I am looking to build the most comfortable guitar possible. I have found that the more I play the more I just want ease of use and comfort more than anything else. So here is the question for everyone with experience with raw necks. What was the most comfortable wood for you as far as feel? Also for those with not so big hands, any advice on neck contour?
Call out to all the raw neck players
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bagman67
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Hi, Danuda -Danuda said:
I can't knowledgeably opine on a lot of the different types of lumber out there, but I'm happy with my canary and wenge necks. The wenge feels hard and dry and slick, but I am nevertheless aware of its open grain. The canary grain is tighter and smoother, so that's something to consider. I haven't played one, but I know a lot of folks here think Pau Ferro is the ne plus ultra of guitar neck shaft lumber choices.
Separately, to address a question you didn't ask, I find that my carved-top Tele with the contoured neck joint is the most comfortable body for me to play out of a collection of strats and teles and a les paul.
Is the open grain feel unpleasant or just something you notice?
As far as the body I definitely was going to go with a contoured heel. I was thinking maybe a soloist with a carved top so I would have easy fret access or a strat with the body cuts. I think the extra fret access of the two would be nice. The tele I have right now doesn't have it and I have noticed with my smaller hands that the reach to the highest frets can be difficult.
As far as the body I definitely was going to go with a contoured heel. I was thinking maybe a soloist with a carved top so I would have easy fret access or a strat with the body cuts. I think the extra fret access of the two would be nice. The tele I have right now doesn't have it and I have noticed with my smaller hands that the reach to the highest frets can be difficult.
Cagey
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I can't imagine you not being very happy with any of the raw offerings Warmoth has available. But, if I had to choose, the Pau Ferro w/ an Ebony 'board is sex on a stick. Second would be the Bloodwood, and I only put that second because it's of a color that won't necessarily match up with your body finish. But, man! An Ebony 'board on Bloodwood neck meat with stainless frets? That's good eatin'.
You might also want to read this thread on polishing/burnishing raw necks.
As to neck contour/profile, I'm pretty much stuck on the Standard Thin. But, that's so subjective it's like arguing "best ice cream flavor". You're never going to know without playing something. Really, the contours don't change in dimension very much, at least not to where hand size is a consideration, but the feel is different. The hand is remarkably sensitive to such things, so minor differences feel huge.
You might also want to read this thread on polishing/burnishing raw necks.
As to neck contour/profile, I'm pretty much stuck on the Standard Thin. But, that's so subjective it's like arguing "best ice cream flavor". You're never going to know without playing something. Really, the contours don't change in dimension very much, at least not to where hand size is a consideration, but the feel is different. The hand is remarkably sensitive to such things, so minor differences feel huge.
Patrick from Davis
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I have two wenge, two ebony, two pau ferro, and one bocote neck. All of them are more fun for me to play than finished necks. The ebony and Pau Ferro necks are very satin like. The Wenge are porous, but they are wicked fast because of it. At least partially. They are my favorite to play, don't really have words for it, other than I have found my brand. The Bocote neck feels more flannel like to me. I recently sanded it to 1500, that is what I had, and it is smooth as can be. But still it has a softer feel that the others. Still have to try true rosewood, canary, and goncalo alves. There is always another project though, so I am not worried.
With sound concerns, the ebony is bright. The Pau Ferro is more like Maple to me, not as bright as ebony, but nothing to scoff at. The Wenge is a bit mid heavy, another reason I like it. I prefer to have a cutting sound rather than a dark tone. The bocote should be the warmest of the bunch, but really, if you put that guitar on the bridge pick up, a strat, it doesn't seem dark.
For playability, I prefer the standard thin or the '59 roundback. I started with an 86 contemporary strat and played an Epi SG as my two main guitars when I was learning, so I stick to those shapes. I would go and camp out at a store and play the guitars that have necks know for being a certain way, and find what fits. For me it was like a bell went off. I have played V'd necks and they crap my hands. No Clapton guitar for me. The really thin or wide ones, I have little ability on, I feel clumsy. So when I found the one that worked, and it was obvious to me, I stuck with it.
Patrick
With sound concerns, the ebony is bright. The Pau Ferro is more like Maple to me, not as bright as ebony, but nothing to scoff at. The Wenge is a bit mid heavy, another reason I like it. I prefer to have a cutting sound rather than a dark tone. The bocote should be the warmest of the bunch, but really, if you put that guitar on the bridge pick up, a strat, it doesn't seem dark.
