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Re-enforcing the neck

I am moving on to my third build (my second was a simple 1 string diddley bow on a cigar box). On my first build I noticed the neck bends a lot. Now I did make a rookie mistake and used really heavy strings so that could be part of the problem. I don't believe it was the nut or bolt because they are not set too high above the fret board. And the 5 inches I used for the tuning heads I cut an angle to it so that could also be part of it. So, how can I re-enforce my neck so that it doesnt bend so much?

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Permalink Reply by Skeesix on January 3, 2012 at 6:14am

Quarter sawn would actually be preferable and less prone to bowing. I actually choose the wood in the board that is as close to quarter sawn as possible on purpose.

jeff maurer said:

i dont reinforce any of my necks. some are starting to bow. my main cbg's neck is straight as an arrow. i believe the reason for this is the grain of the wood is quarter sawn. before working on any neck i would recomend that you carefully inspect your wood and pay close attention to the grain

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Permalink Reply by smokestack guitars on January 6, 2012 at 10:19pm

My suggestion would be to use exotic wood. SOmething ranking at least 2400 on the janka scale. Mahogany is around the 900 range so as you can see the exotic woods really do much more than look good. Carribean cherry is a cheap exotic wood (run about $10.00 a neck) and its like 3200 on the janka scale and also the tone will be much improved due to the tonal properties of the wood.

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Permalink Reply by MichaelS Country Boy Guitars on January 8, 2012 at 5:30am

I use American Black Walnut and have no problems, what does that rank on the Janka scale?

smokestack guitars said:

My suggestion would be to use exotic wood. SOmething ranking at least 2400 on the janka scale. Mahogany is around the 900 range so as you can see the exotic woods really do much more than look good. Carribean cherry is a cheap exotic wood (run about $10.00 a neck) and its like 3200 on the janka scale and also the tone will be much improved due to the tonal properties of the wood.

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Permalink Reply by smokestack guitars on January 8, 2012 at 6:25am

Black walnut rates 1010 on the janka scale but black walnut to me is a greatly under estimated tone wood. I used a bunch on finger boards but could never get big enough pieces to build necks. I bet they have a nice tone though!

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Permalink Reply by Wade on January 8, 2012 at 11:08am

Love walnut. The dust is not good for the lungs, but it smells great and finishes well with a little tung oil.

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Permalink Reply by MichaelS Country Boy Guitars on January 8, 2012 at 11:36am

Yes, must make myself a dust collection system. The tone is nice, but have not used any other wood so I can't compare it. Maybe someone here should buy one and let me know. ; )

Wade said:

Love walnut. The dust is not good for the lungs, but it smells great and finishes well with a little tung oil.

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Permalink Reply by Greg Thompson on July 7, 2015 at 2:25am

I have used red oak with no issues, but maple is my favorite ( mostly because I really like the look and I get it free). Even the poplar I have used is doing fine.
Did you use build a finger board? That adds strength to the neck, too.
When making the cut out in the the neck, inside the box, I only make that cut 1/8" deep. You don't need a lot of space, just a little is enough to separate the neck from the sound board. Also, what is the dimension of the neck thickness? That maybe playing a factor in the bowing.