Last Updated on April 29, 2023 by Teemu Suomala
If you think that roasted maple neck gives the guitar a really classy look, we are in the same boat. It is a little bit more expensive, but to me, it’s well worth it.
A roasted maple neck is also referred to as:
- Baked maple
- Caramelized maple
- Torrified maple
Because a roasted maple neck looks so good on almost every guitar, I was happy to put together this article that lists the top-notch guitars with roasted maple necks, many of which I have played myself. I also reveal my top 3 favorite guitars with roasted maple necks for different situations. If you have any questions, check the FAQ section or just leave a comment.
Let’s get started!
Author: Teemu Suomala
29 Top-Notch Guitars With Roasted Maple Necks
GRG121SP is a new addition to the Ibanez GIO lineup. It’s equipped with Classic Elite Humbuckers, Jatoba fretboard, and you guessed it, a stunning roasted maple neck. My favorite cheap guitar with a roasted maple neck.
Price Range Icon Meanings:
$= $250-399
$$= $400-799
$$$= $800-1199
$$$$= $1200-1899
$$$$$= $1900-
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| Model | Pickups | Fretboard Material | Price Range | Check Current Price (affiliate links) |
| Harley Benton Fusion-T HH Roasted | Roswell HAF-B AlNiCo-5 (bridge) and HAF-N AlNiCo-5 (neck) humbuckers | Roasted maple | $ | Thomann* |
| Ibanez GRG121SP-BMC – Best Cheap | 2 x Classic Elite Humbucker | Jatoba | $ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
| Harley Benton Dullahan-FT 24 Roasted – No Headstock | Roswell HAF-B-BK AlNiCo-5 (bridge) and Roswell HAF-N-BK AlNiCo-5 (neck) humbuckers | Roasted Maple | $ | Thomann |
| Squier Contemporary Telecaster – Best Budget | Squier Rail (bridge) and Squier Atomic (neck) humbuckers | Roasted Maple | $$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
| Squier Contemporary Active Starcaster – Budget Guitar With Active Pickups | 2 x Squier SQR Active Ceramic Humbucker | Roasted Maple | $$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
| Harley Benton Fusion-T HH FNT | Roswell LAF-B-CR Alnico-5 (bridge) and Roswell LAF-N-CR Alnico-5 (neck) humbuckers | Roasted Maple | $$ | Thomann |
| Ibanez SEW761CW | 2 x DiMarzio True Velvet Single-coil & 1 x DiMarzio The Tone Zone Humbucker | Rosewood | $$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
| Harley Benton Fusion-III HH FR Roasted | Roswell HAF-B AlNiCo-5 (bridge) and Roswell HAF-N AlNiCo-5 (neck) humbuckers | Roasted Maple | $$ | Thomann |
| Sire Larry Carlton S7 | 2 x Sire Super-ST Single-coil & 1 x Sire Super-ST Humbucker | Roasted Hard Maple | $$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
| Ibanez High Performance RG421HPFM – Best Overall | DiMarzio Air Norton Humbucker & DiMarzio The Tone Zone Humbucker | Jatoba | $$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
| Reverend Double Agent OG | Reverend HA5 humbucker (bridge) and Reverend 9A5 P90 (neck) | Roasted Maple | $$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
| Schecter Nick Johnston Traditional HSS | 2 x Schecter Diamond Nick Johnston Single-coil & 1 x Schecter Diamond ’78 Humbucker | Ebony | $$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
| Schecter C-1 Exotic Spalted Maple – Metal Machine | Schecter Diamond ’78 Humbucker & Schecter Diamond ’78 Special Humbucker | Ebony | $$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
| Sterling by Music Man Luke 100 Signature | 2 x Sterling by Music Man designed humbuckers | Rosewood | $$$ | Guitar Center – Thomann |
| Reverend Double Agent W | Reverend 9A5 Single-coil & Reverend HA5 Humbucker | Rosewood | $$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
| Schecter PT Van Nuys | 2 x Schecter USA SuperRockVintage Humbucker | Roasted Maple | $$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
| ESP LTD SN 1000 FR | 2 x Seymour Duncan hot Strat Single-coil & 1 x Seymour Duncan Pegasus Humbucker | Roasted Maple | $$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
| Solar Guitars AB1.6BOP Artist LTD | 2 x Duncan Solar humbuckers | Roasted Maple | $$$ | Thomann |
| Ibanez AZ42P1 | 2 x Seymour Duncan Hyperion Humbucker | Rosewood | $$$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
| ESP LTD JM-II Josh Middleton | Fishman Fluence Modern Alnico Humbucker & Fishman Fluence Modern Ceramic Humbucker | Ebony | $$$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
| Schecter Banshee Mach-6 | 2x Lundgren M6 Humbucker | Ebony | $$$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
| Ibanez Prestige AZS2209H – Best Premium | Seymour Duncan Magic Touch-mini Humbucker & Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro Custom Single-coil | Roasted Maple | $$$$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
| Charvel Rick Graham MJ DK24 2PT | 2 x Rick Graham Custom Bare Knuckle Single-coil 1 x Rick Graham Custom Bare Knuckle Humbucker | Roasted Maple | $$$$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
