Jonesin' for a new Strat...

[Cagey]

It's a moderately hard wood. On the Janka scale running from 380 (White Pine) to 3684 (Ipe), it's about a 1630. Think hard Maple, which is what most necks are made of. There's a handy chart here.

 

[bagman67]

Is wenge easy to sand by hand?

No more difficult than any other wood, but it can cause allergic reactions in some folks.  Best wear long sleeves and a dust mask (you should be doing that anyway for any decent sized sanding job). 

 

[DustyCat]

I'm thinking about going wenge core:

Body:
Wenge Body
Pau Ferro Top
Only I'm trying to go with a Pau Ferro top that's a little more stripey/two-tone

Neck
Wenge Core w/Ebony (Macassar, I saw a neat one in the Unique Choice) Fingerboard
Can you guys do a Pau Ferro Veneer to match the top of the body?

I like the two tone striping  :icon_thumright:

 

[Cagey]

For as open-grained as it is, Wenge is a surprisingly dense wood. It's heavier at 54 lbs/ft3 than Maple (44 lbs/ft3) or Oak (44 lbs/ft3), neither of which are often used because of that. So, a Wenge Strat body w/ a Pau Ferro top would make for one seriously heavy hunk of lumber. Add an Ebony (also very dense) over Wenge neck, 3 pickups, any vibrato bridge and locking tuners, and you might be talking about a 10 pound instrument. A typical Strat is usually between 7-8 pounds, so it doesn't sound like a lotta difference, but that extra 2-3 pounds can be killer. 

 

[DustyCat]

For as open-grained as it is, Wenge is a surprisingly dense wood. It's heavier at 54 lbs/ft3 than Maple (44 lbs/ft3) or Oak (44 lbs/ft3), neither of which are often used because of that. So, a Wenge Strat body w/ a Pau Ferro top would make for one seriously heavy hunk of lumber. Add an Ebony (also very dense) over Wenge neck, 3 pickups, any vibrato bridge and locking tuners, and you might be talking about a 10 pound instrument. A typical Strat is usually between 7-8 pounds, so it doesn't sound like a lotta difference, but that extra 2-3 pounds can be killer.

Thanks Cagey, that's good to know, as I am planning on going Chambered body with an 'f' hole.

Wenge appeals to me because of its "impressive tonal qualities" and resonance. I also have taken a shine to the brightness of my swamp ash thinline telecaster (but still want to go strat for s-s-h).

So...keeping the weight reduction of the chambering and the 'f' hole, I might nix the wenge neck but still go wenge body.

Pau Ferro appeals to me because it falls on the brighter side of the tone chart, and I dig that 2-tone coloration.

Maybe you guys know of a good combination of woods for the neck...

 

[Cagey]

The body is pretty far down the list of things that affect an electric guitar's characteristic tonal qualities, even if it's chambered. On the other hand, the neck is pretty high on the list. So, if you want to change the guitar's response curve with wood, the neck is more of an influencing factor. If you want "bright" out of the guitar, few necks would be as bright as Pau Ferro or Ebony over Maple or Canary, and if it was me, I'd do roasted Maple. Sounds the same, and like Canary it doesn't need a finish.

 

[DustyCat]

Alright, well thank you for your time Cagey and gang.
Funds are kind of limited right now anyhow.
I guess I'll just have to make do with my equipment right now, including those unpotted pups on my thinline to get that extra chirp.But I do want to take a minute and put my two cents in for active pups. Maybe down the road I'll be back for that new axe.