maple top v.s. spruce top opinions pros and cons..

well i guess nothing beats a solid spruce top for sound and spruce gets better with time where cedar can go down hill a little quicker...at least this is what i am told..i like the apperance of the maple guitar with a transparent finish with all the stripes and the flashy natural designs in the wood grain..i want a maple :D i was trying to get some oppinions from more experienced acoutic axemen out there...what are the pros ans cons of spruce and maple

[font=trebuchet ms]Maple has quite a bit more density than spruce, so it 's heavier for the same thickness, and it sounds brighter. Both of those characteristics can be adjusted for in the design and construction. I've only played one maple-top acoustic (a Seagull I think) and I remember it having a very articulate sound. No mushy chords with that one. Maple should also improve with time and frequent playing. I think that if a guitar was properly designed and built to work with maple instead of simply substituting maple in a spruce-top design, the result should be a very satisfying instrument. I think Simon Patrick also offers maple top guitars. IIRC, both companies are based in Quebec. As with any guitar, you should arrange to play the actual instrument before you part with your coin.[/font]

I have a 12-string that has flamed maple sides and back with spruce top. It sounds pretty good, but isn't loud at all. It also doesn't have much bottom end to it. I heard a friend playing a maple topped ibanez acoustic and it sounded pretty good. Not quite as loud, but it had good note defanition and clarity.