Madlad Instruments 3A Figured Flame Maple Guitar Neck Blank 2026 - Unfinished

"This blank is fire DUUUUDE! Literally... get it? Cause it's flamed maple..."

-You, probably

Here's the TL;DR (high points):

• Overall dimensions of 3.75" W x 27.75" L and 15/16ths" H (I can do other dimensions too for a slight uncharge; just shoot me a message!)
• Can be shaped into most neck shapes a la Fender or the like
• 3A flame figuring with consistent and prominent figuring on both sides of the cut
• Sourced from a local lumber mill not 15 mins from my house
• Will take oil/finish like a champ
• Each blank cut to order -- I'll be happy to send pics along the way!

Here's some more about how this blank came to be!

What is Flame Maple?

Flame maple (or "tiger stripe" / "fiddleback" maple as it's sometimes called) is a variant of regular maple that has a tiger striping effect within the grains of the wood.

It's debated what causes this effect but most dendrologists (people who study trees) agree that this figuring comes from near the bottom of the tree where the weight of the wood compresses the fibers and creates the cool tiger stripe effect.

What's also cool is that since this compression process takes place throughout the wood. Meaning that any sort of oil finish you put down on the wood will penetrate into the neck (or whatever you make) and react with all the fibers buried deep within the wood. This gives the wood an all new depth and shine that you don't often get with regular maple.

"Cool, thanks for the science lesson: but now tell me about the blank itself!"

-You, again, probably

You're welcome! And I'd be happy to! This blank is a 3A flame maple guitar neck blank.

The overall dimensions of the blank are 3.75" wide x 27.75" long and 15/16ths" thick (that's 95.25 x 704.85 x 23.81mm if you're using the superior measuring system) This means that it'll accommodate most traditional neck shapes a la Fender and some of the other big manufacturers out there.

As far as grading figured maple goes (1a vs 2a, etc.) there's not exact science and every brand has a different standard. But wanting to be transparent I have devised a nifty guide which you can see in the last pic on the listing.

3A flame maple is a prominently figured and beautiful cut of wood. Consistent tiger striping with stripes of similar thickness on both the front and back of the blank. 3A is what I look for when I'm doing a proper flame maple neck and will give your next build a botique/custom shop feel for sure!

I source from a local mill not 10 miles from where I live and roast each blank in my literal oven at home. It gives the whole casa a nice maple syrup smell -- so I'm not complaining! Then each blank is given a few days to rest and allow extra color to come along; especially along the grain lines.

The part that does kind of bum me out is that our craft and instruments are made from wood. Which means a tree somewhere had to fall for us to make our beautiful tools of the trade. Not wanting to leave the story there a portion of each purchase goes to support reforestation charities so we can still have fun with our instruments and the next generation still gets the natural beauty of our tall and green friends :)

When you buy MadLad you support me and a host of local businesses that I source parts from such as my local lumber mill. I also make it a priority to use some proceeds to go support local artists who are on the rise here in the DFW area. It's probably not a huge selling point in the grand scheme of things - but you can maybe find a bit of joy knowing that while you're getting a great guitar body the local scene is also thriving as a result of that purchase too, so thank you!

If you've made it this far a big thank you for listening to my rambling - As a small operation presently working out of my garage I know how valuable time can be so thank you for giving some of yours to check out the listing and see what we're all about. Whether you're pulling the trigger right now or we look at getting you something down the road, I hope you'll consider becoming a MadLad yourself!

All the best,

Drew

Head Madlad @MadladInstruments