – Solid Budget Pick | Maple | 2 x Alnico single coils and 1 x Alnico humbucker | Modern Stratocaster | $$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Squier Affinity Starcaster | Maple | 2 x Standard humbuckers | Starcaster | $$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Jackson Dinky Arch Top JS32 DKAM | Maple | 2 x Jackson high output humbucker | Modern Stratocaster | $$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Harley Benton Fusion-T HH | Roasted Maple | 2 x Roswell HAF-B AlNiCo-5 & HAF-N AlNiCo-5 humbuckers | Telecaster | $$ | Thomann |
Harley Benton Dullahan-FT – Cheapest Headless Guitar With Maple Fretboard | Maple | 1 x Roswell HAF-B-BK Alnico-5 & 1 x Roswell HAF-N-BK Alnico-5 humbuckers | Modern Stratocaster | $$ | Thomann |
Squier Classic Vibe ’60s Telecaster Thinline | Maple | 2 x Fender-designed Alnico single coils | Telecaster | $$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Squier Contemporary Telecaster RH – Best Budget Guitar With Maple Fretboard | Roasted maple | 1 x Squier Rail & 1 x Squier Atomic humbuckers | Telecaster | $$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Squier Contemporary Stratocaster Special | Roasted maple | 3 x Squier AlNiCo single coils | Stratocaster | $$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Ibanez RG421AHM – Shredder | Maple | 2 x Quantum humbucker | Modern Stratocaster | $$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Guild Surfliner | Maple | 2 x Dearmond Aerosonic Single Coils & 1 x Guild LB-1 Mini Humbucker | Offset | $$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Traveler Guitar Vaibrant 88 Standard | Maple | 2 x V88D humbuckers & 1 x V88D single coil | Traveler | $$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Squier Paranormal Offset Telecaster | Maple | 2 x Fender-designed AlNiCo single coils | Offset Telecaster | $$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Squier Classic Vibe ’50s Stratocaster – Read The Review | Maple | 3 x Fender-designed alnico single coils | Stratocaster | $$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
ESP LTD TE-200 – Great All-Around Metal Tele With Maple Fretboard | Maple | 1 x ESP-designed LH-150N & 1 x ESP-designed LH-150B humbuckers | Telecaster | $$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Squier Contemporary Active Starcaster – Semi-Hollowbody With Active Pickups | Roasted maple | 2 x Active Fender SQ SQR Ceramic humbuckers | Semi-Hollowbody | $$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Jackson X Series Signature Adrian Smith SDX | Maple | 2 x Jackson single coil & 1 x Jackson humbucker | Modern Stratocaster | $$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Ibanez RG470AHM – Really Versatile | Maple | 2 x Quantum Humbucker & 1 x Quantum Single Coil | Modern Stratocaster | $$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
EVH Wolfgang Standard | Roasted maple | 2 x Direct Mount Wolfgang Humbuckers | Wolfgang Standard | $$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Schecter PT Special | Maple | 1 x Schecter Diamond V-90 & 1 x Schecter Diamond VT-1 | Telecaster | $$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Jackson SLXM DX Soloist X Series | Maple | 1 x Duncan Designed HB-103B & 1 x Duncan Designed HB-103N | Modern Stratocaster | $$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Fender Player Mustang – Excellent for Small Hands | Maple | 2 x Mustang Single-coil | Mustang | $$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Fender Player Telecaster | Maple | 2 x New Player AlNiCo V single coils | Telecaster | $$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Fender Player Stratocaster | Maple | 3 x New Player AlNiCo V single coils | Stratocaster | $$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Fender Player Telecaster HH – Great Sounding Coil-Split – Read The Review | Maple | 2 x Player Series Alnico II Humbuckers | Telecaster | $$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Jackson RRX24M White – Best Flying V With Maple Fretboard | Maple | 1 x Seymour Duncan AHB1BN & 1 x Seymour Duncan AHB-1B humbuckers | Flying V | $$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Schecter Sun Valley Super Shredder FR-S | Maple | 1 x Sustainiac & 1 x EMG Retroactive Hot 70 humbucker | Modern Stratocaster | $$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Ibanez RG550-RF – Best Overall Electric Guitar With Maple Fretboard | Maple | 1 x Ibanez V7 humbucker (neck), Ibanez S1 singlecoil (middle) and 1 x Ibanez V8 humbucker | Modern Stratocaster | $$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
