Roasted Maple

Other than sounding really delicious, like some kind of candy that nobody ever told you about, apparently EBMM and Sadowski are offering "roasted maple" necks on some guitars these days.

http://www.ernieball.com/email/roasted_maple/index.html



First, I want to know where the hell they're getting the lumber. I suspect the same source for both builders, and I wonder if little custom shops can get theirs hands on it.

Second, wonder if anyone thinks this is bullshit. I'm vaguely familiar with the microstructure of wood miniwang but I don't know if oxidizing all the internal sugars, etc., would really result in the properties they're claiming.

I consider this to be analogous to sintering ceramics, where you basically bake out voids and moisture from a green ceramic product to increase mechanical properties and density.

Also, why does EBMM not offer the wood on Floyd Rose-equipped guitars? Is the wood too brittle to handle the locking nut, perhaps resulting in cracking over time with whammy abuse? If so, why aren't the tuners affected, or are they to a lesser degree?

Either way, I must admit it's pretty.