New acquisition. Southern Silky Oak.

[Woltz]

Got hold of some Southern Silky Oak for what I would consider pretty cheap. Here it is being cut on the horizontal bandsaw.



A piece of it.



Another piece.



Ends sealed and stacked to let it dry. There are a mix of flat sawn and quarter sawn pieces. I'll give it probably about 12 months before I do anything with it to make sure it's had ample time to dry.



My question for people who've used it before. Is it suitable for use as a guitar neck? I'm planning to use it as back and side sets for an acoustic but was curious whether I could use it for either an acoustic or electric neck as well.

[Jim]

Hi Woltz,

I've been using it in acoustic guitar necks as part of a laminate but I imagine it would be fine for necks on its own. Mine has been strong, stable, easy to work and not too heavy so it ticks all the boxes in my book. Others may have more expert opinions than mine though.

Cheers

Jim

[matthew]

I’m sure it would work as a neck wood. The only thing that would stop me using it is the look. Too much of a good thing on a instrument that’s already has a lot of figure. I would use a more plain wood and finish with a veneer headstock or grafted scroll if I was doing it.

I’ve made three basses with silky and it’s a great tonewood ... if those boards are big enough i could be interested in getting some as quartered SO is getting harder to find.

[Woltz]

I’m sure it would work as a neck wood. The only thing that would stop me using it is the look. Too much of a good thing on a instrument that’s already has a lot of figure. I would use a more plain wood and finish with a veneer headstock or grafted scroll if I was doing it.

I’ve made three basses with silky and it’s a great tonewood ... if those boards are big enough i could be interested in getting some as quartered SO is getting harder to find.

I can't remember dimensions off the top of my head but I doubt the pieces will be wide enough for a bass. It would possibly have to be a 3 piece back. What size board is needed for back and sides on a bass?

[matthew]

I can do a lot with 9 inches and above

[Woltz]

I can do a lot with 9 inches and above

Only one piece is 9 inches or above and it's the bottom slab on the left in the photo with the stacked pieces. It's not a quarter sawn piece, it's a flat sawn piece.

[jeffhigh]

I have found it to move quite a lot with humidity changes (used in making small boxes)
It would not be my choice for neck timber.

[Woltz]

I have found it to move quite a lot with humidity changes (used in making small boxes)
It would not be my choice for neck timber.

Ah good to know. Cheers. If I do experiment with it in a neck in the future I might do it as part of a laminate or use carbon fibre rods.

[jeffhigh]

And make sure any end grain is sealed well