Raw neck
- Thread starter Bruno
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Wenge actually feels raw.. very long open grain that you can actually feel..
Goncalo and pau ferro feel way smoother in my opinion..
I think that Rosewood is my favorite so far though.. it feels 'woody' and a bit more dry to me, so it feels there is a bit friction.. which I like. still feels fast though.. (somehow it does not feel like rosewood fingerboard to me... weird)
Canary feels a bit like Rosewood to me, maybe a bit smoother..
Bloodwood and bubenga feel more like polished wood to me.. very dense and a bit waxy.
Padouk, is probably a bit in between Wenge and Rosewood..
I have not yet tried bocote, (macasar) ebony or Ziricote, so they are on the top of my wish list..
the bottom line is, I have not played a raw neck that disappointed me.. so go for whatever you think looks great!!
Goncalo and pau ferro feel way smoother in my opinion..
I think that Rosewood is my favorite so far though.. it feels 'woody' and a bit more dry to me, so it feels there is a bit friction.. which I like. still feels fast though.. (somehow it does not feel like rosewood fingerboard to me... weird)
Canary feels a bit like Rosewood to me, maybe a bit smoother..
Bloodwood and bubenga feel more like polished wood to me.. very dense and a bit waxy.
Padouk, is probably a bit in between Wenge and Rosewood..
I have not yet tried bocote, (macasar) ebony or Ziricote, so they are on the top of my wish list..
the bottom line is, I have not played a raw neck that disappointed me.. so go for whatever you think looks great!!
asking what the best is, regardless what your category, is pointless. there's nothing remotely objective to discuss in that question.
I have a canary neck on my bass and a goncalo strat neck lying around waiting to be used. I'd say that both feel wonderful to play (though I've never really noticed any difference in playing a raw neck, gloss neck, oiled neck, or any finish on any neck at all). The Goncalo Alves neck is noticeably smoother and more silky to the touch whereas the canary has a bit more of a woody grain kind of texture to it. Again, both feel great to play so I don't know what's to say which is better.
I have a canary neck on my bass and a goncalo strat neck lying around waiting to be used. I'd say that both feel wonderful to play (though I've never really noticed any difference in playing a raw neck, gloss neck, oiled neck, or any finish on any neck at all). The Goncalo Alves neck is noticeably smoother and more silky to the touch whereas the canary has a bit more of a woody grain kind of texture to it. Again, both feel great to play so I don't know what's to say which is better.
lafromla1
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My rosewood neck feels smooth as butter, but as Marko said, there is a dryness about it that gives it a natural tackiness, but its not sticky.
My quartersawn wenge neck has the long grains going with the length of the neck and it just feels fast and smooth. It could be the way its cut too. Can't wait to finish the project its going on to really test drive it.
My quartersawn wenge neck has the long grains going with the length of the neck and it just feels fast and smooth. It could be the way its cut too. Can't wait to finish the project its going on to really test drive it.
tubby.twins
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Based on the OP's parameters, I am going to say Bubinga and Canary, but for different reasons.
Bubinga feels smoother. As Marko says, this feels more like a highly polished wood. The grain is VERY tight and the sanded surface is very uniform, but still feels hard.
Canary feels softer. The grain is a bit more open, but still nowhere near as open as Wenge. For me, this makes the wood feel softer and maybe a bit less smooth.
Purpleheart is somewhere between these two.
Bloodwood feels a lot like Bubinga, but is even more hard.
It is a very close call. The exotic hardwoods are all nice to play, but we all have different reasons for liking one over the other. Each of us a slightly different skin texture, acidity, clamminess, etc. which is why the woods feel different for each person.
Bubinga feels smoother. As Marko says, this feels more like a highly polished wood. The grain is VERY tight and the sanded surface is very uniform, but still feels hard.
Canary feels softer. The grain is a bit more open, but still nowhere near as open as Wenge. For me, this makes the wood feel softer and maybe a bit less smooth.
Purpleheart is somewhere between these two.
Bloodwood feels a lot like Bubinga, but is even more hard.
It is a very close call. The exotic hardwoods are all nice to play, but we all have different reasons for liking one over the other. Each of us a slightly different skin texture, acidity, clamminess, etc. which is why the woods feel different for each person.
bob7point7
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I don't think it's recommended to leave mahogany raw. I don't think it's stable enough.
As for your original question, I've only had it as a fretboard (so far), but ebony and pau ferro are the smoothest to me. Rosewood is a little more rough, then canary, then wenge (these are the only ones I've tried).
Honestly, they're all great. I prefer a really slick feeling wood for the fretboard, but I like the more textured feel for the neck back. (My wenge/ebony neck is still my favorite).
Overall, all of my raw necks feel better than all of my raw necks. No matter which one you choose, I think you'll be happy.
As for your original question, I've only had it as a fretboard (so far), but ebony and pau ferro are the smoothest to me. Rosewood is a little more rough, then canary, then wenge (these are the only ones I've tried).
Honestly, they're all great. I prefer a really slick feeling wood for the fretboard, but I like the more textured feel for the neck back. (My wenge/ebony neck is still my favorite).
Overall, all of my raw necks feel better than all of my raw necks. No matter which one you choose, I think you'll be happy.
tubby.twins
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JaySwear said:
My purpleheart Gecko neck is very heavy, but it feels great and I love playing it. I agree, more people should consider using this wood for a neck.
tubby.twins said:
i might have gotten lucky with mine. it was really light! i ordered it, THEN started hearing horror stories over the weight of purpleheart. but as i said, i might have been lucky :icon_biggrin: my purpleheart neck was paired with a 4 pound body and i never had problems with neck dive
Bruno said:
Sorry to throw another thing in the mix, but I had a raw Tasmanian Blackwood (a koa relative) neck that I really liked... I found it to be smooth, soft, etc. Of course, koa is expensive and Tassie Blackwood is hard to get outside of Australia...
Were you looking for anything specific in terms of its tonal properties?
).
Disco Scottie
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Bruno said:
If you're wanting the feel of pau ferro, why not just get a neck made out of it? Reb Beach's signature Suhr has an all-pau ferro neck, it looks and (from what I hear) plays great:
