Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by BrianQ. on September 28, 2018 at 6:17pm

Yea pick, especially after you’ve rubbed some stain into, it is kinda purty 

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Permalink Reply by the anonymous pick on September 28, 2018 at 6:48pm

Indeed Brian ,  and  poplar can be thexah too   ;-)

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Permalink Reply by Taffy Evans on September 28, 2018 at 8:22pm

Yes pick, in our local hardware store, even the oak can be bowed, in the rack, even before you buy it.

I always go through the rack and pick out the quarter sawn pieces, much more stable. The closer the grain the better.

If it ain't on the 1/4 I don't buy it.

Taff

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Permalink Reply by ghm on September 29, 2018 at 4:35am

Another question.  Has anyone used the maple 3/4" plywood for a neck?  Lowes has a 2x4 sheet for around $25.  I can rip that into 1 1/2" wide necks and glue a maple fretboard on it.  The woodcraft and rockler stores sell baltic birch sheets also.  

Wondering how it would sound? 

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Permalink Reply by Korrigan on September 29, 2018 at 5:38am

Seems to me that construction plywood would be very hard to turn into a neck. It probably wouldn't be very strong, would probably be a nightmare to shape, gaps would have to filled, you'd probably have to coat it in superglue or epoxy to get a smooth finish, it wouldn't be very dense and would absorb a lot of vibration.... I think it would take a lot more work than just using solid wood and wouldn't sound as good.

That said, I think high quality plywood like the SpectraPly that Randy Bretz is using could make a great neck.

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Permalink Reply by Wade on September 29, 2018 at 6:09am

I’ve made quite a few with HD poplar necks with an oak fretboard. The oak is harder and holds frets a bit better than poplar. It also strengthens the neck and helps prevent bowing.

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Permalink Reply by ghm on September 29, 2018 at 10:18am

The maple plywood at HD is Purebond.  Suitable for cabinet and furniture making.  

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Permalink Reply by Bruce Young on September 29, 2018 at 10:46am

I’ve used the maple 3/4 ply from Lowe’s to make an entertainment center. It isn’t warp resistant enough for a guitar neck if simply sawed as a blank. It would work if cut into strips and laid on edge and laminated, but otherwise it’d likely go banana on you. 

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Permalink Reply by Paul Craig on September 29, 2018 at 12:18pm

I get a good selection of Red Oak from Lowe's for my necks and fret boards and they have a bright tone to them for the builds I've used them on(6 string and 4 String). The Oak is harder to work, but it moves along good with a coarse Rasp File. It does splinter easy and some times it will split if your piece has any cracks, so look out for that. It is hard to find quarter sawn pieces, but if you have a table saw you can glue up a couple pieces of bigger stock, flip them over and cut a good quarter sawn piece out of that. Just make sure your using good glue.

Tulip Wood is a type of Poplar(my neighbor has one in her front yard) that's easy to work, but has a tendency to warp so it's harder to find a good piece. It also will ramp up on you under string pressure so a trussrod will be needed for most necks, but is an excellent wood for bodies.

All the wood you get from Home Depot and Lowe's hasn't been completely dried out and may warp/twist on you. Some people will stack it under heavy weight to keep them straight for a year before using it on a guitar build. I will dry all my pieces out in the oven at home before use at low temp. This can be problematic for some people because of allergies and some trees give off toxic fumes, so read up on that before doing it.

I've used the Red Oak for many years now and haven't had any problems with warping or twisting yet.

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Permalink Reply by Korrigan on September 29, 2018 at 3:46pm

Check out Menard's if you have one in your area. They have a brand called Mastercraft that is high grade lumber intended for wood crafts. It's dried and packaged in heat-shrink plastic, almost always straight and nice grains.

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Permalink Reply by Lonman on September 30, 2018 at 4:29am

I like Menards choices in the Mastercraft. I have not had any complaints. I do both Lowes and Menards. I like maple or oak, but depending on my build and goal, will use poplar or pine. 

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Permalink Reply by Frank Scott on September 30, 2018 at 10:28am

I have seen some pretty good poplar at the Lowes in Albuquerque but my only complaint is that no matter what 1 x 2 you buy it will be definitely no greater than 1.5" wide and if you have to do any shaping you may be a little more narrow than you want. For a 3 string that is ok but for a 4 string you might be a little cramped. I have a plank of poplar I bought at an exotic wood store in Albuquerque before they closed and I am glad I got a nice one. I was going to use it for native American flutes but find it will work great for  good necks on  CBGs. I cut a piece off the other day and I made it exactly 1" thick and 1 7/8" wide. I think I might try installing the frets onto it since it is thick enough and have plenty width for a good 4 string. I have to agree with some of the other guys it is easy to work with and strong. As far as the red oak it is pretty hard and a little difficult to work with but if you can get a good 1/4" thick straight piece it should work great for a fret board if you need one.  I too noticed a lot of the oak with bows in them. I have never known Lowes to mislead anyone with the type wood they sell and everything I have seen that is advertised as Poplar looked like Poplar to me.

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