Softwood vs hardwood neck - is it a deal breaker?

Posted by Stewart Hutton on February 24, 2011 at 7:46am

Getting the bits together for my first CBG.

 

Box, strings, nut, bridge, pickups, tuners, etc all sourced and either in hand or on the way.

 

The only *small* problem I have is something for the neck :(

 

None of the chain-type DIY stores around here sell anything other than softwood. And I can't find a wood merchant within 30 miles that might sell me 3ft of a hardwood. (This is Fife, Scotland if anyone wants to point me in the rtght direction)

 

I have some pine in the shed - including some boards from 30 yr old bunk beds that I don't think are gonna warp anytime soon - is it totally impossible to use any of that ?

 

 

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Replies

  • Jon Pruett February 25, 2011 at 4:42pm

    Excellent! Build it first and see if it works later - I do that quite a bit with these myself. :)

     

    The other thing you can do to help reduce tension is use very lightweight or nylon acoustic strings - then if it holds straight and true you can always switch up to heavier strings if you're looking for a different tone.

  • Stewart Hutton February 25, 2011 at 4:00pm

    Thanks everyone.

     

    @John - I had come to the same conclusion, that old furniture (charity shops etc) might well prove to be the best source.

    @Jon - yes, that may be a plan for CBGs 2+, I'm too impatient on this one.

     

    When I looked again at the pieces I have, they were so close to 2 x 1 that I was too lazy to do all the laminating and then cutting back to size - on this first CBG anyway. And since it is all being done in the back garden on a 20 yr old cheap imitation workmate.

     

     

    Well, I would have done all that if it had seemed necessary, but this wood seems so strong that I'm going to give it a go. I may well be proved worng, no doubt I am understimating the pressure it will be under, but I have similar sized pieces of "new" pine in the shed, and these old pieces are a completely different animal. Straight, true, heavy and dense compared to new pieces.

    So fingers crossed.

     

    All measured up and fashioned the neck today - first pass at least. May do a trial assembly tomorrow :)

     

     

  • Edgel R Gillespie II February 25, 2011 at 11:47am
    We have people taking down trees out here for expansion on properties. I have been looking for some of the good wood for various projects, only problem about fresh cut, is it will require to be kiln dried before it is usable. This process takes some effort depending on the thickness of the piece/ pieces being dried. Also if the size is too big for the process to be performed. I tell my friends I need pieces around 40" long and no less then 1.5" thick, so far it has been a very slow hunt finding good, usable, old, seasoned wood. Seems everyone is into burning what ever they can find during the winter months around here, and it is a situation world wide as well. 8-) Happy hunting for the perfect freebie, Maximo
  • Roadkill a.k.a. John Maw February 25, 2011 at 11:10am

    Hi.

     

    I know what it is like. Our friends across the pond don't know how lucky they are.

     

    Just as a thought for the future. Have a word with any company that does house clearances. Explain what you are after and ask if they have any bits of furniture that are too scruffy to sell. Even if they don't have anything as the moment, keep in touch with them and they may turn up old stuff from which you can salvage wood.

     

    Also, let friends know what you are doing. They may have wood that has been sitting around. I got a huge amount of wood from a friend (mahogany, oak, beech and hemlock). He said he would have burned it otherwise. Old wood is the best.

  • Jon Pruett February 25, 2011 at 11:02am

    If you can laminate the pieces in a way that the grain doesn't exactly align between the pieces it will help with strength too - that's the secret of plywood.  The great part about laminating (other than the cool visual effect) is that the glue bond is actually stronger than the wood by itself. If you can make it a three part neck, perhaps bringing together a couple soft pine pieces around a core of that prime 30 year aged wood, you should have plenty of strength for 3, or maybe even 4 strings.

     

  • MichaelS Country Boy Guitars February 25, 2011 at 10:33am

    Excellent, take pictures. 

     

  • Stewart Hutton February 25, 2011 at 3:49am

    Thanks for the encouragement. I'll keep my eyes open on my travels for hardwood for future use, but I'd rather get on with the first one that set off on wild goose chases.

     

    I'll check later, but I reckon laminating two side by side and using that face, possibly even with some strengthening in the laminate will be the way to go.

     

    And yes, I will err on the side of substance to keep as much strength as possible.

     

     

  • Dan Sleep February 24, 2011 at 6:46pm
    If you have a way to laminate smaller pieces together, that should add some strength. If they are something like a 1x2, you might try turning them on edge to stiffen the neck up a bit. If that's all you have to work with, then give it a whirl.
  • MichaelS Country Boy Guitars February 24, 2011 at 6:36pm
    If you have a nice straight grained old piece of 'soft' wood and you only have 3 strings and you make the neck a little stouter than you might for hardwood you should be fine. My brother just made one using some kind of spanish cedar I think he said it was, it flexed slightly under tension, but in the right direction and only a little bit. He did not make it very thick to adjust for the softness. I'd use the 30 year old bunk beds and make it a bit thicker were it counts.
  • Edgel R Gillespie II February 24, 2011 at 5:01pm
    I was looking into doing a 2 x 4 neck as training tool. Pine is soft wood, so from my hard core guitar friends, they say and I would add to it as well, you will need to use truss rod under the fret board. I saw a build on another sight, this being a neck sight, one guy had used 1 x 1 angle iron in his neck. Since he was only using 3 and 4 strings, the angle rod did not require a nut to help with any bowing in the neck. he also added 1 deg neg in his neck to the body to help compensate for the initial compression when the strings are taught. Good luck, and it should work. If anything, it is a good practice piece anyways. 2 x 4 are cheap compared to good hardwood. 8-) Maximo
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