Re: Would you consider a Walnut neck?
According to THE WOOD DATABASE, Black Walnut should be lighter than African Mahogany and those are the species Warmoth uses. And although it would be bright it should be less bright than Hard Maple. In that middle ground between Les Paul and Strat I want the sound to lean slightly to the LP side of center. I like that its pores seem to be similar to Mahogany ... which make me think they may couple sonically.
Warmoth suggests Ebony fretboards with Walnut backs, but I'm thinking that might bring out too much high end. I don't want "bright". I have a Tele for that.