Preferred Neck Construction (1 piece vs. shaft wood plus separate fingerboard wood)

[Diminished Triad]

What is your preferred neck construction between a single, one piece (shaft and fingerboard are one piece/same piece of wood) and a neck that has a separate shaft wood and fingerboard wood? If you did not choose a one piece (for example, all maple neck) would you prefer a maple shaft and rosewood fingerboard.............or rosewood shaft and maple fingerboard?

All things being the same, are single piece necks more subject to warping? Do they play a little brighter because they are one piece?

I'm ordering a neck from Warmoth to match a strat body with SSL-1 pickups (strat body made of alder).

Thanks for any neck construction advice you can share!

 

[constant mesh]

Re: Preferred Neck Construction (1 piece vs. shaft wood plus separate fingerboard woo

I like a one-piece neck myself.

A two-piece neck is structurally superior because ebony/rosewood is more stable than maple. Maple is not at all a bad choice for a single-piece neck, but should be finished and most of the time like you see on MM's, oiling might not be enough. A nice satin poly finish on a one-piece hard rock maple neck looks best to me.

Maple is much easier to clean, but harder to refret, all because of the finish.
I won't go into the tone debate and personally, I don't really care about it, you have to take the guitar as a whole.

 

[Chris of Arabia]

Re: Preferred Neck Construction (1 piece vs. shaft wood plus separate fingerboard woo

Off the top of my head, I can't think I've got anything with a single piece neck on it, not that I've got anything against them, that's just how it worked out. I would expect a multi-piece neck to be more stable, much like any laminated material, but there's nothing to say a one-piece can't be perfectly stable either.

 

[LReese]

Re: Preferred Neck Construction (1 piece vs. shaft wood plus separate fingerboard woo

I like a one-piece neck myself.

A two-piece neck is structurally superior because ebony/rosewood is more stable than maple. Maple is not at all a bad choice for a single-piece neck, but should be finished and most of the time like you see on MM's, oiling might not be enough. A nice satin poly finish on a one-piece hard rock maple neck looks best to me.

Maple is much easier to clean, but harder to refret, all because of the finish.
I won't go into the tone debate and personally, I don't really care about it, you have to take the guitar as a whole.

Depending on what's finish is on it and how much is there - You might not have to refinish. I just went through a no-refinish fret job on a maple neck. My current on will likely have to be refinished. You never absolutely know until the frets are out and any bumps are taken down.

 

[Stratman]

Re: Preferred Neck Construction (1 piece vs. shaft wood plus separate fingerboard woo

Do yourself a favor and try USA Custom Guitars instead of Warmoth...

I found that that Warmoth neck sound dead after a few months.

Checked the moisture percentage and found that it was 18.4%, and that neck was a finished neck, so that moisture content was delivered like that!

 

[LReese]

Re: Preferred Neck Construction (1 piece vs. shaft wood plus separate fingerboard woo

Not to sound like a shill but this guy is starting to offer necks - I've played a couple when talking fretwork and they are really, really nice.

He did the frets/Neck Pocket work on my Clapton Strat and is in the process of refurbishing my '75 Strat.
Aperio

 

[Myaccount876]

Re: Preferred Neck Construction (1 piece vs. shaft wood plus separate fingerboard woo

Laminate necks I find are miles more stable. Not to mention if it is a one-piece neck (even just the shaft as one piece) with an angled headstock you're asking for trouble unless you have a good volute or thickness.

But I have to ask, are you even ready for an expensive custom parts guitar when you aren't even sure what you want? Spend your money as you please, but we cannot possibly know what you want more than you, so it is pointless and will serve no good to ask us "a vs. b". Sorry if this comes off as harsh but it is just advice to help you from wasting money.

 

[elelpe]

Re: Preferred Neck Construction (1 piece vs. shaft wood plus separate fingerboard woo

Theoretically two-piece neck is more stable than one piece neck. My only gripe with one piece neck is (and that's being nitpicky) sometimes I have this inconsistent feeling from the back of the neck because of the skunk stripe (different wood material). That said, my #1 guitar has one piece neck. I'm more concerned about neck profile and radius. If it were me, I'd go with one piece maple neck for that alder body. But if it's rosewood, I'd choose two piece neck. Rosewood neck feels really good in your palm.

 

[Diminished Triad]

Re: Preferred Neck Construction (1 piece vs. shaft wood plus separate fingerboard woo

Do yourself a favor and try USA Custom Guitars instead of Warmoth...

I found that that Warmoth neck sound dead after a few months.

Checked the moisture percentage and found that it was 18.4%, and that neck was a finished neck, so that moisture content was delivered like that!

USA Custom Guitars better than Warmoth? Will give it a second look. My first round it did not seem to offer as many choices and the website was not as advanced as Warmoth's so was a little easier to work with Warmoth's. Thanks for the advice....

