hi all... looking for some advice on what kind of wood to use for the neck on my first build. I'll preface by saying that I have a piece of really nice 1/4" aspen that I was planning on using as a fret board. For the neck I had originally planned on using some 1" walnut that I had left over from a book case project. but then I got to thinking... I also have some 2" laminated oak tractor trailer flooring laying around. I really want to avoid a warped neck in a few month....its just not my style to build something that won't be around in a century or 3... What do the sages of CBG building have to say?
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Roadkill a.k.a. John Maw said:
Just a little response to what E D said.
It isn't essential to cut into or touch the box lid by having the fretboard extend beyond the edge of the box. One I am finishing now has the fretboard extending by over 30mm, but there is a very slight gap between the fretboard and the box lid, which is only cut on the side to let the neck in. The only thing is that if the frets themselves extend on to that portion you probably need a good stiff piece of wood for the fretboard (I am using ebony) and put something in the gap between the fretboard and the neck when you are putting the frets in so that you don't snap off the end of the fretboard (which, I'm sure we would all agree, would not look pretty).
Just a thought.
E D said:
To your last question, I would say it depends. . .
I took the recommendation of another builder to join the neck and box around the 24th fret to ensure you can reach all the high notes you wish. So if your fingerboard is going to overlap further, then OK. If not, then do you want to play those high notes that could be out of easy reach?
To me, it looks cool, but I don't know if it sounds any better. You're cutting out or altering the soundboard and that could affect volume and tone. Maybe. It is a cigar box after all.
It is a good excuse to build more than one guitar. Try it both ways and see which you like better. It's like asking someone in Florida if you should like Chicago or New York pizza better.
thanks all for the advice so far...
Oily... I wish i had the ability to resaw the walnut. if i could, I'd laminate it with the left over ash I had from the same bookcase project and make a nice striped neck.
Kevin...That's always my intent. I love the look of oiled walnut... but didn't want to have to replace a neck in a few months becase it started warping on me.
E D...I do have some nice curly maple...but i'm reserving that for another porject that's in my head. I've also got some great aged wormy chestnut that's i'd love to get resawn for a resinator guitar (either cb or other). what did you mean about cutting relief for the neck? i was thinking about doing a through neck, bolting it on at the back of the box and at a healpiece i was planning on includign on my neck.
Poplar carves like butter but might not take the tension depending on scale length and tuning. Oak takes the strain, but can be a booger to carve. My latest neck is a piece of curly maple and I like that a lot.
As important, or more important than the type of hardwood can be where you cut relief for the box lid and/or pickup and how it is reinforced. I'm learning this the hard way. On my 2nd guitar I improved my design, but I still get a little bow in the oak neck. On my 6th guitar, I completely fudged it up and I'm converting to a bolt-on neck from a thru neck design. Argh!
I'm using 8-ply lauan plywood, glued so that the combined width is about 1 1-2" or so. No bending or twisting issues as of yet. My guess is that 2" lam oak should work just fine, as oak is a much stiffer wood. Many people here use 1x2 red oak from the big box DIY stores with great result. Several of my commercial acoustic and electric guitars have laminate necks. Most commercial guitar companies use mahogany, maple, or other straight grain hardwoods for necks if they don't use laminate. If you want to amplify the natural sound of the box with a magnetic pickup, then the stiffest / thickest wood you can get will work. Recall that Les Paul used a 4x4 piece of pine for his original Log!
Don't waste the walnut for a solid neck; use it for a fretboard, if you have the capability / tools to slice it thin.