Telecaster body is done, but now I need your opinion on what neck!

[Cagey]

Here's what I'm talking about, although it's a Warhead vs. Tele headstock.

That's before I leveled/crowned/dressed/polished the gold frets or burnished the neck meat, so it's looking a little raw there.

I just priced up a new one in Tele dress at $312 (no frets, no nut).

 

[Logrinn]

Ebony over Bloodwood is what I got on one of my builds.

Unfortunately for me, the chambered body is a tad too light compared to the slightly heavier neck giving me slight neck dive issues.
Aah, but the tone ..! And the feel of it ..!

 

[PumpinIron]

Yep, I didn't even know about that Bloodwood, that stuff looks pretty sweet!

 

[Cagey]

It's very sweet. A fantastic wood combination that feels/sounds sublime. The only downsides to it, if you can call them that, are its color and density. The color is beautiful - I don't mean to take anything away from it - but it's not going to just automatically match up with any ol' body finish. For example, it would look quite out of place against a seafoam green body. Then, the density is also good inasmuch as it'll make the guitar ring and sustain very well, but that also makes it heavy. The stuff is like red Ebony, if there were such a thing. The weight could exacerbate the neck dive tendencies of some body styles/constructions where the forward strap hanger is too close to the center of gravity or the construction is too light due to wood species/chambering. For example, it's unlikely it would be comfortable to play on a Diamondback, Nomad or Iceman body. But, on any of the traditional body styles, it works well. A typical run-of-the-mill Rosewood over Maple neck weighs about a pound with tuners on it. This one will weigh two. So, you're adding about a pound to the weight of traditional Tele. Doesn't sound like much in the grand scheme of things, but a typical Les Paul weighs about 2 pounds more than a typical Strat, and as many will tell you, that difference feels like 10 pounds after about an hour of it hanging around your neck.  All that said... it would look/feel/play/sound fantastic on that Tele body of yours.

 

[PumpinIron]

One more mockup. This is a flamed maple neck, pau ferro fretboard, and an ivory neck binding to match the ivory binding on the top of the body.

 

[Cagey]

Bound Pau Ferro? What could possibly be better than that? But, other than the binding, I'm not loving the color/grain matchup here. Strange as it may sound, that body needs a less attractive neck. Something that contrasts but doesn't draw the eye away. You don't want to get into a striped shirt/plaid pants situation.

 

[PumpinIron]

Well, that neck I just mocked up would cost me $692 to have custom made... Damn spendy!

I guess that's what I get for loving the fatback / boatneck necks. If I could play a standard thin, I'd have a plethora of options to choose from in the showcase which are much cheaper.

Anyways, just so you know where I am getting the idea for the pau ferro on maple, it's from this guitar (another Warmoth build from a member of this site, and also the inspiration for my build):

 

[Cagey]

I believe it. Binding is expensive, then it creates a bigger adder for the frets. Then figured Maple ain't cheap, and neither is Pau Ferro.

Actually, if you were to change from figured Maple to regular roasted Maple, you'd save save a good chunk on the neck meat while getting something that's arguably better, you wouldn't have to pay for a finish, and the color would match better. Still have the profile you want, the Pau Ferro, the binding, and stainless frets. So much win!

 

[PumpinIron]

I believe it. Binding is expensive, then it creates a bigger adder for the frets. Then figured Maple ain't cheap, and neither is Pau Ferro.

Actually, if you were to change from figured Maple to regular roasted Maple, you'd save save a good chunk on the neck meat while getting something that's arguably better, you wouldn't have to pay for a finish, and the color would match better. Still have the profile you want, the Pau Ferro, the binding, and stainless frets. So much win!

Will a gloss clear coat make the flame maple pattern on the back of the neck stand out more, or will it stand out more if I leave it uncoated? I've always been curious about that.

Not a bad idea on the roasted maple either.

 

[rgand]

I believe it. Binding is expensive, then it creates a bigger adder for the frets. Then figured Maple ain't cheap, and neither is Pau Ferro.

Actually, if you were to change from figured Maple to regular roasted Maple, you'd save save a good chunk on the neck meat while getting something that's arguably better, you wouldn't have to pay for a finish, and the color would match better. Still have the profile you want, the Pau Ferro, the binding, and stainless frets. So much win!

Will a gloss clear coat make the flame maple pattern on the back of the neck stand out more, or will it stand out more if I leave it uncoated? I've always been curious about that.

Not a bad idea on the roasted maple either.

If you get roasted flame maple and burnish it the way Kevin (Cagey) does, it'll look amazing.

 

[Cagey]

Regular curly Maple's appearance benefits from a finish, which is a Good Thing because it requires one. Roasted Maple, figured or not, doesn't require a finish and will still look fantastic. You just burnish it, and it turns into sex on a stick. Super slick - it'll probably be the fastest-feeling neck you've ever played.