Neck Woods

The New Guy

New member
Just curious, why is it that you dont see many mahagany necks with maple fingerboards? bad tone, woods won't adhere well? or maybe they're out there but I haven't seen them....what do you think the tonal charactoristics would be?
 
Re: Neck Woods

I think that maple fretboards are largely an artifact of the one-piece maple necks on Fenders. It was easier to manufacture since they didnt' have to laminate a fretboard onto the neck (even though the fretboard itself then needed to have finish applied). Conversely, on a mahogany neck, a maple fretboard means more work since finishing/buffing the fretboard takes more time than masking the edges of the fretboard. If you dig the tone of a maple board, you'd probably just go for an all maple neck, whether a slab or separate fretboard is used.

I'd expect the tone to be somewhere between that of a rosewood board and an ebony board, tending towards that of ebony.
 
Re: Neck Woods

I´ve seen Mahogany necks with maple boards, they´re just not such a common choice as most players that choose mahogany are looking for a warmer tone, and maple´s brightness counteracts that Idea (Maple is the brightest of fretboard woods, then Ebony, then Pao Ferro, then Rosewood).

Tonal Characteristics would be similar to Ebony, but Snappier and "colder". I don´t think I´d like it too much personally ;)
 
Re: Neck Woods

Hej guys.. i´ll catch a ride on this TOPIC and ask something ...
i´m planning a 7 string Guitar on Warmoth, but in a very distant future.
but i already started my researchs... here´s the question.
i´m planing a Maple Body, with Mahogany Cap, ROSEWOOD NECK and Ebony fretboard.
what do you think of my Idea of a neck made of rosewood?
how that will sound ?
J.P
 
Re: Neck Woods

Haven't played a rosewood neck, but I have heard favorable things about them. Maple body with mahogany cap? :crazy: You sure like those maple bodies, huh?
 
Re: Neck Woods

It seems like the maple would overpower the mahogany. Maple seems to be pretty pronounced, it only takes 1/4" slab to brighten a Les Paul. How 'bout rosewood body/maple cap, rosewood/ebony neck? That would be an interesting combo.
 
Back
Top