• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Cedar for a neck (not the fretboard)

B

Big_Daddy

Nov 24, 2010
379
13
Central Alberta
#1
I understand that cedar is a strong, durable wood. It's not prone to warping, decay, twisting, or any of the sort. I'm going to be starting my first build soon enough, and thus far I'm considering pine for the body (with a nice center strip of something) and I haven't decided what kind of fretboard I'll have.

Aesthetics are of no concern to me.

Back to the original question...Is a cedar neck feasible?
 
#3
it is strong, like spruce is strong; but as far as neck material i dont know; it doesent sound good to me, but there are lots of ways to 'assist' in its strength; carbon bars thick finger board, # of laminations;
 
#4
What kind of cedar are we talking about here? Spanish cedar could make neck, although you'd probably want some spars in there, but I'd avoid western red cedar and the like. Cedar can warp, cup and twist quite a bit in my experience...
 
#6
There is another wood called Cedro which is similar to Mahogany and that would be OK .
But Pine is not suitable for bodies and I 've never seen it offered as a tonewood .
I also think this is a wind-up
 
#7
It seems stiffs necks are a declared goal of each bass maker, so stay away from soft woods makes some sense.

As far as I know ALL the classical guitar makers use spanish cedar as neck material, for its weight-stiffness relation, most of them quartersawn...
Coupled with a strong ebony fingerboard;)
And no truss rod or reinforcement at all.
Neck bow is not strange in +10 years old guitars, with a total string tension of 35 kg about 78 pounds

Said this, maple is way stiffer than spanish cedar but nothing that some carbon rod can solve.
 
#9
Spino said:
There is another wood called Cedro which is similar to Mahogany and that would be OK .
But Pine is not suitable for bodies and I 've never seen it offered as a tonewood .
I also think this is a wind-up
Click to expand...

It's my first build, so I have no interest in investing money into mahogony, alder, ash, or anything of the sort. This is purely for educational purposes and for experience. If the bass turns out to be a poop shoot, so what. I get rid of the body, salvage the parts and move on.

As for the wind-up part? Is that supposed to mean a Troll Thread? As in the intent of this thread is to get people's blood boiling? Just curious.
 
#11
Big_Daddy said:
Yeah, I've been reading up on stuff like that, aswell as previous threads about pine bodies in Luthier's Corner. I'm dead-set on using pine for my body.
Click to expand...

Quality pine will be fine for a body but the common problem is construction pine from your local HD or construction supplier. These pines generally are smaller, fast growth trees and have poor stability. When these logs go to the mill they are sawn and pretty much loaded and shipped out with little time to dry. The combination of the wet wood and narrow trees leads to serious problems once the wood begins to dry out. Boards can cup and twist as well as the softer grain shrinking and leaving the grain lines standing higher than the rest of the wood. Since most pine bodies have a painted finish this would basically ruin the finish.

Look for furniture grade pine that has been properly seasoned and it should work fine for a bass. If not, find the best looking, straightest grained quartersawn piece you can find at HD and let it sit a year or so before you use it.
 
#12
Furniture grade pine, eh? I'll start keeping my eyes peeled so I don't pass anything up.

Big B. said:
Quality pine will be fine for a body but the common problem is construction pine from your local HD or construction supplier. These pines generally are smaller, fast growth trees and have poor stability. When these logs go to the mill they are sawn and pretty much loaded and shipped out with little time to dry. The combination of the wet wood and narrow trees leads to serious problems once the wood begins to dry out. Boards can cup and twist as well as the softer grain shrinking and leaving the grain lines standing higher than the rest of the wood. Since most pine bodies have a painted finish this would basically ruin the finish.

Look for furniture grade pine that has been properly seasoned and it should work fine for a bass. If not, find the best looking, straightest grained quartersawn piece you can find at HD and let it sit a year or so before you use it.
Click to expand...
 
#14
I personally wouldn't use a cedar for a bass neck. I've used both spanish, and western red cedar on ukulele necks before and they work particularly well for the purpose - they're both lightweight and maintain balance well, and strength is almost a non-issue due to the total tension on a uke being about 11 kg or 23 pounds. A bass has about 95 kg or 200 pounds tension on it I think, so you might not want to use a softwood for a neck. Maple, and Birch are good relatively cheap woods for a neck.
 
#16
IMHO, a first build should be approached as any other build. Especially if it is meant to be the first of few - or many. Building is also about getting familiar with the basic woods, those that you're likely to be wanting to use in the future.
Rock Maple is a good old classic for reliable necks for a reason and doesn't cost much.

"If the bass turns out to be a poop shoot, so what..." I see your point. To me it's rather - What if all turns out fine. All but the neck...

But that's just my way of looking at it. Have fun with your build and post pictures! :)
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back