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: Preferred Neck Construction (1 piece vs. shaft wood plus separate fingerboard woo

If I have to replace the neck on my new fixer upper bass, I'm gonna put a 1 piece maple neck on there.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Preferred Neck Construction (1 piece vs. shaft wood plus separate fingerboard woo

I don't really care so much any more. I like all necks from one-piece necks to slab necks to veneer necks to three-piece Norlin Gibson necks to the plywood neck on my cheesy '60's Japanese guitar. I guess that technically speaking, the more pieces, the more stable the neck is. That being said, how stable does a neck need to be? One piece is usually sufficient. It's more about using stable wood to begin with, and sealing it properly, than it is about how many pieces are used.

 

[LReese]

Re: Preferred Neck Construction (1 piece vs. shaft wood plus separate fingerboard woo

I actually prefer by a slight margin the slightly rough feel of Rosewood, but as long as I'm off the fretboard or have a well cured non-sticky finished, I don't care.

No one likes sticky-poo on their necks - or toilet!

 

[Stratman]

Re: Preferred Neck Construction (1 piece vs. shaft wood plus separate fingerboard woo

USA Custom Guitars better than Warmoth? Will give it a second look. My first round it did not seem to offer as many choices and the website was not as advanced as Warmoth's so was a little easier to work with Warmoth's. Thanks for the advice....

Call and ask for Tommy, tell him Larry (Stratman) recommend you to call him.

Read the following and then make your own decision….

http://www.usacustomguitars.com

http://www.harmonycentral.com/t5/Electric-Guitars/USA-Custom-Guitars-Good-or-Bad/td-p/30393272

http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showthread.php?t=69929


BTW - Scott_F and others forum members received a Warmoth body and neck for a tele that was given to Seymour Duncan a few years ago…

I understand that Warmoth gave that body and neck to the SD Tele-Gib SD team for free, but I could be mistaken...

 

[LReese]

Re: Preferred Neck Construction (1 piece vs. shaft wood plus separate fingerboard woo

I've had a good experience with USA custom - no necks though. Hear good things about them.

Bought a body from them - told them what I wanted. Tommy kept up with me - even told me about a mistake made on the order... needless to say I have 2 really nice bodies. Temptation. LOL

 

[Diminished Triad]

Re: Preferred Neck Construction (1 piece vs. shaft wood plus separate fingerboard woo

Call and ask for Tommy, tell him Larry (Stratman) recommend you to call him.

Read the following and then make your own decision….

http://www.usacustomguitars.com

http://www.harmonycentral.com/t5/Electric-Guitars/USA-Custom-Guitars-Good-or-Bad/td-p/30393272

http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showthread.php?t=69929


BTW - Scott_F and others forum members received a Warmoth body and neck for a tele that was given to Seymour Duncan a few years ago…

I understand that Warmoth gave that body and neck to the SD Tele-Gib SD team for free, but I could be mistaken...

Very impressive reviews of USA Custom Guitars. I will definitely check them out more and not rely just on the virtual design Warmoth has for strats/teles. Based on what many have said it sounds that at least the USA necks are superior to those from Warmoth...won't hurt to try them out. Thanks again!

 

[Bludave]

Re: Preferred Neck Construction (1 piece vs. shaft wood plus separate fingerboard woo

It's interesting.... My Turquoise Strats neck just died. I was looking at Warmoth for a replacement. Its a great sounding guitar and I ordered another neck from them that I am very happy with so I am looking to replicate that neck. Quarterl-sawn maple with Rosewood(I would prefer Brazilian but they don't offer it anymore gotta call them and find out). 9.5" radius 6105 frets. Clapton back.....

 

[Lake Placid Blues]

Re: Preferred Neck Construction (1 piece vs. shaft wood plus separate fingerboard woo

I like one piece necks better, but just barely. In other words it doesn't really matter that much. A one piece may give a slightly more pure tone, but the seperate fingerboard might give slightly more complex harmonics?

 

[Lake Placid Blues]

Re: Preferred Neck Construction (1 piece vs. shaft wood plus separate fingerboard woo

Call and ask for Tommy............

You can e-mail Tommy with your ideas but include your phone number. Tommy will call back. It would do the OP good to talk these ideas out with someone good like Tommy rather make these decisions based purely on the internet.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Preferred Neck Construction (1 piece vs. shaft wood plus separate fingerboard woo

There is my favorite as well, Musikraft.

 

[LReese]

Re: Preferred Neck Construction (1 piece vs. shaft wood plus separate fingerboard woo

It's interesting.... My Turquoise Strats neck just died. I was looking at Warmoth for a replacement. Its a great sounding guitar and I ordered another neck from them that I am very happy with so I am looking to replicate that neck. Quarterl-sawn maple with Rosewood(I would prefer Brazilian but they don't offer it anymore gotta call them and find out). 9.5" radius 6105 frets. Clapton back.....

Did 'ol Petey T sneak in your crib a have his way with that Strat?