What are the brown lines on my maple jumbo?

[maxr]

My blonde maple Guild has a variety of short darker brown lines running at right angles to the flame, in the neck and also on the laminated back - about 20-50mm long. I've noticed those on photos of other Guilds too. What is that - sap pockets, or something indigenous to that variety of maple? I tried to take a photo of them, but my phone exagerrates the flame and tones down the brown lines, it doesn't quite look as good as this to the eye Maybe this is some kind of automatic Beauty setting for guitars?

 

[12 string]

What a gorgeous guitar!!

 

[GGJaguar]

Sometimes they are mineral deposits in the wood.

 

[Cougar]

Yeah, gorgeous! I think that's the grain of the top layer. The question is, then what's the flame?

Here's my JF30-12....

 

[maxr]

What a gorgeous guitar!!

Thanks - it's very nice, but not quite as highly figured as the photo suggests -somehow the figure look deeper here than it appears to the eye. I think this is one of those guitars that someone kept for a pet since they bought it (new?) in 1993. It has almost no playing wear, it had the original guarantee card in the original unblemished case, and the card of a 'retired' specialist guitar shop in New York State (where it was bought?). I'm told it was one of three Guilds (two sixes and this) on consignment sale in a regional guitar shop here in UK. Sadly, my guess is the owner wouldn't have parted from them easily.

 

[SFIV1967]

My blonde maple Guild has a variety of short darker brown lines running at right angles to the flame, in the neck and also on the laminated back - about 20-50mm long. I've noticed those on photos of other Guilds too. What is that - sap pockets, or something indigenous to that variety of maple?

Chris @AcornHouse might have an explanation maybe.

Ralf

 

[AcornHouse]

Chris @AcornHouse might have an explanation maybe.

Ralf

I‘d need to see a close up pic. They might just be grain lines. Or the could be mineral streaks. Pitch pockets are more common in cherry.

 

[maxr]

Here are a couple of closeups, AcornHouse (second one closer than first of same area), and thanks:

 

[chazmo]

They're definitely with the grain.

 

[AcornHouse]

Yes, that’s a grain line as it reacted to some environmental factor during that particular year. I could probably go into my wood pile and find some similar bits of maple. Not mineral or bugs, maybe an excess of water for a period.

 

[wileypickett]

Most of my maple Guilds have similar dark streaks here and there. I assume just a characteristic of maple.

 

[plaidseason]

Funny story, from when I still had my F30r-ls. One morning I looked inside the sound hole and had a minor panic attack. Cracks! And so that day on my lunch I brought it to a local luthier/builder. We walked down to his shop. He shined a light inside. "Those aren't cracks, those are mineral deposits in the rosewood."

 

[steverok]

Age spots.

 

[maxr]

Age spots.

Nah, that's the brown marks on me...

 

[Guildedagain]

Clearly defective, dispose properly. Wishing I could help.