For playability, I prefer the standard thin or the '59 roundback. I started with an 86 contemporary strat and played an Epi SG as my two main guitars when I was learning, so I stick to those shapes. I would go and camp out at a store and play the guitars that have necks know for being a certain way, and find what fits. For me it was like a bell went off. I have played V'd necks and they crap my hands. No Clapton guitar for me. The really thin or wide ones, I have little ability on, I feel clumsy. So when I found the one that worked, and it was obvious to me, I stuck with it.
Patrick
SustainerPlayer
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On a scale from 10 to 1.
10 being the best "feeling".
Pau Ferro/Wenge/Padauk/Goncalo Alves/Rosewood/Canary.
But that would be starting at 10 and ending around 9.6.
And only representative in the necks I personally have.
10 being the best "feeling".
Pau Ferro/Wenge/Padauk/Goncalo Alves/Rosewood/Canary.
But that would be starting at 10 and ending around 9.6.
And only representative in the necks I personally have.
bagman67
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It's not remotely unpleasant - I like it a lot, in fact. It is noticeable, but more like noticing the difference between a cotton shirt and a linen one. There's just some more texture to the wenge, but it's nevertheless comfy.Danuda said:
Something nobody's mentioned in the other posts on this thread is Goncalo Alves. I haven't played a GA neck, but it makes a very smooth, hard, comfy pistol grip. Felt cool to the touch, although that might have been due to the big chunk of stainless steel revolver it was wrapped around.
mrpinter
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I have two Warmoth parts guitars and both of them have goncalo alves necks. One has a g.a. fingerboard and one has a wenge fingerboard. I really like the feel of goncalo alves and I think I slightly prefer the wenge for a fingerboard. I also like that the g.a. is rated as a somewhat warm toned wood (I don't like ice-pickey treble and my guitars are tele styles). I have another guitar (a Hamer T62 strat type) that has a pao ferro fingerboard, and judging from how much I like the feel of that, I think a p.f. neck would probably be really nice - with either a p.f. fingerboard or maybe ebony or Ind. rosewood.
For neck contour, I have no complaint at all about my standard thin necks They feel like really good Fender necks - my preferred shape. I sold a Gibson guitar once because I didn't bond with it's round "baseball bat" neck shape. I have medium sized hands.
For neck contour, I have no complaint at all about my standard thin necks They feel like really good Fender necks - my preferred shape. I sold a Gibson guitar once because I didn't bond with it's round "baseball bat" neck shape. I have medium sized hands.
DangerousR6
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As Bagman, I also have canary and wenge, 2 of each, and all 4 have ziricote fretboards. Absolutely awesome necks, I polished them both up with #0000 steel wool, now they are sooooo smooth and slick it's crazy. I also now have a Goncalo Alves, which will get slicked up, it reminds me a lot of canary, but slicker. And I love it, it's just got a great feel to it. And if I may Danuda, since you have smaller hands as you say, you may try going to a 1 5/8" nut, and the wizard contour, along with the contoured heel. :icon_biggrin:
kricha6431
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I see no one has mentioned Padouk as a neck wood,personally, I love it, thanks to my guitar instructor who hs one, but it is also the only raw neck I have touched or felt of yet. And I must say it is really smooth!
Ace Flibble
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I've got a Warmoth raw purpleheart neck with the Standard Thin contour and as nice as it was, It wasn't utterly flawless. My hands are an odd size, small overall but with quite long fingers in proportion to my palm, so finding the right contour is hard when so many companies only make really big or really small necks. The Standard Thin is, to me, not quite thick enough in the middle to support my hand properly, but the shoulders are too thick to get around. A smaller nut size possibly would have fixed this at the lower frets, but that's not ideal. Overall I found the neck to be too much like an ESP or Schecter neck - too flat in the wrong places, too big in the wrong places.
The purpleheart itself feels very nice, but a wood of such unusual colour does make grime rather noticable and it's perhaps not quite as smooth as it could be.
