best neck wood

[Darkstrike]

So by unfinished do you mean no sealer, lacquer, etc, or completely raw & unsanded? I was under the impression that the wenge neck on my Warwick was bare(but sanded nicely, of course ). I'm not disputing your knowledge or being my usual smartass self; I just want to be sure I'm not misinterpretting here.

+1, I have a Cort with a wenge neck, supposedly unfinished, I'd like to know the truth.

 

[Mikey R]

Has anyone tried hickory?

Dan K.

Isnt Pecan a kind of Hickory? If so, check this one:

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=453248

 

[Lesfunk]

I've never played a Hickory bass, But I've played bass with a few Hicks...

 

[UncleBalsamic]

As far as I know you can play on unfinished wenge necks.

 

[leppikallio]

Gibson Thunderbirds, mahoagany necked, that a reason a lot of people do the Fenderbird mod, for the maple neck.

Again, sorry about my stupid question or perhaps lack of knowledge but why maple is better than mahogany? Or is the reason something else than the wood itself? Of course, mahogany means many things these days but the mahogany I have is not heavier, I think it is about the same or even lighter than hard maple. Is it sound? What is difference between maple and mahogany in neck? I think wenge is heaviest of the group?

One source gives 57lbs/cu.ft. for wenge, 31lbs/cu.ft. for African mahogany, 44lbs/cu.ft. for hard maple. Thinking of neck there sure is difference in weight but the difference isn't that big?

 

[Guest043]

"best" neck woods would probobly be things like wenge, or purpleheart.

but something like maple is a lot more common.

 

[bassobsessed]

Having talked to many well-known builders and owned more basses than I had any right to, my opinion is that mahogany is more stable (warp-resistant), but more liable to getting cracked or smashed (all the Gibsons with headstock repairs). You'll see more Fenders than Gibsons with warped necks - except old T-birds cause they made the necks too damn skinny (I've read repeatedly that this is why Entwhistle stuck Fender necks on his birds, liked a chunkier neck).

 

[Basschair]

+another for wenge. Keep in mind, working wenge almost always equals splinters in the hands.

I'd be interested in trying something like bloodwood in a laminated maple neck, or on its own. I've used 3/8" thick strips of purpleheart in a neck but can't tell if it made a difference in stiffening it...the other neck wood was wenge.

 

[tjclem]

I use Mahogany a lot in necks. I like the feel and workability and have had no issues with warping or other issues. Most of the necks I have made have been hard maple because that is what the customers want though.

 

[Mr. Majestic]

I owned a Devon bass a while back with an unfinished wenge neck.....felt truly amazing.

Pecan and hickory are "almost" undistiguishable. Carya illinoensis/Carya cordiformis. In the cabinet business it is not usually separated into different species.

 

[David Jayne]

I spent a bundle on a Wenge neck from Warmoth, only to discover it weighs about 6 pounds. It's so heavy I can't use it, major, major bummer.

 

[tjclem]

I spent a bundle on a Wenge neck from Warmoth, only to discover it weighs about 6 pounds. It's so heavy I can't use it, major, major bummer.

Not a shock I cant stand a heavy neck I am older and the lighter the better. I use Wenge and Bubinga only as stiffining and decorative stripes in necks. I would like to know what's the lightest wood suitable for a neck. Tight grained 1/4 sawn Mahogany is the lightest I have found so far but I imagine there is something better?

 

[Mikey R]

Pecan and hickory are "almost" undistiguishable. Carya illinoensis/Carya cordiformis. In the cabinet business it is not usually separated into different species.

I did a bit of reading about this last night, it seems that pecan is often, but not always, lighter and less stiff than hickory.

Ive lost the websites now, and in any case I dont know how authoritive they were - Mr. Majestic, do you know if this is true?

...I would like to know what's the lightest wood suitable for a neck. Tight grained 1/4 sawn Mahogany is the lightest I have found so far but I imagine there is something better?

No-ones suggested softwoods yet - I believe spruce and douglas fir both have way higher stiffness vs their weight.

 

[Mr. Majestic]

I know this for a fact. It is not always the case, but in most cases.

The National Hardwood Lumber Association (NHLA) grading rule book states:

"A NHLA inspector will not make a distinction in the specie between Hickory and Pecan."

 

[PJ all day]

is wenge really that heavy and isnt that good more mass=more sustain

 

[kgrundy]

I have wenge neck with walnut stripes and tung oil finish and it works great

Also I have been told by different people but whereever Wenge is native to that the natives there use to use the saw dust for fishing..

They said that they would take the saw dust and toss it into the water and it would paralyze the fish..

Screw dynamite grab a board lets go to the lake

 

[Matt Golgotha]

I spent a bundle on a Wenge neck from Warmoth, only to discover it weighs about 6 pounds. It's so heavy I can't use it, major, major bummer.

have you compared the weight to another Warmoth neck of a different wood? i only ask as the oversize steel truss rods they use have a fairly substantial weight in comparision to those from other companies

 

[Mikey R]

Ive got my copy of "Workbenches" by Chris Schwarz open in front of me, theres a section in there that lists the stiffness of some timbers common in North America. What surprised me is that rock maple is actually LESS stiff than both southern yellow pine and douglas fir, heres the E values:

Hard maple: 1.83
SYP: 1.93 (+ 5%)
Douglass fir: 1.95 (+ 7%)
Yellow birch: 2.01 (+ 10%)
Hickory: 2.16 (+ 18%)

vs the densities:

Hard maple: 0.63
SYP: 0.67 (+ 6%)
Douglass fir: 0.48 (- 24%)
Yellow birch: 0.62 (- 2%)
Hickory: 0.72 (+ 14%)

Dont know where wenge, purpleheart and friends compare on this scale.

I think woodpecker did some research into European timbers, I'll see if I can find them.

 

[pilotjones]

Ive got my copy of "Workbenches" by Chris Schwarz open in front of me, theres a section in there that lists the stiffness of some timbers common in North America. What surprised me is that rock maple is actually LESS stiff than both southern yellow pine and douglas fir, heres the E values:

Hard maple: 1.83
SYP: 1.93 (+ 5%)
Douglass fir: 1.95 (+ 7%)
Yellow birch: 2.01 (+ 10%)
Hickory: 2.16 (+ 18%)

vs the densities:

Hard maple: 0.63
SYP: 0.67 (+ 6%)
Douglass fir: 0.48 (- 24%)
Yellow birch: 0.62 (- 2%)
Hickory: 0.72 (+ 14%)

Dont know where wenge, purpleheart and friends compare on this scale.

I think woodpecker did some research into European timbers, I'll see if I can find them.

Looking at other sources, some of those figures look like "best case" numbers. For example, for doug fir, the FPL of the USDA shows the MOE to be 1.49-1.95 Mpsi, depending what part of the country the samples were taken from.

For SYP, according to the Southern Pine Council, it can be any of more than four different species, and dimensional lumber will have an MOE of 1.4-1.9 Mpsi depending on the size and grade selected. By the FPL, the four main species show a range of 1.75-1.98 Mpsi.

The FPL agrees with the 2.01 figure for yellow birch, but Link Removed are from 1.15-2.17. So if you have control over what species you're buying, fine; but if you're just buying "birch," maybe not so good!

And this is all without counting the individual tree factor. Every maple does not show an MOE of 1.83 Mpsi.

So, rather than the way you put it, I'd be more likely to say, "southern yellow pine and douglas fir can be stiffer than hard maple."

 

[Rickett Customs]

No best,but my money is on hard maple,although my current project is mostly poplar and cherry with a 3/8 piece of teak down the middle.