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LewsTherin · 05-09-2006, 04:51 PM

NECK WOODS

Maple -- the standard neck wood. Almost every company uses maple in their necks, with a few exceptions. Maple is strong, and relatively easily workable. Maple must be finished. It is very succeptible to warping from moisture problems. Warmoth, for example, will not warrantee a maple neck unless it has been hard finished.

Despite this, a raw or oiled maple neck is (supposedly, I hate maple personally) very sexy feeling.

Sonic Qualities -- Maple is considered a bright wood. It is hard, and dense.

Looks -- This is where maple really shines. Maple comes in a variety of figures. Flame (also called Tiger, Fiddleback), Quilt and Spalt maple are common 'exotic' woods.

Fingerboard? Yes, maple is used in fingerboards as well. Must be finished in this application as well.

Mahogany -- A slightly less common neck wood for basses. Used mostly by Gibson, namely in the Thunderbird. Also used by Parker. Mahogany is less succeptible to warpage from the environment than maple, but a hard finish is still suggested, as it is easily dented.

There are two basic types of mahogany: African and South American. African Mahogany, much less expensive and more easily gotten than South American, is the heavy stuff that gives mahogany a bad name. SA mahogany is very, very light, and is/was actually used in competition-grade rowing shells, with mahogany boats weighing in lighter than many composite hulls.

Sonic Qualities -- Mahogany is known for its fat, warm sustain. Less bright than maple.

Looks -- its brown. Looks nice with a brown or red transparent stain/finish.

Fingerboard? No.

Wenge-- Seen in older Warwick basses (pre '98), Conklin Groove Tools basses, and Ibanez SR50* series basses. Typically used in laminates with Purpleheart, Bubinga, or other woods. Stable, waxy wood (requires no finish), with coarse grain. Very hard, and isnt very nice to cutting surfaces.

Sonic Qualities -- Brings a strong midrange and warm lows.

Looks -- Very dark brown/black with chocolate colored striping. Very visible grain.

Fingerboard? Used by Warwick for fretboards. Not usually used as a fretless fingerboard due to the coarse nature of the wood.

Ovangkol -- Warwick's new neck wood. Also known as "Shedua".

Sonic Qualities -- Brings strong low end with a bright high end.

Looks -- Range of colors, from reddish brown to yellow. Often has striping.

Fingerboard? Probably not.

Purpleheart -- Often used in neck laminations for increased strength, or as an accent pinstripe. Very hard, can be tough on cutting tools. Relatively inexpensive.

Sonic Qualities -- Bright high end, with strong fundamental sustain.

Looks -- Purple. Very sexy.

Fingerboard? Good choice. Its hardness means it will be durable, and will stand up to even roundwound strings, like Ebony.

Ebony -- Another wood used for reinforcement and accents. Very hard, and VERY expensive. Tough on cutting surfaces.

Sonic Qualities -- Similar to Purpleheart.

Looks -- Some ebony is jet black, some is brown with black stripes, some is black with brown stripes. Ironically enough, comes in white, too.

Fingerboard? Very good fingerboard wood, especially for fretless. Durable, can stand up to even stainless steel rounds.

Body Woods

Alder -- a favorite of many companies. Used extensively by Fender, among others, such as Yamaha. Inexpensive, easy to work with. A VERY GOOD WOOD for amateur luthiers. Produces a clear, warm tone with a strong fundamental. Looks good with burst finishes.

Mahogany -- a slightly less common body wood. Used by Ibanez in some basses, and by Gibson. Warm, fat tone, but potentially muddy. Relatively easy to work with. Looks good with a trans red/brown finish. A mahogany back with a maple top is a common combination (ie, Les Paul).

Ash -- Another favorite. There are two types of ash; hard ash and swamp ash. Hard ash (also used in baseball bats) brings long sustain and treble bite. Swamp ash is warmer, while retaining some brightness. Many companies (Conklin GT, Warwick, others probably) often combine a swamp ash back with a maple top.