EVH 5150 Standard | Maple | 2 x Direct Mount EVH Wolfgang Humbuckers | Modern Stratocaster | $$$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
EVH Striped Series – Shreddable Rock Guitar With Maple Fretboard | Maple | 1 x EVH Humbucker, Direct mounted | Modern Stratocaster | $$$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Fender Player Plus Meteora HH | Maple | 2 x Fireball humbuckers | Meteora Offset | $$$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Reverend Descent RA – Baritone Guitar With Roasted Maple Fretboard | Roasted Maple | 2 x Railhammer Chisel Humbucker | Descent RA Double-Cut | $$$$ | Sweetwater |
Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 HSS | Roasted Maple | 1 x Custom Seymour Duncan Flat Strat SSL-6 RWRP Single-coil & 1 x Custom Seymour Duncan Flat Strat SSL-6 Single-coil & 1 x Seymour Duncan Custom Full Shred SH-10B Humbucker | Modern Stratocaster | $$$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Ibanez YY10-SGS | Maple | 3 x Seymour Duncan Five Two Single Coils | Offset | $$$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Fender Jimi Hendrix Stratocaster – Gret Strat With Maple Fretboard for Hendrix Fans | Maple | 3 x American Vintage 65 single coils | Stratocaster | $$$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Kramer Jersey Star – Has 3 Humbuckers | Maple | 1 x Seymour Duncan SH-2 & 2 x Seymour Duncan SH-4 humbuckers | Modern Stratocaster | $$$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Fender Vintera 70s Telecaster Custom | Maple | 1 x Vintage-style 70s Tele single coil & 1 x Fender wide range humbucker | Telecaster | $$$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Fender Vintera 50s Telecaster Mod | Maple | 1 x Custom Shop Vintage Style Tele Single Coil & 1 x Custom Shop Twisted Tele Single Coil | Telecaster | $$$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Fender American Performer Telecaster – Great All-Around Tele | Maple | 2 x Yosemite Telecaster single coils | Telecaster | $$$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Fender American Performer Telecaster Stratocaster – Great All-Around Strat | Maple | 3 x Yosemite Stratocaster single coils | Stratocaster | $$$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
EVH Striped Series Frankenstein Relic | Maple | 1 x Dummy Strat Single Coil & 1 x Direct Mount Wolfgang Humbucker | Modern Stratocaster | $$$$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Jackson Pro Series Signature Misha Mansoor Juggernaut ET7 | Caramelized (roasted) Maple | 2 x Jackson Uncovered MM1 humbuckers | Modern Stratocaster | $$$$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Ibanez JEM77P – Extremely Fast Playing | Maple | 2 x DiMarzio Gravity Storm humbuckers & 1 x DiMarzio Evolution single coil | Modern Stratocaster | $$$$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Fender Troy Van Leeuwen Jazzmaster | Maple | 2 x American Pure Vintage ’65 Jazzmaster single coils | Jazzmaster | $$$$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Strandberg Boden Standard NX 6 – Best Headless Guitar With Maple Fretboard | Quartersawn Maple | 2 x .strandberg* OEM 6 Humbucker | Headless Double-Cut | $$$$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Fender American Professional II Stratocaster | Maple | 3 x V-Mod II single coil pickups | Stratocaster | $$$$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Strandberg Boden Standard NX 8 | Quartersawn Maple | 2 x .strandberg* OEM 8 Soapbar Humbucker | Headless Double-Cut | $$$$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Fender American Professional II Telecaster | Maple | 2 x V-Mod II single coils | Telecaster | $$$$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Ibanez AZS2200-BK Prestige – Best Premium Guitar With Maple Fretboard | Roasted Maple | 1 x Seymour Duncan Magic Touch-Mini Humbucker & 1 x Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro Custom Single-Coil | Tele-style | $$$$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Ibanez AZ2402-BKF Prestige | Roasted Maple | 2 x Seymour Duncan Hyperion humbuckers | Modern Stratocaster | $$$$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Ibanez AZ2204B-BK Prestige | Roasted Maple | 2 x Seymour Duncan Hyperion single coils & 1 Seymour