Flamed maple necks and instability
- Thread starter Loobs
- Start date
riverbluff
Hero Member
- Messages
- 733
From everything I have read it is an un-proven matter of opinion. Lots of folks on the board have had flame maple and birdseye necks for several years with no problem. The trick with maple is, it needs a good finish on it.
Bill
Bill
i'm gonna go with myth. i think this is an example of people trusting there own imagination over actual testing/experience. the most warped neck i ever saw was strait grained maple.
i dont know of any testing or statistical data that would suggest that one is more stable than the other, however a lack of evidence/proof doesn't mean it's false, well a lack of information doesn't mean anything really but i wouldn't worry about it unless the neck is very thin, like a wizard profile.
it might be a good idea to find a good guitar tech and ask him how many warped necks he sees and if there seem to be alot that are figured, but i doubt you'll find out anything significant.
i dont know of any testing or statistical data that would suggest that one is more stable than the other, however a lack of evidence/proof doesn't mean it's false, well a lack of information doesn't mean anything really but i wouldn't worry about it unless the neck is very thin, like a wizard profile.
it might be a good idea to find a good guitar tech and ask him how many warped necks he sees and if there seem to be alot that are figured, but i doubt you'll find out anything significant.
Cheers guys. I think splashing out for a really nice flamed neck with a sort of high gloss vintage tint on it would be awesome.
As usual with anything like this there is a great deal of internet 'expertise' being thrown around, I suppose it's worth taking it with a pinch of salt. I'll ask my tech what he thinks...
As usual with anything like this there is a great deal of internet 'expertise' being thrown around, I suppose it's worth taking it with a pinch of salt. I'll ask my tech what he thinks...
Cagey
Mythical Status
- Messages
- 24,425
Loobs said:
For as hard as maple is, it's surprisingly mobile compared to many other hardwoods, particularly if it's unfinished. Not that it'll squirm around on you, but it does move. That said, in my experience, there's no difference between the figured and straight-grained cuts as far as stability is concerned. The only difference I've noticed is the figured cuts tend to tear out more easily when machining, which often leads to the spontaneous coinage of new and socially unacceptable phrases <grin> In any event, proper seasoning and finishing is the cure for it, and instrument makers know that better than anyone because even small changes in woods can make big changes in the instrument, sometimes even destructively so.
Kaoskadosk
Senior Member
- Messages
- 224
Cagey said:
Should I bring out the curry? :toothy12:
J/k, though I agree with you. I got a cheap Schecter not too long ago, a Damien Special, and the neck is beyond the point of reparation. At first it was double-warped, like an S, now the double warp is gone but it's still bent so much that the tweaking the truss rod doesn't fix it, and even if it would flatten out it would create an insane amount of buzzing (it's already buzzing and any higher action would make it look like a nylon). My biggest bet on why it happened is because they finished it very poorly. I'm a guitar newbie (only been playing for 2 years now) so I can't really look at it and see it, but I can't find any other reason for such warping.
So make sure to get it finished properly and your neck will last, good luck!
jackthehack
Epic Member
- Messages
- 5,630
Myth/B.S.; no differential between figured and non-figured maple other than cosmetics
Justinginn
Hero Member
- Messages
- 631
I heard somewhere that the myth came from some bad necks produced by guitar companies picking crappy, knotted, etc. wood for the neck just because it was flamed and the neck was crappy not because of the flame but because the flame motivated the builder to use the unstable, though pretty wood. But who knows where I read that or even if it's true. :dontknow:
Strat Avenger
Hero Member
- Messages
- 2,647
I have no idea, but John Suhr doesn't like birdseye maple for necks.
Cagey
Mythical Status
- Messages
- 24,425
Maple is notorious for tear-outs, but the figured maples (curly, quilted, birdseye) are the worst. I can imagine Mr. Suhr getting 85% done with a neck, and suddenly a big piece tears out while shaping the back. There's really no fixing that; the neck is scrap. Many bad words. Many.
Cagey
Mythical Status
- Messages
- 24,425
No, a light oiling won't do. In fact, Warmoth voids the guarantee on their maple necks/bodies if they're not finished. Some folks like to use tung oil if they can't, won't or don't want to spray a more durable finish on. I don't know if that's good enough either; someone here may chime in and relate their experience. Shellac can be rubbed on, but it's not very robust, either. If you haven't ordered the neck yet, you might want to consider a wood like Canary. It's hard, attractive and feels good while not requiring any finish at all.
All i know is that i have to adjust the truss rod once a week on my Tele that have a Birdseye Maple neck on it (soon to be replaced),
ALL my other guitars have Quarter sawn Maple necks on them and only requires adjustment once a year in extreme cases maybe three times!
ALL my other guitars have Quarter sawn Maple necks on them and only requires adjustment once a year in extreme cases maybe three times!
Cagey
Mythical Status
- Messages
- 24,425
lidesnowi said:
Where do you live? I live in Michigan, where the seasons change pretty seriously (but not to the extremes some places get to), and adjusting truss rods is not terribly common here. I know a lot of people with a number of guitars, and adjusting the truss rod is pretty much a foreign concept to just about all of them. Maybe we're all just used to playing pretzels <grin>
In my experience, usually when a guitar needs a truss rod adjustment, it's because somebody thought it needed an adjustment and tried to do it themselves.
AprioriMark
Hero Member
- Messages
- 1,710
[quote author=Cagey]
In my experience, usually when a guitar needs a truss rod adjustment, it's because somebody thought it needed an adjustment and tried to do it themselves.
[/quote]
I echo this with an experienced giggle.
-Mark
In my experience, usually when a guitar needs a truss rod adjustment, it's because somebody thought it needed an adjustment and tried to do it themselves.
[/quote]
I echo this with an experienced giggle.
-Mark
