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Neck / fingerboard wood combo - Mahogany & Maple

Posted by Brian Tubb on January 28, 2014 at 8:12am in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion

Last build I did was a poplar neck with a mahogany fretboard.  I now have some nice maple and still some mahogany.  I’ve read that mahogany isn’t the best for fretboard material.  My current license plate guitar build, I was planning on having a maple neck with a mahogany fretboard, but maybe I should go the other way around (mahogany neck with a maple fretboard).  Any advantages or disadvantages other than the esthetics?

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Replies

  • Ron "Oily" Sprague January 28, 2014 at 4:21pm
    Yep, trust Michael Fred to have done one already!;-) That's exactly the idea. Looks purty.
  • Michael Fred Johnson January 28, 2014 at 2:57pm

    I'd use maple for the fingerboard (harder) and mahogany for the neck (easier t306229700?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024o work)

    • jawbone > Michael Fred Johnson January 28, 2014 at 4:07pm

      That's a real pretty setup!!! Are the edge ribs glued on and what are what looks like two thin stripes of metal???

      I will think of more questions later!!!   :-)

      • Michael Fred Johnson > jawbone January 29, 2014 at 5:37am

        The edge strips are glued on.

        The stripes are guitar purfling,there is a spacer (the same thickness as the purfling) between the finger board and neck.That way I didn't have to cut a slot for the purfling306231993?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024

        • Brian Tubb > Michael Fred Johnson January 29, 2014 at 2:50pm

          Very nice design there Michael.  So...  to fill pours and finish mahogany with lacquer or oil or whaaa?

          • Michael Fred Johnson > Brian Tubb January 29, 2014 at 3:15pm

            Brian

            I give the mahogany a couple of coats of sanding sealer,lightly rub down and finish with several coats of spray lacquer 

        • darryl kernaghan > Michael Fred Johnson January 29, 2014 at 5:54am

          nicely done michael

  • Ron "Oily" Sprague January 28, 2014 at 9:48am
    Mahogany and maple are both nice tonewoods. Mahogany is warm and deep-sounding, maple is brighter. Neckwise, both are good neckwoods. Maple is notoriously harder and more stable, mahogany is stable, and only slightly easier to carve. Fretboardwise, both can be used for fretboards. Only thing I've read about mixing them on one luthier's website is that blending them in the hopes of a well balanced tonal spectrum on an acoustic build resulted in something muddier than the builder was hoping. On a CBG I seriously wouldn't worry about it too much; both configs should work well. Make it look purty. Inverted (dark wood neck, light wood fretboard) is always an unusual looking and very nice esthetic choice. One or the other will look best with the box you have. I'd do gold hardware.
    • Brian Tubb > Ron "Oily" Sprague January 28, 2014 at 12:01pm

      If I use the Mahogany for the neck, do the pores need to be filled before finishing? Planning finish with nitrocellulose lacquer.  Also, I hear it's best to finish a maple fretboard.  Any info on that?   I already have a maple neck and mahogany fretboard cut and ready, but I think I'll cut new ones in the other confguration to see which combo I like better.  Does't hurt to have extras on hand anyway!

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