Walnut bass necks, please!

[Mapleg4]

I'd love a Walnut bass neck.

 

[line6man]

Walnut needs a finish. :dontknow:

 

[Wyliee]

Uh....  Walnut can go wobbly, wobbly.  Are you sure you want that?  The same goes for mahogany and koa bass necks.

 

[Cagey]

Uh....  Walnut can go wobbly, wobbly.  Are you sure you want that?  The same goes for mahogany and koa bass necks.

Are you saying it's unstable, or that it isn't very rigid? I notice it's not used very often, and have wondered why.

 

[Jack Michaelson]

I've seen walnut necks on Carvins and Dingwalls.

What about laminated walnut necks?

 

[Wyliee]

Uh....  Walnut can go wobbly, wobbly.  Are you sure you want that?  The same goes for mahogany and koa bass necks.

Are you saying it's unstable, or that it isn't very rigid? I notice it's not used very often, and have wondered why.

What I've had reported is that it isn't very stable. 

I wouldn't rule out mixing walnut with other, more rigid woods, but I wouldn't be holding my breath.

 

[Rickgrxbass]

Which I suppose presents the question; where are we as far as having 5-piece construction as an "approved" option? There were a handful of Showcase "prototypes" as such, and of course the 8-strings and Geckos are 5-piece by default. Any plans on expanding that to the standard 4/5 stringers?

More on-topic, and combining with my point- Dingwall uses 5-piece Walnut necks (with graphite rods, no less!) as a premium option on their basses, which also have a compound scale of 34" on the G to 37" on the low B, so it's not entirely without precedent to use Walnut on a bass neck...

 

[line6man]

Which I suppose presents the question; where are we as far as having 5-piece construction as an "approved" option? There were a handful of Showcase "prototypes" as such, and of course the 8-strings and Geckos are 5-piece by default. Any plans on expanding that to the standard 4/5 stringers?

More on-topic, and combining with my point- Dingwall uses 5-piece Walnut necks (with graphite rods, no less!) as a premium option on their basses, which also have a compound scale of 34" on the G to 37" on the low B, so it's not entirely without precedent to use Walnut on a bass neck...

Just throwing ideas around, but it is worth noting that five piece necks require more work, as wood must be ripped, jointed and glued before blanks hit the CNC. This could potentially slow production for the bread and butter product lines.

 

[Rickgrxbass]

Which I suppose presents the question; where are we as far as having 5-piece construction as an "approved" option? There were a handful of Showcase "prototypes" as such, and of course the 8-strings and Geckos are 5-piece by default. Any plans on expanding that to the standard 4/5 stringers?

More on-topic, and combining with my point- Dingwall uses 5-piece Walnut necks (with graphite rods, no less!) as a premium option on their basses, which also have a compound scale of 34" on the G to 37" on the low B, so it's not entirely without precedent to use Walnut on a bass neck...

Just throwing ideas around, but it is worth noting that five piece necks require more work, as wood must be ripped, jointed and glued before blanks hit the CNC. This could potentially slow production for the bread and butter product lines.

Well, of course. I'm sure it'd be an upcharge item; hypothetically I'd be comfortable with the usual&customary $35-50 range (but then of course I'd be less inclined to get a Unique Choice fretboard, but I'd be willing to pick my battles).

 

[Wyliee]

Which I suppose presents the question; where are we as far as having 5-piece construction as an "approved" option? There were a handful of Showcase "prototypes" as such, and of course the 8-strings and Geckos are 5-piece by default. Any plans on expanding that to the standard 4/5 stringers?

More on-topic, and combining with my point- Dingwall uses 5-piece Walnut necks (with graphite rods, no less!) as a premium option on their basses, which also have a compound scale of 34" on the G to 37" on the low B, so it's not entirely without precedent to use Walnut on a bass neck...

There have been multilam necks in the Showcase, but I wouldn't classify them as prototypes as nothing is being prototyped.  Ken made up a batch of multilam Deluxe 5 neck blanks long ago and I haven't seen any new ones in a long time. And almost all of those necks were Showcase only.

As you've noted, Dingwall offers it on their premium line.  Those basses have a street of $3000-$4000.  Is it fair to compare that to a $300-$400 bass neck?  If you really wanted a multilam walnut neck, you'd be paying a fair bit more than an extra $50.

 

[Rickgrxbass]

Fair enough. I was just curious, since I did see them in the showcase (and this may well have been over a year ago now), if anything was in the works. "Sometimes" there's method to the madness, I realize, and sometimes it's just madness.  :toothy10:
I'll keep getting W bass necks until I start making my own; whether or not they have the pretty little stringers in them. There's always the Geckos if I'm feeling extra fancy...

 

[Mapleg4]

Then how come Warmoth makes walnut guitar necks and not bass necks? I could go for a walnut/flame maple laminate or a walnut/mahogany laminate as well. I'm considering a new G4 build with a walnut body and a clear gloss finish.

 

[Wyliee]

The short answer (no pun intended) is guitar necks are shorter and, therefore, stiffer.

 

[Mapleg4]

The short answer (no pun intended) is guitar necks are shorter and, therefore, stiffer.

Pau Ferro matches the color of Walnut. How come it's not possible to choose it as a neck wood in the builders when there are plenty of Pau Ferro bass necks in the showcase?

 

[Mapleg4]

And why exactly is it impossible to build a Warmoth-headstock bass neck of Pau Ferro when you can build a Fender-style neck from it?! And why can't you build one with an Indian Rosewood fingerboard?!

 

[AutoBat]

Scarf joint stability

 

[swarfrat]

Just throwing ideas around, but it is worth noting that five piece necks require more work, as wood must be ripped, jointed and glued before blanks hit the CNC. This could potentially slow production for the bread and butter product lines.

Yes, but saw cuts and gluing are rough, low cost initial operations compared to later operations in the production process.

 

[Wyliee]

And why exactly is it impossible to build a Warmoth-headstock bass neck of Pau Ferro when you can build a Fender-style neck from it?! And why can't you build one with an Indian Rosewood fingerboard?!

Because pau ferro doesn't take the glue as well in a scarf joint.  This is the case with most exotic woods.

 

[Mapleg4]

And why exactly is it impossible to build a Warmoth-headstock bass neck of Pau Ferro when you can build a Fender-style neck from it?! And why can't you build one with an Indian Rosewood fingerboard?!

Because pau ferro doesn't take the glue as well in a scarf joint.  This is the case with most exotic woods.

Finally, looking at some Flame Maple necks with vintage gloss finish and seeing how well the walnut stripes on the back look against the flame grain, I'm considering a Walnut G4 with gloss finish with a Flame Maple neck in Vintage Gloss and an Indian Rosewood fingerboard.

 

[Mapleg4]

Does anyone know if Bubinga necks are as smooth as a satin finish?