Wenge neck with a bocote fretboard. Thoughts?

[Snake Aces]

It would be neck with no inlays. Wenge is a pretty consistent wood color-wise with the only variations being in the grain. Bocote is a little more varied when it comes to color and grain. I have googled for this combination to see some examples but I cannot seem to locate any examples. I already know the ballpark of what to expect from this combination but I cannot seem to decide if it will look good to have such a dark neck wood with such a wild and brighter colored fretboard wood.

 

[vinta9e]

Re: Wenge neck with a bocote fretboard. Thoughts?

Looks wise they should work okay given how they share the pattern of alternating black and brown lines. Main complaint is wenge grain feeling veiny and splintery to me. Not my first choice for a neck shaft unless pore filled and finished.

 

[Snake Aces]

Re: Wenge neck with a bocote fretboard. Thoughts?

Looks wise they should work okay given how they share the pattern of alternating black and brown lines. Main complaint is wenge grain feeling veiny and splintery to me. Not my first choice for a neck shaft unless pore filled and finished.

I currently have a wenge neck on another guitar. Warmoth did a very nice job making it smooth and fast to the touch, it's one of my favorite necks I've ever played on. It's the neck with the fret work that may need to be done one day so if that day ever comes you will get to check it out for yourself.

I am looking into a new neck and am definitely concerned about the looks. I have my choices narrowed down to either an all Indian rosewood neck, an all wenge neck or either an Indian rosewood with bocote fretboard or a wenge neck with bocote fretboard. The neck will be going on a transparent blue swamp ash body similar to this one:

I love the way bocote looks with swamp ash, I have another guitar back in the US that is a swamp ash body with a bocote neck. My first choice for this blue swamp ash body would be an all bocote neck but Warmoth cannot do the style neck I want because they do not trust the way bocote glues to itself for a good scarf joint. Here is how bocote looks on my other guitar back in the US though:

 

[Mincer]

Re: Wenge neck with a bocote fretboard. Thoughts?

I have a wenge/ebony neck on a Warmoth body. That looks awesome.

 

[kramersteen]

Re: Wenge neck with a bocote fretboard. Thoughts?

gnarly and radical

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Wenge neck with a bocote fretboard. Thoughts?

That green strat body and neck look incredible.

 

[Snake Aces]

Re: Wenge neck with a bocote fretboard. Thoughts?

I have a wenge/ebony neck on a Warmoth body. That looks awesome.

I have wanted a wenge/ebony neck for a while. I just do not think I want that combo for this guitar in particular.I think the wenge/ebony combo is awesome though!

 

[Snake Aces]

Re: Wenge neck with a bocote fretboard. Thoughts?

That green strat body and neck look incredible.

Thanks! I really love that guitar. I am not much of a Strat guy but that one is special. One of these days I need to have it shipped to me for sure.

 

[ChAoZ]

Re: Wenge neck with a bocote fretboard. Thoughts?

What a waste not utilising that lovely neck ,get your mum to unbolt it and send on to me for my 1 piece Bubinga body project :lmao:














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[Kostas]

Re: Wenge neck with a bocote fretboard. Thoughts?

I have bought three unfinished necks from Warmoth: I.RW, Wenge and Goncalo Alves. Goncalo is the only one that I haven't used oil or anything else since I bought it on 2008. It has small pores but it feels like a satin finished maple. I'm guessing by now there is no sealer on it but it's still feels like the first day. On the other hand RW & Wenge needed oil after a while as they became sticky.

I have also played with a friends highly figured Bocote/Bocote necks. It felt very good on hand (looked amazing if you like figured woods) but I haven't played with it in years.

 

[Snake Aces]

Re: Wenge neck with a bocote fretboard. Thoughts?

What a waste not utilising that lovely neck ,get your mum to unbolt it and send on to me for my 1 piece Bubinga body project :lmao:

Haha, I agree, what a waste! Seriously though, the only reason I'm not using it right now is because I have a friend who said he would route the bocote neck for a floyd rose locking nut but he has not had time to get to it yet. I can't wait to have that guitar again though.

 

[Snake Aces]

Re: Wenge neck with a bocote fretboard. Thoughts?

I have bought three unfinished necks from Warmoth: I.RW, Wenge and Goncalo Alves. Goncalo is the only one that I haven't used oil or anything else since I bought it on 2008. It has small pores but it feels like a satin finished maple. I'm guessing by now there is no sealer on it but it's still feels like the first day. On the other hand RW & Wenge needed oil after a while as they became sticky.

I have also played with a friends highly figured Bocote/Bocote necks. It felt very good on hand (looked amazing if you like figured woods) but I haven't played with it in years.

I have a wenge, Indian rosewood, bocote and bubinga unfinished neck from Warmoth. I love all of them but I have never had to apply oil to any of them. I did want a goncalo alves neck years ago but Warmoth did not trust the scarf joint when gluing goncalo to itself so I went with wenge instead. I like tilted headstocks with the 59 roundback profile so sometimes my wood options become limited.

 

[Snake Aces]

Re: Wenge neck with a bocote fretboard. Thoughts?

I have a bass with a transparent blue finish on swamp ash that has a bubinga neck. Bubinga looks great together with the blue swamp ash. It's kind of a wild card but bubinga might be cool when paired with a nice Indian rosewood fretboard. I am not so sure a bocote fretboard would look very good on bubinga though.

I love bubinga as a bass neck for sure, I am not so sure how I would like it as a guitar neck. Tone wise it is a great match for bass. It kind of has crunchy mids with nice tight lows while leaning towards the brighter side of mids. I like my wenge and Indian rosewood necks for guitar very much, but the idea of a bubinga neck has been creepin' in my mind.