This hybrid grows big and straight, dries easily to yield lightweight stable timber. Good for solid electric bodies, cello and double bass backs, and the first choice for panels which are to be painted. There is an Italian Poplar which can produce very deep flame and the same density as Maple, it is expensive and difficult to work. The Tulip Tree (Liriodendron) is sometimes marketed as American ‘Poplar’; the colours are similar, but otherwise it is a different, denser timber.