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Best wood for the neck

I'm working on my third build. It's one for an old high school buddy in another state. He saw my video and wants me to build him one. We've chosen the Punch box for his body and I want to stain the neck a blue to match the box. What's a good hardwood that will accept stain well and won't warp a lot in the Iowa humidity this summer? I was considering birch but another post mentioned that it tends to detune with the weather.

I'll be putting frets into it for him. I'll probably build two, one for him, and one for me. the stain idea makes me want one like it.

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Permalink Reply by Bad Finger (Eric) on June 11, 2014 at 1:33am

Curly maple is my favorite and will produce a great natural pattern with dark stain. Check out pics of my Grumpy Old Git or the license plate guitar on my page for examples.

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Permalink Reply by Slow Slough Guitars on June 11, 2014 at 2:44am

I've looked at that online before. Haven't sourced any locally yet. So it takes stain well?

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Permalink Reply by Bill Isherwood on June 11, 2014 at 9:29am

Hi,

Sycamore might be worth a try.

I'm recycling an old drawing board, made of sycamore, for my necks.

It stays in tune for weeks, & seems to take stain O.K.

Cheers,

CBGBill.

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Permalink Reply by Slow Slough Guitars on June 11, 2014 at 4:41pm

Thanks Bill. I'll see what I can source out.

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Permalink Reply by RTZGUITARS on June 11, 2014 at 5:35pm

Maple and mahogany are what most factory guitars use I been using mahogany with rosewood fretboards because I have it but if your on the cheap you can use oak on oak. I don't use clear anymore just walnut oil.

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Permalink Reply by The Phrygian Kid on June 11, 2014 at 8:54pm

Use a light coloured hardwood which you can easily get, ideally for free.

they all work

ive had blue dyes return a green result from yellow wood. Be sure to test on scrap first. The best results I've had for blue are with ink.

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Permalink Reply by Slow Slough Guitars on June 14, 2014 at 3:01pm

Thanks, I've found something unique. I don't know if it will work for this project because it's a middle dark wood. More of in the sycamore family. I found some wood dye I want to try out that may produce the dark blue I'm looking for. If not, I'll keep looking.

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Permalink Reply by ChickenboneJohn on June 14, 2014 at 6:18pm

If it's middle-dark it's not sycamore - true sycamore is a maple, which is pale, North American Sycamores are related to the plane tee family..and that's a pale wood too.

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Permalink Reply by Slow Slough Guitars on June 14, 2014 at 7:40pm

Not sure. Lacewood is a bit of a generic term covering Sycamores to a Central American exotic to Australian. So I'm just kind of guessing. Here's a picture, you tell me what it is? Feels pretty dense. I haven't had a chance to work it at all yet. Hopefully tomorrow after church I'll get to.

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