Duncan Hyperion humbuckers | Modern Stratocaster | $$$$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Fender American Ultra Telecaster | Maple | 2 x Ultra Noiseless Vintage Tele single coils | Telecaster | $$$$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Fender American Ultra Stratocaster | Maple | 3 x Ultra noiseless vintage Strat single coils | Stratocaster | $$$$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Fender Yngwie Malmsteen Stratocaster – Guitar With Scalloped Maple Fretboard – Fast Playing | Maple (scalloped) | 2 x Seymour Duncan STK-S10N YJM Fury & 1 x Seymour Duncan STK-S10B YJM Fury | Stratocaster | $$$$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
PRS Silver Sky Electric Guitar | Maple | 3 x 635JM single coils | Stratocaster | $$$$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
Ibanez LB1-VL Lari Basilio | Roasted Birdseye Maple | 2 x Seymour Duncan Lari Basilio Single-coil & 1 x Seymour Duncan Lari Basilio Humbucker | Tele-style | $$$$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
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5 Best Guitars With Maple Fretboard – My Favorites
Best Budget Acoustic Guitar With Maple Fretboard – Squier SA-150
What I like
- Affordable & great value
- Handles basic chord-playing really well
- Surprisingly full and clear sound
- An excellent guitar for beginners (also check these Yamaha’s out)
- Usually comes with a solid setup
What I don’t like
- All-laminated woods (for this price, can’t complain much tho)
- Typical cheap-guitar problems can happen…(poor setup, not flawless finish, only OK action, etc.)
- No electronics (gladly everyone doesn’t need them)
- Some mixed information available about fretboard material
Check our picks for the best acoustic guitars under $500 here.
Who is it for?
If you are after an affordable, solid-sounding, and fun-to-play acoustic guitar with a stained maple(apparently) fretboard, Squier SA-150 is a stellar option. It’s cheap, sounds surprisingly full, takes chords well, and will get a beginner started with an acoustic guitar.
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Best Overall Acoustic Guitar With Maple Fretboard – Ibanez Joe Satriani Signature JSA5
What I like
- Surprisingly fast playing & the neck feels great for electric players (in general)
- Cutaway makes soloing easy
- Great quality electronics: Fishman Sonicore pickup w/Presys preamp
- Solid Engelmann Spruce top offers crispy and clear sound
- Grover tuners hold the tune well
- The cultured Maple fretboard looks stunning
What I don’t like
- Plastic nut feels a bit cheap for this price
- Not the fullest sound
Who is it for?
If you are an electric guitarist looking for a smooth-playing acoustic guitar with a maple fretboard to run some licks through, keep Ibanez Joe Satriani JSA5 on your radar. The use of Ivorex plastic nut and the saddle is a bummer, but otherwise, the JSA5 offers great value, crips all-around acoustic tones, and a stunning cultured maple fretboard.
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Best Budget – Squier Contemporary Telecaster
What I like
- Affordable
- Stunning looks
- Graphite nut allows strings to move smoothly through the nut when bending (should improve tuning stability)
- A narrow neck (1.65″ nut) and C neck shape make playing smooth and comfortable
- Squiers SQR humbuckers sound surprisingly good
- Versatile
- Solid quality
What I don’t like
- Out-of-the-box finish issues can happen with these budget guitars
Who is it for?
Squier started to spoil us with affordable guitars with roasted maple necks in 2021 with their Contemporary lineup. These Squiers are one of the best options for under $500. The Contemporary Telecaster is my favorite of this lineup. It’s stunning, comfortable to play, and sounds great.
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Best Overall – Ibanez Genesis Collection RG550
What I like
- Super-versatile pickups (HSH)
- Smooth & slim Super Wizard neck shape
- Great quality Gotoh tuners
- Smooth to use and durable Ibanez Edge tremolo bridge
- Excellent playability
What I don’t like
- Coil-split would be just awesome
Who is it for?
If you are after extreme versatility, comfortable playability, and great value for the money, Ibanez Genesis Collection RG550 is one of the best options. It’s an all-around work-horse that will serve you well and faithfully in every situation. Plus it features a stunning & smooth maple fretboard.
