Walnut vs. Maple: Which is 'better'

[Jamie Argent-Jones]

What is everyone's thoughts on these two woods for construction of a lap steel guitar? I have to make a choice and would like to get some help javascript:emoticon(':)')

[Tom Pettingill]

Are these the Aussie versions or the North American varieties?
If the North American type, I like them both. In general, walnut has a somewhat similar tone as maple, just a bit less bright.

[Mark Bracewell]

What Tom said, plus, there are several different walnuts and maples you might come across, each with different characteristics both visually and sonically.

If you're looking at hard maple (eastern USA typically) - that might be the most common choice for electric steels of the lap and pedal variety.

Hold the boards up in one hand and rap them with your knuckles, use the one that goes 'ping' instead of 'thud'

If I was in Melbourne though, I'd be looking for Tasmanian Blackwood Acacia

[Jamie Argent-Jones]

Hi Tom, they would be the North American varieties.
I had suspected they wood (ha!) be somewhat similar. I was hoping for a reasonably dark sounding instrument, so I might go for the walnut - thanks!

Blackwood Acacia I will have to keep an eye out for. I don't know of any Australian builders and don't have the tools or know how to do it myself. I have seen the Cole Clark guitars but they are very expensive, even here.

[Stan Schober]

Mahogany has a very rich, warm tone.
Some might describe it as darker.
I've used it for several spanish style electrics, but never a lap steel.
Maybe it's time...
Sorry for being off topic.

You said you have to choose, and then you said you had no tools.
Is someone else building this for you then ?

[Jamie Argent-Jones]

Lol, yeah I'm ordering one from Bob at Allen Melbert. They're in my price range and look to be well made, anyone know of evidence to the contrary?

And Stan - what does a Spanish style electric look like? Is it like one of the Chet Atkins nylon stringers? I'm intrigued!!

[Stan Schober]

what does a Spanish style electric look like?

I was just using the term (Spanish style) to specify that is wasn't a lap steel.I guess I should have just said solid body electric...LOL

[Tom Pettingill]

Blackwood Acacia I will have to keep an eye out for.

Blackwood is a close cousin to Koa and a sweet sounding tonewood.

As far as wanting a "darker" sounding instrument, electronics, pickup(s) type and placement can have a bigger affect on tone than body wood alone.
Thats not to say body woods don't have any influence though. Things like attack, note bloom and decay are greatly affected by the woods used.
A good builder should be able select components and woods that play nice together and dial in the sound your looking for.

[Bill Hatcher]

Maple AND walnut are very fine tone woods.

[John Bechtel]

For what it might be worth on the subject of woods, I preferred the sound of WALNUT over Ash when playing a Fender T-8 Custom. Should there be a difference or is it just notion?

[Jamie Argent-Jones]

Thanks for all your help, everyone. Tom, thanks especially for the heads up concerning Blackwood. Hopefully in the future I will get a nice piece and turn it into a lap steel. It certainly is a pretty wood.
John, although I can't comment from a steel guitar perspective, I can certainly say that when I play other guitars, I prefer certain woods over others. I really like the way an ash telecaster resonates when played unplugged. I can't say the same for a mahogany Les Paul (may he rest in peace), they don't 'do it' for me. It's a feel thing I guess

[Roman Sonnleitner]

As far as wanting a "darker" sounding instrument, electronics, pickup(s) type and placement can have a bigger affect on tone than body wood alone.

+1 for that!
Pickup placement (and to some extent, pickup type) are going to have a MUCH, MUCH bigger influence on tone than the choice of wood - if you are looking for a darker tone, definitely go for a lap steel with dual pickup, or at least with a pickup positioned further away from the neck - neither turning down the tone pot nor the placement of the picking hand will get you the fuller, warmer, darker tone of a neck pickup!
As for pickup types, a P90, a Charlie Christian type, or even a humbucker would give you a darker tone than a Stringmaster/Strat/Tele-type single coil or a Valco/Supro string-through (or Lollar Chicago Steel as the modern equivalent of those) pickup.