Good alternative for maple neck that doesn't need finish

[endrju.m]

I would like to order a neck for my Strat mahogany/maple body soon. I always felt (and also read here) that maple/ebony neck is good and well balanced companionship. On the other hand it would be great to have a neck that doesn't require finish - because of it's smooth and fast feeling. But my concern is not to loose strats bite, it can be warmer (that's why I took mahogany body). Ha, it's hard to explain tone that musician have in head in words..

Anyways, are there any somewhat sound-wise similar alternatives for maple/ebony neck in exotic wood world (that will play nice wit mahogany body)? The two I have in my mind are Canary or Padouk.

 

[bagman67]

I am tremendously happy with my canary/ebony necked telecaster with a mahogany body (running our own TroubledTreble's Roadhouse P90's):


http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=18406.0


It sounds boss.  It is, surprisingly, brighter sounding than my black ash/maple/ebony telecaster, but that may well be a function of me having cheezed the wiring on the black tele.  I haven't cracked it open to redo any of my work on the latter guitar.


But the short of it is:  Canary/ebony with a 'hog bod = HAPPY.

 

[hannaugh]

I have a mahogany/maple Strat with a canary neck (also with Roadhouse Pickups).  I love it.  It sounds amazing, and it is very nicely balanced.

 

[Cagey]

Canary is a good substitute for Maple, tonally. Also Aframosia, Satine (Bloodwood), and Pau Ferro. Canary and Aframosia look enough alike to be mistaken for each other, while the Bloodwood is a dark red and the Pau Ferro is like a milk chocolate color. They all burnish up beautifully. I have black Ebony fretboards on all but the Afra part, which has an Afra 'board. Highly recommend any of them.

Don't forget to get either stainless or gold frets. Doesn't change the tone, but they play like glass.

 

[hannaugh]

Pau Ferro is the nicest feeling wood ever in my opinion.  It's smooth like glass. 

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

If you still want a bright looking wood, consider Can/Can.

 

[bbl4ck]

I have two Canary necks; one with Malagasy Rosewood and one with Macassar Ebony.
I love them both!!!  You can't go wrong with a nice Canary neck  :icon_thumright:

 

[Patrick from Davis]

Pau Ferro, and Canary are my two favorites for maple replacement.  If I want a darker neck, the pau ferro is the choice.  It feels an awful lot like ebony (I have two of those as well) just fast as can be, but not as snappy as ebony.  To me that is a good thing.  The ebony necks I have require warm pickups, otherwise it is a bit much.  Canary is a bit darker than maple but more like it.  I have one of those on a tele, and it really behaves the same as the maple neck, but it feels a lot nicer to play.  If you don't need the color of maple, or the brightness, then I default to Wenge.  Just a heck of a lot of fun to play in my opinion.  I don't really think you can go to far wrong with raw necks, so have a blast.
Patrick