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Best Premium – Ibanez Prestige AZS2200
What I like
- Extremely smooth and comfortable playability
- Spot-on sound
- Surprisingly versatile
- Alter switch enables connecting single-coil pickup and another coil of the humbucker in series to create different humbucker-like tones
- Great hardware (Gotoh Locking tuners, Gotoh tremolo bridge, and bone nut)
- Could cost a lot more
What I don’t like
- Premium quality means a premium price
Who is it for?
I don’t like to call myself a fanboy. But if I had to choose just 1 brand to be a fanboy of, it would be Ibanez. And this AZ Prestige is a great one. It features
- Seymour Duncan Magic Touch-mini Humbucker
- Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro Custom Single-coil
- Gotoh F1802 Tremolo Bridge
- 2-way mini alter switch & 5-way blade pickup switch
- Gotoh Magnum Locking tuners
- Stunning looks
- Smooth playability
And still, it costs under 2k. The money you have to throw in order to get this Ibanez is still a big chunk, I know, but still, the value for the money is outstanding. The best premium and pro-level electric guitar with a maple fretboard to me.
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FAQ
Is Maple A Good Fretboard Material?
Maple is one of the most popular fretboard materials out there. It’s hard (density: 0.6 – 0.75 (103 kg/m3)) and durable material. Many players (such as me) consider it to be a really good material for fingerboard…but let’s go through the pros and cons so you get some kind of an idea…
Pros
- Tons of guitars with maple fretboards are available
- Durable
- Usually not very expensive
- Easy to take care of (just wipe dust and dirt with a dry cloth and apply normal maple-friendly guitar cleaner once in a while)
- Smooth feel
- Finished, roasted, and unfinished maple fretboard options are available
Cons
- White looks are not for everyone (have a look at the roasted maple then!)
- Some players find bending to be harder with finished maple fretboard (I don’t)
So basically, maple still seems like a really solid fretboard material to me. But I recommend you test a guitar with maple fretboard and find out if you like it or not!
Does Maple Fretboard Affect The Tone?
There are a ton of opinions about this…But gladly we have some pretty helpful resources nowadays.
First, does fretboard material affect the tone of the electric guitar? Not in a way that it could be noticed. This is explained with images and a cool video in our electric guitar tonewood guide. Pickups are by far the most important difference-maker. After this come the strings, saddles, and nut.
Secondly, does fretboard material affect the sound of acoustic guitars? Most likely, the fretboard affects the sound of an acoustic guitar a little bit. But I would not pay attention to the fretboard material when deciding what sounding acoustic guitar I want. Here the top, back & sides, saddle/bridge, strings, and nut are far more important than the fretboard material. So basically, fretboard material doesn’t affect the sound of an acoustic guitar either because we are most likely not able to notice the difference. Learn more from our acoustic guitar tonewood guide.
Do Maple Fretboards Need Oiling?
The finished maple fretboard does not need oiling. You can use most of the basic guitar cleaning kits to take care of the maple fretboard. But always read the instructions and text on the bottles to make sure there are no disclaimers regarding maple fretboard.
Unfinished maple fretboards require an oil-based cleaner.
Which is Harder Rosewood or Maple?
You get a ton of mixed information about this when searching the world wide web…
First. Density and hardness are not exactly the same thing, but density affects how hard the wood is(I found this information from this video). The hardness of the wood is measured by the Janka test.
In this test, a small metal ball is placed on top of the wood. A load required to push the ball inside of the wood gives us the Janka-test score(lbf= Pound-force Unit).
And how do maple and rosewood compare in this test….? For example, Hard Maple’s result is 1450lbf. Bolivian Rosewood has a result of 1960lbf.
The conclusion? Rosewood is harder than maple. There’s no question about it.
- maple 0.6 – 0.75 (103 kg/m3).
- rosewood 0.82-0.9 (103 kg/m3).
Rosewood species also have higher Janka-test results. I used these sources to find Janka-test scores: 1. bellforestproducts.com & 2. Wikipedia
Conclusion on Guitars With Maple Fretboard
Wow! That was a looong list! But there are just soo many great guitars with maple fretboards out there…I had to leave some really solid axes out of this list…
I hope this article helped you out, and maybe you even decided to get one of the guitars featured. If you have any questions, leave a comment, I and the GND team are here for you.
Now go, my son, and Rock!