Newbie - Guitar necks wood types

eldarvanyar

Hi I am thinking of attempting a SC guitar using black Korina / limba 1 piece body blank. I may or may not attempt a maple cap or similar. 

I am wondering about which type of wood for the neck to use. I am looking to use a typical Gibson scale length and make a headstock similar to a PRS style and a double truss rod.

I am am wondering about bubinga or wenge as a change from the usual such as maple or mahogany. I think they are used on base necks a lot. 

What size blank should I ought to be looking to order? 

Also so should it be quarter sawn?

Any advice or recommendations appreciated 

WezV

Quartersawn is always stiffer than the same wood flatsawn, but it really does depend on the wood.

i wouldn't use mahogany or limba flatsawn, only quartered.  But maple works well either way, most fenders are flat sawn.  Bubinga or wenge wouldn't matter too much from a stiffness perspective, but wenge wears nicer on fretboards when quartersawn.  

Worth remembering that you can make flatsawn wood effectively quartersawn by flipping it 90 degrees.  I make laminated "quartersawn" mahogany neck blanks from flatsawn planks.


dimensions will depend on overal length (scale, number of frets, headstock length, tenon length), headstock angle and heel depth.  

If if you have not done a neck before go with mahogany or limba.  They carve really easily.  Both bubinga and wenge can be a challenge. 

Roland

Wenge is quite high on the scale of poisonous hard woods.

WezV

Roland said:

Wenge is quite high on the scale of poisonous hard woods.

That's one of the challenges.  The splinters are massive and sharp, but pull out easy enough... they go red and very nasty after though

its fine in its finished state

4xv

I've had experience of Bubinga  on a neck it looks beautiful once finished but it's hard work to get to that stage, I've just made a neck from American black Walnut which looks great feels slinky but most of all was relatively easy to shape using spoke shaves and hand planes. Good luck which ever way you go and most of all enjoy the process.

Danielsguitars

I've just made a Lp special style in limba with a bubinga fretboard
I think it sounds great, nice feel to the fretboard too
I'd definately use bubinga again and i love limba for body and neck, nice and light weight

WezV

My first bubinga neck got scrapped.  It killed a micro plane rasp.  I used to use those and had done necks in maple, zebrano and ovangkol without any issues.   I have since done one with the Japanese saw rasp and it got through it, but took a while. 

i have a piece of  bubinga  perfect for a one piece carved top, but it just sounds like hard work

Danielsguitars

If you route your carved top in steps it's alot easier and quicker then an orbital sander, scrapers and sandpaper

Those Japanese saw rasps are fantastic, I do virtually all my neck carve with them

WezV

Yeah, that's how it would be done... but it still seems like more work than I can be bothered with.

it was given to me as a kitchen worktop offcut.  1" thick and 2x3' perfectly quartered bubinga with a strip of sapwood down one edge.  I have also considered slicing it up for necks.  It's rough sawn, so not quite thick enough for one pierce necks

Danielsguitars

I've done alot of carved tops lately but the flat tops have made a really nice change for me, nice and quick too

I've got 6 carved top body's roughed out at the moment, i'm getting the special done before goung back to them, they do take longer and can be a chore so i know what you mean