(Will be back to work on this, just wanted to get it started)

05-09-2006, 04:51 PM	#14
LewsTherin MX Warwick Club HUZZAH! Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: CMass USA Posts: 8,590	NECK WOODS Maple -- the standard neck wood. Almost every company uses maple in their necks, with a few exceptions. Maple is strong, and relatively easily workable. Maple must be finished. It is very succeptible to warping from moisture problems. Warmoth, for example, will not warrantee a maple neck unless it has been hard finished. Despite this, a raw or oiled maple neck is (supposedly, I hate maple personally) very sexy feeling. Sonic Qualities -- Maple is considered a bright wood. It is hard, and dense. Looks -- This is where maple really shines. Maple comes in a variety of figures. Flame (also called Tiger, Fiddleback), Quilt and Spalt maple are common 'exotic' woods. Fingerboard? Yes, maple is used in fingerboards as well. Must be finished in this application as well. Mahogany -- A slightly less common neck wood for basses. Used mostly by Gibson, namely in the Thunderbird. Also used by Parker. Mahogany is less succeptible to warpage from the environment than maple, but a hard finish is still suggested, as it is easily dented. There are two basic types of mahogany: African and South American. African Mahogany, much less expensive and more easily gotten than South American, is the heavy stuff that gives mahogany a bad name. SA mahogany is very, very light, and is/was actually used in competition-grade rowing shells, with mahogany boats weighing in lighter than many composite hulls. Sonic Qualities -- Mahogany is known for its fat, warm sustain. Less bright than maple. Looks -- its brown. Looks nice with a brown or red transparent stain/finish. Fingerboard? No. Wenge-- Seen in older Warwick basses (pre '98), Conklin Groove Tools basses, and Ibanez SR50* series basses. Typically used in laminates with Purpleheart, Bubinga, or other woods. Stable, waxy wood (requires no finish), with coarse grain. Very hard, and isnt very nice to cutting surfaces. Sonic Qualities -- Brings a strong midrange and warm lows. Looks -- Very dark brown/black with chocolate colored striping. Very visible grain. Fingerboard? Used by Warwick for fretboards. Not usually used as a fretless fingerboard due to the coarse nature of the wood. Ovangkol -- Warwick's new neck wood. Also known as "Shedua". Sonic Qualities -- Brings strong low end with a bright high end. Looks -- Range of colors, from reddish brown to yellow. Often has striping. Fingerboard? Probably not. Purpleheart -- Often used in neck laminations for increased strength, or as an accent pinstripe. Very hard, can be tough on cutting tools. Relatively inexpensive. Sonic Qualities -- Bright high end, with strong fundamental sustain. Looks -- Purple. Very sexy. Fingerboard? Good choice. Its hardness means it will be durable, and will stand up to even roundwound strings, like Ebony. Ebony -- Another wood used for reinforcement and accents. Very hard, and VERY expensive. Tough on cutting surfaces. Sonic Qualities -- Similar to Purpleheart. Looks -- Some ebony is jet black, some is brown with black stripes, some is black with brown stripes. Ironically enough, comes in white, too. Fingerboard? Very good fingerboard wood, especially for fretless. Durable, can stand up to even stainless steel rounds. Body Woods Alder -- a favorite of many companies. Used extensively by Fender, among others, such as Yamaha. Inexpensive, easy to work with. A VERY GOOD WOOD for amateur luthiers. Produces a clear, warm tone with a strong fundamental. Looks good with burst finishes. Mahogany -- a slightly less common body wood. Used by Ibanez in some basses, and by Gibson. Warm, fat tone, but potentially muddy. Relatively easy to work with. Looks good with a trans red/brown finish. A mahogany back with a maple top is a common combination (ie, Les Paul). Ash -- Another favorite. There are two types of ash; hard ash and swamp ash. Hard ash (also used in baseball bats) brings long sustain and treble bite. Swamp ash is warmer, while retaining some brightness. Many companies (Conklin GT, Warwick, others probably) often combine a swamp ash back with a maple top. (Will be back to work on this, just wanted to get it started)