Teak/ipe neck
- Thread starter Pelagaard
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Cagey
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I don't have any experience with Teak for guitar/bass parts, but I built a goodly amount of deck furniture out of it. Working it felt a lot like Mahogany. In fact, it's difficult to tell the difference unless somebody points it out. Weight, grain, density, color, etc. are all similar, although it the grain is a bit tighter. It's fairly light and pleasantly colored (again, much like Mahogany). So, I'd expect it to behave much the same way in an instrument. But, I'm just guessing.
I remember when I built that stuff, everybody said "don't finish it!" so I didn't. It was gorgeous as built, and finishing is always a pain in the ass, so it was easy advice to take. But, it turned gray fairly fast. I imagine that might have had something to do with leaving it outside all the time. The sun is hard on just about anything. I can't imagine you'd have the same problem with a guitar/bass unless you left it in the sun/rain/snow for a couple years. But, that's where the wood is headed colorwise over time. Might keep it in mind when choosing a body finish.
I remember when I built that stuff, everybody said "don't finish it!" so I didn't. It was gorgeous as built, and finishing is always a pain in the ass, so it was easy advice to take. But, it turned gray fairly fast. I imagine that might have had something to do with leaving it outside all the time. The sun is hard on just about anything. I can't imagine you'd have the same problem with a guitar/bass unless you left it in the sun/rain/snow for a couple years. But, that's where the wood is headed colorwise over time. Might keep it in mind when choosing a body finish.
tubby.twins
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I can't speak for teak wood necks, but I do have one Gecko neck with an ipe fingerboard. It feels really nice to play, and has a clear and somewhat warm sounding tone without losing too much of the upper midrange. It complements the wenge neck shaft nicely. This is a fretless fingerboard, so I don't know for sure how it would behave with frets. But I think it should sound just fine.
Ipe can range from brownish to greenish. Mine is more green, so my kids promptly named it "boogerwood" after it arrived.
Ipe can range from brownish to greenish. Mine is more green, so my kids promptly named it "boogerwood" after it arrived.
drewfx
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My Koa J bass has a flamed teak/ebony neck and I'm very happy with it:
Mine is an "indoor" bass that doesn't really see the sun, but FWIW I haven't noticed any color change over the 1.5 years I've had it.
As it's uncommon, I did a fair amount of due diligence before springing for it. Generally it's somewhere between mahogany and maple in terms of most measurable wood qualities and the main downside that tends to get mentioned is the high mineral content makes it hard on tools.
My experience/impression is that it has a very neutral sound - i.e. it's more of a canvas than a color. Feel is pretty smooth and sort of waxy.
I should also note that if you Google it you will likely find a lot of "experts" that claim teak "isn't a tonewood". But if you Google "sitar" and "teak", you'll find that it's a highly desirable tonewood very commonly used for high quality instruments in the middle east.
Mine is an "indoor" bass that doesn't really see the sun, but FWIW I haven't noticed any color change over the 1.5 years I've had it.
As it's uncommon, I did a fair amount of due diligence before springing for it. Generally it's somewhere between mahogany and maple in terms of most measurable wood qualities and the main downside that tends to get mentioned is the high mineral content makes it hard on tools.
My experience/impression is that it has a very neutral sound - i.e. it's more of a canvas than a color. Feel is pretty smooth and sort of waxy.
I should also note that if you Google it you will likely find a lot of "experts" that claim teak "isn't a tonewood". But if you Google "sitar" and "teak", you'll find that it's a highly desirable tonewood very commonly used for high quality instruments in the middle east.
drewfx
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Also here's a site I use for wood properties with a lot of characteristics for a lot of woods.
Teak:
http://www.connectedlines.com/wood/wood70.htm
Ipe:
http://www.connectedlines.com/wood/wood35.htm
I should note that a lot of famous guitar woods there get a "no" for "Use for musical instruments", so I think you can ignore that. :icon_biggrin:
Teak:
http://www.connectedlines.com/wood/wood70.htm
Ipe:
http://www.connectedlines.com/wood/wood35.htm
I should note that a lot of famous guitar woods there get a "no" for "Use for musical instruments", so I think you can ignore that. :icon_biggrin:
