Laminated Necks

[xwtb]

Over on the BG side, there are hundreds of posts of the topic of laminated necks-- seems such things are very common in that world. I know I have seen an occasional passing comment about laminated necks in this Setup & Repair forum, but I took no notice just where. Can someone refer me to especially relevant threads? (Search with either Google or TB's own engine just gives you great piles from which you're left to peck out the rare kernel that's applicable.)

I'm surprised lamination isn't more widely mentioned here, given the advantages it seems to offer-- reduced cost and effort, reduced waste, use of materials of more common dimensions, etc. Am I in the dark about some devastating drawback?

One interesting tidbit I plucked out of the BG mound was that horizontal lamination may be stiffer than vertical. This would be good news to someone limited to using standard 1x, since your lamination lines would run parallel to the FB, rather than wandering up from heel to nut. Anyone ever try it that way?

[Eric Rene Roy]

I'll take a stab at this since we make basses.

Although I have seen plenty of "laminated" necks over the years (PW has a nice one on his Bohmann!) I would not look at this as cost savings from a manufacturing standpoint. The labor to plane & join the wood would offset any cost savings. It's cheaper (to me) to grab a big piece of wood and mill it down to size. Also, I hate overcoming objections in a sales situation...and selling a $2K laminated (body) bass with something so unconventional (to the DB world) as a laminated neck as well invites speculation and cause for long-term stability issues. The violin family of instruments is VERY traditional...and for a commercial application like ours we need to blend in.

Now, if someone were commissioning an instrument and wanted a neck like what PW has on his Bohmann, that would be different....commissioned from an individual maker or ourselves. I have it in mind to make a neck with 5 or so pieces of wood of interesting aesthetics...make myself a Ken Smith Upton Bass!

[xwtb]

Thanks, Eric, for the thoughtful reply. I can see that there'd be negative factors from a manufacturing point of view-- and gosh knows there's always a huge weight of tradition to be dealt with in sales. It's the first-time or developing builder who'd stand to benefit most from the idea, I think-- which in turn may account for its infrequency of mention in this forum.

On the other hand, especially with PW's dazzling Bohmann as an example, I'm a bit surprised that contemporary expert luthiers have not done more to exploit the aesthetic potential of laminated necks. And as regards production and sales, considering the popularity of banjos and guitars with such necks, I wonder if the bass industry doesn't over-estimate the conservatism of its potential buying public?

[Rickett Customs]

Though my experience has to do with building an EUB and electrics, laminated necks (opposing grains) have been geared more towards electrics, due to the thinner necks, their warping and twisting effects (more likely from 1 piece). With any DB's i've seen, the neck is much thicker and less prone to warp or twist with a single piece, I guess to some extent would just be "extra" work and not necessarily overkill.

[xwtb]

According to one extended discussion of laminated necks on the BG side (5-piece necks - Why?), eliminating "deadspots" is also a consideration. I don't know if that's exclusively a BG issue, but it doesn't get much mention on the DB side.