As it is, I've replaced that neck with one from Musikraft (sorry Warmoth, you wouldn't do the features I wanted and you cost more!); one-piece indian rosewood, 1.650" nut width with a .88"-.95" V-to-C profile with lightly rolled edges. I've found this to be the absolute perfect combination. The soft V/C contour fills out my palm but I can still get my fingers right around it, somewhat similar to using an asymmetrical contour; the very fractionally narrower nut and rolled edges help this without changing the string spacing much. So even though it's technically a thicker neck, and that should be a problem for my small palm, it actually works out better. The perfect contour.
As for the raw rosewood, I can't imagine buying anything else from now on. Whether it'll be from Warmoth again or Musikraft, rosewood is the way to go. Perfectly smooth along the length of the neck without the squeaky feeling you get from tighter-grained woods. I played a bass with a wenge neck once, many moons ago, and it reminds me of that but improved as I can move my hand against the grain without it feeling rough either. Of course, rosewood is one of the more expensive woods to make a whole neck from, but I'm convinced it's worth it now. Hell, it's worth it for the improvement in tone if nothing else.
Order rosewood and think about a V-profile or asymmetrical contour. I doubt I'll ever buy a non-rosewood, non-V'd neck ever again.
The purpleheart itself feels very nice, but a wood of such unusual colour does make grime rather noticable and it's perhaps not quite as smooth as it could be.
As it is, I've replaced that neck with one from Musikraft (sorry Warmoth, you wouldn't do the features I wanted and you cost more!); one-piece indian rosewood, 1.650" nut width with a .88"-.95" V-to-C profile with lightly rolled edges. I've found this to be the absolute perfect combination. The soft V/C contour fills out my palm but I can still get my fingers right around it, somewhat similar to using an asymmetrical contour; the very fractionally narrower nut and rolled edges help this without changing the string spacing much. So even though it's technically a thicker neck, and that should be a problem for my small palm, it actually works out better. The perfect contour.
As for the raw rosewood, I can't imagine buying anything else from now on. Whether it'll be from Warmoth again or Musikraft, rosewood is the way to go. Perfectly smooth along the length of the neck without the squeaky feeling you get from tighter-grained woods. I played a bass with a wenge neck once, many moons ago, and it reminds me of that but improved as I can move my hand against the grain without it feeling rough either. Of course, rosewood is one of the more expensive woods to make a whole neck from, but I'm convinced it's worth it now. Hell, it's worth it for the improvement in tone if nothing else.
Order rosewood and think about a V-profile or asymmetrical contour. I doubt I'll ever buy a non-rosewood, non-V'd neck ever again.
It sounds like Wenge or Pau Fero are my best choices, although rosewood is a possibility too. I have been thinking ss frets as well since everyone who has had them on this board raved about the feel. As far as a smaller nut width, I think that would mess me up too much. I switched between a 25.5 and a 24 3/4 neck and that messed me up a bit so I imagine the nut width might screw with my head too.
thewrathchilde
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+1 for the Wenge.
I have Wenge and Goncalo Alves necks in addition to a whole bunch of finished Maple and Mahogany and the Wenge is by far my favorite; it is slick, hard, and fast. Mine is Wenge with an Ebony fretboard and I like it so much I have almost come to the position that all future necks I order are going to be Wenge/Ebony.
I have Wenge and Goncalo Alves necks in addition to a whole bunch of finished Maple and Mahogany and the Wenge is by far my favorite; it is slick, hard, and fast. Mine is Wenge with an Ebony fretboard and I like it so much I have almost come to the position that all future necks I order are going to be Wenge/Ebony.
animal control
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I have a goncalo alvez / ebony fretboard and a pau ferro / ebony fretboard, both SS frets. Although they are similar I tend to reach for the pau ferro most often. It is my favourite neck.
Can't help with the profiles, I have large hands but like the Standard Thin.
Can't help with the profiles, I have large hands but like the Standard Thin.
Alright, I think I have the full idea for my build. It is basically the classic telecaster only updated for comfort. Carved top swamp ash body with contoured heel, tummy cut and butterscotch blonde finish. Standard tele pickup and control layout. Then a Wenge and Ebony neck with SS frets. I debated going with Pau fero or even Canary to hold the classic tele theme more closely since it technically would be a maple neck, but I think going reverse with all dark woods will look nice too. Especially since there will be no black pickguard like there is in the classic butterscotch tele.
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