Neck material

[rod]

My current build is Indian Rosewood with Sitka sb, problem is I don't have a piece of Indian Rosewood for the neck.....Any suggestions? I have Q,maple,
Silkwood,Mackay Cedar,Aus Rosewood,Qld Walnut.....I would like to try to keep the colour the same if possible though.

Cheers,Rod.

[rocket]

Well Rod, if i were in your position and couldn't colour match the neck to the body i think my next best option would be to take advantage of a nice contrast, and i think some of that Queensland maple might do the trick just nicely.
Cheers mate,,,,,, Rod.

[Kim]

I'm with Rocket, go with QLD Maple. Its strong, light and stable and easily one of the best acoustic neck woods in the world. The only negative I have found is that it can be a bit spongy on the end grain, and like most wood, does not take a threaded insert that well for a bolt on. That is not to say this is a real issue, but it is good reason to keep your tools very sharp when working the heel and tenon area, and to at least firm the grain with CA afterward if you intend to tap an insert into the tenon.

Cheers

Kim

[J.F. Custom]

There wouldn't be too many acoustic guitars out there with solid Indian Rosewood necks Rod. It would be a heavy neck option even if you could get it - that's not to say you couldn't use it of course.

Generally traditional acoustic necks are built form light, strong and stable material such as Mahogany or Spanish Cedar, rather than chosen by their appearance. With your listed options, I too would go for Qld. Maple for the reasons listed by others above.

Cheers,

Jeremy.

[rod]

I think I shall go with the Maple!!! Maybe a little bit of stain to match it up....Cheers fella's!

[rod]

Found this hunk in the corner,does anyone know what it is??? It would make a nice match !!

[Kim]

Hey Rod,

That is an attractive piece of wood no doubt but from an image on the computer it is hard to say what it is, and it does not help that there is nothing, like a 5 cent piece for instance, included to give perspective.

I will say that no matter what type of wood it is, the grain looks far too reactive to be 'safely' used for a neck shaft. You can go all over a guitar and take your chances by deviating from the straight grain perfectly quartered mantra, in order to insert a bit of 'bling'. But there is nowhere you will pay more dearly for that gamble than the neck.

Think about the consequence. You build a great guitar and it looks just fantastic. 2 month down the track, the neck develops a twist and your heart breaks as you realise, you can fix most other things on a guitar, but a twisted neck, well that's 'check mate'.

From a 'hand built' perspective, almost half the build effort is absorbed by the neck...So 'before' anyone spends all that time trying to achieve 'that' look at the expense of all else, they really should ask themselves, am I truly happy to do all this again, on the same guitar, with just as much passion and attention to detail, using plain, bland, un-figured but well quartered wood, just to get me back where I was 2 months ago??..If your answer to that question is yes, then you should build with whatever you like and see what comes off it, because 'that' is the only way you will ever truly know what will work well from one bit of wood to the next.

Cheers

Kim

[Matt Bach]

I'd be more worried about this guy appearing in your wood!

[rod]

Kim, I really had no intentions of using it for a neck,but thought maybe someone may have known what it was.It is 240x50x1800, so more than enough for b&s, but still that grain is pretty wild !...I think it would be a risk to try and bend the sides....Maybe one day i'll break it down and give it a go..
And theres a lot of those little guys faces in it aswell !!!
Cheers,Rod

[rocket]

Looks like spotted gum but going by the dimensions of that billet, not likely. It is an attractive chunk of wood but!!!

[needsmorecowbel]

2nd bigfoot sighting...dayummmm

[rod]

I have used a dovetail joint on all of my earlier builds, this time I have decided to go with a bolt on.....problem is I have no idea how! The book I have only shows the dovetail method. I summize that knock in threaded inserts are what are used??? I have made up some 10mm roundstock and threaded them to accept a m6 bolt. I plan to drill in from the side of the tenon and then bolt her on......In my mind tis would be a stronger method?
Any thoughts would be appreciated....
Cheers,Rod

[rocket]

Rod , as yet i haven't gone down the bolt on neck road but i have seen some great threads/tutorials on here on how to go about it if you do a bit of a search i'm sure you'll turn up some helpful info. That is if it wasn't lost in the crash. sorry bout that.
Cheers ,,,,, Rod

[Puff]

Search is at top right of every page- next to FAQ. Type in "neck bolt systems".

[rod]

Cheers fella's.....Tiz easy to find things when you know how!!!!