| Ibanez MM1-TAB Martin Miller | 2 x Duncan Hyperion Humbucker | S-Tech Roasted Maple | $$$$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
| Ibanez LB1-VL Lari Basilio | 2 x Seymour Duncan Lari Basilio Single-coil & 1 x Seymour Duncan Lari Basilio Humbucker | Roasted Birdseye Maple | $$$$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
| Music Man Valentine Tobacco Sparkle | 1 Music Man Custom Wound single coil in humbucker format (bridge) and 1 Custom Wound humbucker (neck) | Roasted Maple | $$$$$ | Guitar Center – Thomann |
| Suhr Modern Plus MN HSH | Suhr SSH + (bridge) – Suhr V60LP (middle) – Suhr SSV (neck) | Roasted Maple | $$$$$ | Thomann |
| Music Man JP15 Flame TBK John Petrucci – For Petrucci & Dream Theater fans | 2 x DiMarzio Illuminator humbuckers and piezo system | Roasted Flamed Maple | $$$$$ | Guitar Center – Thomann |
| Fender Custom Shop Limited-edition ’60s HS Telecaster Custom Heavy Relic | Seymour Duncan Seth Lover Humbucker & Custom Shop Hand Wound Texas Special Tele Single-coil | Flat-lam Rosewood | $$$$$ | Sweetwater – Thomann |
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3 Best Guitars With Roasted Maple Necks – My Favorites
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 at 2021 with their Contemporary lineup. These Squier’s 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 High Performance RG421HPFM
What I like
- DiMarzio humbuckers offer really good distortion but are also surprisingly versatile
- Thin Wizard III neck is slim, smooth, and fast as a neck gets
- Offers really high value for the money
- Coil-split adds versatility
- Great all-around quality
- Slim body
What I don’t like
- Tusq, Graphite, or even a real Bone nut would make this guitar even better (increases sustain and overall tone)
- Jatoba fretboard (roasted maple fretboard would be just awesome)
Who is it for?
Ibanez RG421HPFM is one of my favorite guitars right now. It offers really smooth playability because of its Wizard III neck (my small hands love it). It’s equipped with great-sounding DiMarzio humbuckers (with a coil-split). And overall it offers a great bang for the buck (it could cost a lot more).
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Best Premium – Ibanez Prestige AZS2209H
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 bridge, and bone nut)
- Could cost a lot more
- Roasted Maple fretboard
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 F1803 Tremolo Bridge
- 2-way mini alter switch & 3-way blade pickup switch
- Gotoh Magnum Locking tuners
- Beautiful ash body (body wood doesn’t affect the tone of electric guitar when played through an amp)
- 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 guitar with single-coil and humbucker.
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FAQ
What Are Roasted Maple Necks?
A roasted maple neck has gone through a heat treatment called “torrefaction”. It decreases the level of water, oils, sugars, etc. on the wood, and also gives it a darker color.
Is Roasted Maple Neck Worth It?
Especially if you like the looks of it, then it is. But stunning looks are not the only benefit…
Roasting removes, water, oil, and sugars from the wood, and this way roasted maple neck is not so sensitive to humidity and temperature changes in the future. Roasting technically makes the wood more similar to older woods where the oils, sugars, and water has already evaporated.
This can actually improve the tuning stability of the guitar since the neck doesn’t bend or react to the temperature and humidity changes so much. You might not need to use a truss rod that much either.
So here are the pros and cons of roasted maple neck:
Pros
- Looks beautiful
- Doesn’t react to humidity and temperature changes that much
- Doesn’t react to sweat and dirt so easily (fewer stains)
- A bit lighter
- A guitar with a roasted maple neck can have better tuning stability
- Requires fewer truss rod adjustments since humidity and heat don’t cause the neck to bend that much
- Lack of water and oils can increase sustain
Cons
- Usually more expensive
How Do You Clean A Roasted Maple Neck?
For unfinished roasted maple neck use a lint-free microfiber cloth or soft steel wool to get rid of the stains and dirt. This really helpful video highlights the process:
Soft 0000 Steel Wool
A Lint-Free Microfiber Cloth
Conclusion on Guitars With Roasted Maple Necks
I don’t usually prefer to take things in “roasting-style”, but maple necks are one sure exception. Roasting improves almost every aspect of the neck, and it also looks better. There are only some rare exceptions that I don’t think are a good fit with a roasted maple neck(some dark-colored metal guitars for example).
I hope that this article helped you out, and maybe you even decided to get one of the guitars featured. If you have any questions just leave a comment, I and the GND team are here for you.
I wish you all the best and keep rocking!
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