Amer'can

[DangerousR6]

Warmoth does make cherry necks, but it's gotta have a finish, but hickory is plenty hard enough to use as a neck. Hickory is close to 2000 on the janka scale, cherry is under 1000. American beech is around 1500, so it's possible it would be fine to. I've said in many threads I have several BE maple necks with no finish, just a light lemon oiling, and they're still straight as an arrow..

It's not the hardness or stability that's the problem; they're very hard woods. It's the torsional strength (stiffness). They're too springy. You'd probably have a bitch of a time keeping them in tune. I suspect that's why you don't see anyone using those woods for necks.

Perhaps, or people just aren't open minded.... :dontknow:

 

[OzziePete]

Warmoth does make cherry necks, but it's gotta have a finish, but hickory is plenty hard enough to use as a neck. Hickory is close to 2000 on the janka scale, cherry is under 1000. American beech is around 1500, so it's possible it would be fine to. I've said in many threads I have several BE maple necks with no finish, just a light lemon oiling, and they're still straight as an arrow..

It's not the hardness or stability that's the problem; they're very hard woods. It's the torsional strength (stiffness). They're too springy. You'd probably have a bitch of a time keeping them in tune. I suspect that's why you don't see anyone using those woods for necks.

Perhaps, or people just aren't open minded.... :dontknow:

Well there's probably a school that screams "Moar Mahogany" but Leo crashed thru with Swamp Ash, Alder & Maple pretty much when he started up. Though I guess Maple was used in some Gibson guitars before then (L5, Super 400).

I'm guessing that other manufacturers would like to use other less costly woods, but maybe they have tried them in trials and found the other materials not up to standard? I also know from my own custom shop ordering experience that when it comes down to it, woods like mahogany and maple have a history of holding up over time, used in the context of a guitar wood, and have been successful. You tend to hope that information about other woods that you may contemplate is accurate & true and not hyperbole. On that alone you tend to lean towards those successful woods, particularly if - as  a maker - you do not want unexpected surprises 5 - 10 years down the track with reports of 'bad' necks. I think they'd like to try different woods, but are reluctant because of concerns over longevity.  :dontknow:

 

[Cagey]

Warmoth does make cherry necks, but it's gotta have a finish, but hickory is plenty hard enough to use as a neck. Hickory is close to 2000 on the janka scale, cherry is under 1000. American beech is around 1500, so it's possible it would be fine to. I've said in many threads I have several BE maple necks with no finish, just a light lemon oiling, and they're still straight as an arrow..

It's not the hardness or stability that's the problem; they're very hard woods. It's the torsional strength (stiffness). They're too springy. You'd probably have a bitch of a time keeping them in tune. I suspect that's why you don't see anyone using those woods for necks.

Perhaps, or people just aren't open minded.... :dontknow:

It's not a matter of being "open minded", it has to do with suitability to task. The wood just doesn't have the properties that would make for a good neck. They don't use balsa or pine to make necks, either. Is that narrow-mindedness? Those are both excellent woods. In the case of pine, the vast majority of the houses built in the US use it, and a great deal of furniture does as well, although you don't generally see it. It must be good stuff, right?

 

[Jeremiah]

I heard that a lot of guitar makers in Europe used beech and cherry necks in the 60s, but you don't hear about them any more.

Could be because they turned out 'bad' after a few years, or that it's not as fashionable as the maple and mahogany popularised by the big American manufacturers.

Or just that they don't make that many guitars in Europe any more.

 

[DangerousR6]

Warmoth does make cherry necks, but it's gotta have a finish, but hickory is plenty hard enough to use as a neck. Hickory is close to 2000 on the janka scale, cherry is under 1000. American beech is around 1500, so it's possible it would be fine to. I've said in many threads I have several BE maple necks with no finish, just a light lemon oiling, and they're still straight as an arrow..

It's not the hardness or stability that's the problem; they're very hard woods. It's the torsional strength (stiffness). They're too springy. You'd probably have a bitch of a time keeping them in tune. I suspect that's why you don't see anyone using those woods for necks.

Perhaps, or people just aren't open minded.... :dontknow:

It's not a matter of being "open minded", it has to do with suitability to task. The wood just doesn't have the properties that would make for a good neck. They don't use balsa or pine to make necks, either. Is that narrow-mindedness? Those are both excellent woods. In the case of pine, the vast majority of the houses built in the US use it, and a great deal of furniture does as well, although you don't generally see it. It must be good stuff, right?

You'd be supprised at the strength of pine...

 

[Cagey]

I'm surprised at the strength-to-weight ratio of spiderwebs, but there's not much I can use them for.

 

[line6man]

I'm surprised at the strength-to-weight ratio of spiderwebs, but there's not much I can use them for.

Spiderwebs are great for catching flies. Buy a bunch of spiders and force them to weave you a screen door to keep flies out in the summertime. Use bug spray to keep the stubborn and lazy spiders motivated.

 

[Cagey]

I have greater success with Deltamethrin. Kills damn near anything we'd ever see around here, including spiders. Plus, I don't have train anything.

 

[DangerousR6]

I'm surprised at the strength-to-weight ratio of spiderwebs, but there's not much I can use them for.

See, there ya go....It's all a matter of ingenuity, cause I use them for guitar strings....You have to think outside the box.... :sign13:

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

there is a guy in Texas who makes necks out of Texas Ebony and Texas Ziricote.

you could always go for bocote or ziricote from Mexico.. close enough (to texas anyway)

Wood from Mexico, or any part of South America is American...

He said Texas, not America.

 

[AGWAN]

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Scientists+Weave+Spider+Silk+Into+New+Bulletproof+Vests.-a068872427

 

[crash]

I've seen a couple of holly necks from musikraft.  Pure white.  Dies anybody know if that needs a hard finish?

 

[line6man]

I've seen a couple of holly necks from musikraft.  Pure white.  Dies anybody know if that needs a hard finish?

IME, because of it's pale white color, Holly gets DIRTY very easily. (But I've only worked with the wood once.)
Without a finish, I would expect to have to clean the wood quite frequently.

 

[m4rk0]

I would expect you  to have to clean the wood quite frequently.

it is not a good sign if that is what she said.....

 

[mayfly]

Holly gets DIRTY very easily...

I find it helps if she's a bit liquored up first...

 

[line6man]

Holly gets DIRTY very easily...

I find it helps if she's a bit liquored up first...

Lol, I totally missed the innuendos. :doh:

Holly is indeed a dirty girl. She likes to play in the mud, but it's ok, because those wet T shirt contests clean her right up.

 

[anorakDan]

That really makes me wonder how Amerigo Vespucci wrangled his way into have an entire hemisphere named after himself!
:icon_jokercolor:

I just glad that they used his first name! "Vespuccica, Vespuccica, God shed His grace on thee..."

Just doesn't have the same impact.

 

[reluctant-builder]

I would expect you  to have to clean the wood quite frequently.

it is not a good sign if that is what she said.....

It's time to dump Holly, if that's the case. Or, as already mentioned, protect that American wood.

 

[Ddbltrbl]

Here is a picture I found in another forum of a neck with a Bodark (also called Osage-orange) fret board

Has anyone ever tried or heard of someone trying to use Bodark as the actual neck wood? I seems to me it would be a lot like Pau Ferro (dense closed grain), but with a coarser texture closer to Wenge, and that golden amber / orange color it gets with a little UV is just gorgeous!  :glasses10:

 

[DangerousR6]

Never had a neck from it, but when it's aged, it's hard as a rock, no joke. I've seen it cause sparks trying to cut it....