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Neck.

Posted by Neil Doherty on January 9, 2017 at 11:54am in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion

Hi guys.

I'm on my third build and decided to use a walnut neck saddled over the box, but man it is so light! I ain't no carpenter so a little advice on good woods for the neck would be appreciated, is walnut ok or should I go for more dense heavier woods like oak or mahogany???

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Replies

  • Mark Hunt January 30, 2017 at 2:26pm

    Here's a better view (with worse focus...) of the drawer pull tailpiece you asked about, this was the only place I could seem to post it for you. You can see that the top of it sits just above the box top, allowing room for the strings to pass through holes drilled for them. This gives as much "break angle" as possible over the nut, with limited torque on the end of the box (which is attached to the end of the neck anyway, which keeps it from being torqued by the string tension).

    20170129_163708.jpg

    • Neil Doherty > Mark Hunt January 30, 2017 at 2:35pm

      Thanks Mark.

      I get it now, obviously attached to your straight through neck. Love the design!!

  • Mark Hunt January 30, 2017 at 2:21pm

    Hi Neil,
    I've done a couple walnut necks that worked okay, though I usually prefer to use maple for the neck with a walnut fretboard glued on, which is stronger and more stable. It's not unusual for it to feel lighter than white oak.

  • ChickenboneJohn January 10, 2017 at 3:57pm

    Walnut is not a particularly light timber...are you sure it really is walnut? It's only about 10% less dense than sapele and  maple, certainly not as light as stuff such as  poplar.

    • Neil Doherty > ChickenboneJohn January 11, 2017 at 12:11pm

      Hi John, I did buy it off ebay so I guess you can never be 100% sure. My first build has  a European white oak neck and my second has a mahogany neck, both do seem  heavier but maybe I'm exaggerating a little.......out with the scales!!

      • Bufo Bill > Neil Doherty January 11, 2017 at 4:01pm
        Hi Neil, Quarter Sawn timber is a more expensive cut of wood. If you look online at Wikipedia or do a google search you will get a better idea when you have a diagram to show how a log is sawn lengthways into quarters and sliced into boards. You will see how more waste wood is created this way, hence the higher cost. (Check it out, you will be able to understand better with the diagrams and a better worded explanation. This wood has superior qualities for construction (it retains more of the strength of the fibres of the wood, therefore it is less prone to splitting and warping and is easier to work with).
        Hope this helps.
  • John Sawyer January 9, 2017 at 12:09pm
    Walnut is fine, a lot of folks use poplar, too. My preference is maple, as it is very hard, and easy to sand to a glass smooth finish.

    If you are dadoing the neck, you might want to reinforce the neck with a piece that runs the length of a box and prodtrudes an inch or two as a heel to prevent bowing.
    • Neil Doherty > John Sawyer January 9, 2017 at 12:19pm

      Hi John

      Thanks for the advice. Maple is soooooooo expensive here in the UK, but I guess you get what you pay for

      • Ron "Oily" Sprague > Neil Doherty January 9, 2017 at 3:17pm
        Oak, on the other hand, should be readily available in the UK. What do they make pallets out of there? You can often find hardwood pallets going begging...
        • Bufo Bill > Ron "Oily" Sprague January 10, 2017 at 3:48pm
          Hi Neil,Walnut will make a great neck, it can have a beautiful look when finished well, another good wood to use over this side of the pond is European Beech, very nice looking and good to work with.
          I don't know how many pallets are hardwood, never been able to find one, but perhaps that's just me.
          One other general tip is to use Quarter sawn timber where you can afford to, it is much more musical sounding and strong; it rarely warps in normal conditions.
          All the best from Bill. :D
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