Roasted Swamp Ash Body with Roasted Maple Neck

[Ric Moore]

Hi,

I'm contemplating my first build and really want a Roasted Swamp Ash thinline tele body and like the Roasted Maple neck.  I'm not sure what contrast there would be between the body and neck with this combination though.  I am considering a nice clear oil or poly finish on the body and keeping the neck as is (maybe a little oil to protect it).  I'm thinking if the body darkens naturally with the clear, then there will be a nice contrast with the neck.

As an alternative, I though about a regular Swamp Ash top which I think will really look nice, but I like the top a little darker.

Any experience with this combo or thoughts would be appreciated

Thanks

Edit:  Meant to add that neck fretboard would also be Roasted Maple

 

[Cagey]

That would be a fantastic combination. Roasted Swamp Ash body, and let Warmoth finish it in clear (it'll darken to a unique beautiful shade), then a roasted Maple neck (no finish, burnish it). Some stainless frets... you'll be a very happy camper.

 

[ragamuffin]

I think you'd be very happy either way with a roasted maple neck and roasted swap ash body(which gets looks much darker with a finish, even clear), or un-roasted swamp ash. Another option is un-roasted with a stain and clear finish. Here's a jazzcaster I did with a roasted maple neck and unroasted swamp ash, the body stained with tea and finished in tru-oil.

 

[rgand]

A Hearty thumbs-up to the clear on roasted swamp ash/roasted maple combo. :icon_thumright:

 

[Ric Moore]

I think you'd be very happy either way with a roasted maple neck and roasted swap ash body(which gets looks much darker with a finish, even clear), or un-roasted swamp ash. Another option is un-roasted with a stain and clear finish. Here's a jazzcaster I did with a roasted maple neck and unroasted swamp ash, the body stained with tea and finished in tru-oil.

Nice looking guitar!  That’s very similar to what I originally started with.

 

[ragamuffin]

Nice looking guitar!  That’s very similar to what I originally started with.

Thanks!

 

[VinceClortho]

This is a roasted swamp ash body and a roasted flame maple neck both with a rubbed-on danish oil finish.

 

[bagman67]

And a beautiful specimen, at that.

 

[rgand]

That definitely is outstanding. Love that neck with that body.

 

[VinceClortho]

Thanks guys.  :icon_thumright:

Like the OP, I was worried before I had it in hand how everything would go together.  The oil darkened the neck a bit (and really brought out the grain nicely) but it darkened the body a lot, which was a good thing as the neck had a darker color to start with.  Came out better than I had hoped.

Here is the body before the danish oil:

I will admit that I don't know if a standard clear poly or other finish would give the same or similar results.

 

[Ric Moore]

That’s a beautiful guitar. Thanks for sharing as it really helps with what I’m picturing.

 

[pirate]

Hi,

I'm contemplating my first build and really want a Roasted Swamp Ash thinline tele body and like the Roasted Maple neck.  I'm not sure what contrast there would be between the body and neck with this combination though.  I am considering a nice clear oil or poly finish on the body and keeping the neck as is (maybe a little oil to protect it).  I'm thinking if the body darkens naturally with the clear, then there will be a nice contrast with the neck.

As an alternative, I though about a regular Swamp Ash top which I think will really look nice, but I like the top a little darker.

Any experience with this combo or thoughts would be appreciated

Thanks

Edit:  Meant to add that neck fretboard would also be Roasted Maple

My tele build was exactly that, roasted swamp ash body, roasted maple neck, in my avatar. Satin finish on body, no finish on neck of course.

 

[Rick]

:icon_thumright:

 

[Ric Moore]

Looks nice pirate!  I’m hoping for the body without a pick guard to be a little darker than the neck.  Looks like yours may be very close to the same color but it’s hard to tell just looking at your avatar.

 

[pirate]

Looks nice pirate!  I’m hoping for the body without a pick guard to be a little darker than the neck.  Looks like yours may be very close to the same color but it’s hard to tell just looking at your avatar.

No, you are correct, they are so close, it looked planned  :icon_biggrin:
But, I will look closely again when I get home and see....

Not sure, maybe someone else can chime in, but maybe there is enough variance in the roasted maple necks to look for one a shade or two lighter? Not sure if there is variance in the roasted ash bodies either, to get one a shade or two darker, then together you have what you want? I do know the satin finish darkened it, and Warmoth did warn me about that, which was no big deal for me.

 

[Cagey]

I haven't seen a great deal of color variance in roasted Maple necks outside of the straight vs. figured grain varieties. at least from Warmoth. The figured ones seem to be darker. No surprise - figuring exposes much more end grain. But, I know there can be differences in material based on supplier, so there must be some variation in the torrification process itself. I don't know where Warmoth gets their wood supply from vs. some other parts manufacturers, but it would seem some material has been roasted for more or less time. I'm sure that changes the color to some degree, much like changing how long you leave your cake or chicken in the oven :icon_biggrin:

 

[PhilHill]

I haven't seen a great deal of color variance in roasted Maple necks outside of the straight vs. figured grain varieties. at least from Warmoth. The figured ones seem to be darker. No surprise - figuring exposes much more end grain. But, I know there can be differences in material based on supplier, so there must be some variation in the torrification process itself. I don't know where Warmoth gets their wood supply from vs. some other parts manufacturers, but it would seem some material has been roasted for more or less time. I'm sure that changes the color to some degree, much like changing how long you leave your cake or chicken in the oven :icon_biggrin:

 

[VinceClortho]

Looks nice pirate!  I’m hoping for the body without a pick guard to be a little darker than the neck.  Looks like yours may be very close to the same color but it’s hard to tell just looking at your avatar.

I just took a closer look at mine and even with the heavy quilting on the neck it is, overall, just slightly lighter in color than the body.  As PhilHill said, it might not be a great comparison as the figuring makes it harder to judge.

Here is another photo that is pretty representative of the subtle color difference when viewed in-person:

 

[rgand]

Damn, that looks good. I do like the shade of that neck. The roasted swamp ash would look good roasted a slight bit darker but it's fine the way it is.

 

[Ric Moore]

Looks nice pirate!  I’m hoping for the body without a pick guard to be a little darker than the neck.  Looks like yours may be very close to the same color but it’s hard to tell just looking at your avatar.

I just took a closer look at mine and even with the heavy quilting on the neck it is, overall, just slightly lighter in color than the body.  As PhilHill said, it might not be a great comparison as the figuring makes it harder to judge.

Here is another photo that is pretty representative of the subtle color difference when viewed in-person:

Yes I can see the difference better in this photo and it does look nice. Thank you