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Permalink Reply by Outhouse Instruments on June 1, 2010 at 3:03pm

If you mean on the neck. A good oak stick can look very good and be very strong. But if ya wanna go fancy, the most " fetching " look would be a laminate neck. Kinda like this. Ash/Walnut/Ash

Matt

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Permalink Reply by Jon Pruett on June 1, 2010 at 3:08pm

I've been having good luck with oak for the necks. It's sturdy enough that it doesn't warp, and can be purchased already sized at 1x2 at the local borg (big orange retailer) store. It takes a stain well, and I think it's even better with a contrasting color fretboard. I'd recommend against random scraps of pine, bamboo flooring, and teak slats from outdoor tables for your first build. Those can all work - but it's a little trickier to get them to straighten out and stiffen up.

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Permalink Reply by Scott Perlowski on June 1, 2010 at 3:44pm

Well with my first guitar I used plywood which has bent slightly and is also not very good looking


Jon Pruett said:

I've been having good luck with oak for the necks. It's sturdy enough that it doesn't warp, and can be purchased already sized at 1x2 at the local borg (big orange retailer) store. It takes a stain well, and I think it's even better with a contrasting color fretboard. I'd recommend against random scraps of pine, bamboo flooring, and teak slats from outdoor tables for your first build. Those can all work - but it's a little trickier to get them to straighten out and stiffen up.

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Permalink Reply by Ben on June 1, 2010 at 4:10pm

My vote is for oak or an oak/maple (or poplar) combination. A lot of people stay away from oak because of its open pores. I haven't had any issues with them being rough or anything.

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Permalink Reply by Jon Pruett on June 1, 2010 at 5:44pm

I had a similar experience - I tried to fix my first soft pine neck by laminating on a finish grade plywood fret board. It did stiffen it up enough to stay in tune, and with enough stain it looks all right - but I won't be doing that experiment again. :)

Scott Perlowski said:

Well with my first guitar I used plywood which has bent slightly and is also not very good looking


Jon Pruett said:

I've been having good luck with oak for the necks. It's sturdy enough that it doesn't warp, and can be purchased already sized at 1x2 at the local borg (big orange retailer) store. It takes a stain well, and I think it's even better with a contrasting color fretboard. I'd recommend against random scraps of pine, bamboo flooring, and teak slats from outdoor tables for your first build. Those can all work - but it's a little trickier to get them to straighten out and stiffen up.

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Permalink Reply by Outhouse Instruments on June 1, 2010 at 11:41pm

If you had used 2 strips of plywood and glued them together with the plies vertical ( perpendicular to the fretboard ) it would have been massively strong. Enuff sanding and maybe paint and it would've looked good. You would be surprised how many manufactured elec gits were plywood bodied.


Matt

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Permalink Reply by Dave Breault on June 2, 2010 at 12:55am

Oak is very nice, ash has a similar grain and look, also very good. Maple is very nice and can be finished to an extreamly high degree due to the more closed grain structure, gotta keep an eye on maple though it can twist on you if it isn't perfectly seasoned. Yellow birch, like maple has some great qualities and accepts stain very well, it was often used in the furniture industry in the 19th century and stained to look like mahogany. Some of those pieces are still fooling the experts. I've been using ash and maple with walnut fret boards but I am going to do a batch using red oak and bird's eye maple fret boards.

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Permalink Reply by MichaelS Country Boy Guitars on June 2, 2010 at 2:10am

I have used Cherry and Black walnut on my guitars, they both look nice and are stiff enough for my 3 strings.

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Permalink Reply by Skeesix on June 3, 2010 at 11:03am

It kind of depends on how much money you want to spend. There are all kinds of exotic woods that people use for good looks. Here's a good list and description of neck woods: http://www.warmoth.com/Guitar/Necks/NeckWoods.aspx

Most any hardwood would be strong. Ditto on laminations to increase strength and provide an opportunity for some striking looks. Poplar is strong but not very good looking.

I like using a maple neck with a darker fretboard. Currently I'm using granadillo, which is similar to rosewood, but cheaper and not on the endangered list.

If you make a scarf joint and the peghead area is flat, you have an opportunity to add some fancy thin wood or veneer in that area.

You could also experiment with various stains to enhance the natural grain, or even color the wood any color of the rainbow.

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Permalink Reply by Don Goguen on June 3, 2010 at 12:17pm

I like using hard maple for necks I scored a bunch of boxes at a large tobacco shop earlier this week so I needed some more hard maple. Bought 2 - 8' x 6" boards. My cost factor per neck is less than $3.35 per neck. I understand that many do not have the tools to cut necks from bigger stock but if one is after affordable, that is the way to go. Presently cutting up into neck blanks and cutting scarf joints. Basic table saw and clamping work. For anyone wanting to try, google "scarf joint jig". Most are similar and easy to construct. Many use a hand miter saw and jack plane to fit the joint so it is possible even for those without power tools. Working on getting as many done this evening as possible. Typing while waiting for glue to cure enough to take the clamps off so I can start the next batch. I use a lot of clamps.

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Permalink Reply by Larry McInnes on June 3, 2010 at 7:30pm

I had been using straight maple for the neck. I'm going to go fancy for my next one and put a fingerboard on a maple or oak neck, probably rosewood. I also picked up some bloodwood and wenge boards at Rockler which are also very fetching.

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Permalink Reply by Outhouse Instruments on June 4, 2010 at 12:10am

Yep, buying in quantity it the way to go. When I decided to do the ash/walnut/ash laminate neck, enuff wood to do one , maybe 2 necks was around $20.00.
But, the supplier sold "bundles" of each. I bought a bundle of each. Of course, the price of walnut is higher so the bundle was smaller.
For 60 bucks I have enuff lumber for many necks with a price average about 1/2 or 2/3 of just a plain oak stick neck.


Matt

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