Domestic woods for necks and fretboards

[whyachi]

Was just toying around with the idea of an all-American bass (3AM random thoughts.) Ash and alder are all over the place so a body would be easy, but for a neck, would anything other than maple work? I was looking at walnut or cherry - things W won't touch, but this is all hypothetical - and wondering if they'd be strong or stable enough.

If done in laminates or with steel / carbon rods I know both of them would hold up to being a neck, but would any USA woods work as a fretboard?

 

[AutoBat]

http://www.warmoth.com/Pages/ClassicShowcase.aspx?Body=1&Path=Neck&nWood=29
^^Walnut necks.

 

[m4rk0]

I think he meant fingerboard...

 

[dNA]

I'm pretty sure walnut doesn't work for a fretboard wood - for whatever reason.
And i'm also pretty sure that I've never seen or heard of a Walnut bass neck by warmoth, though I don't see why not. I see it in laminates in bass necks a lot, but usually a stripe w/ maple

You COULD hypothetically go for a walnut neck with a maple board. or a fretboard made of a manmade material

 

[whyachi]

Yeah I was looking at USA lumber for a fretboard specifically. I considered a maple board on a walnut neck.. not sure I can get my head around the fretboard being lighter than the neck.

 

[Dan025]

Yeah I was looking at USA lumber for a fretboard specifically. I considered a maple board on a walnut neck.. not sure I can get my head around the fretboard being lighter than the neck.

actually it can look pretty good but warmoth only puts maple boards on maple necks, so you'd have to have someone else make it. as long as they're american!

 

[whyachi]

I was thinking of a scratch build, actually. I know W won't do it.