Official Luthiers Forum!

for my first 2 builds i got mahogany for the back and sides and a mahogany neck. it was easy to imagine how the over all design of the guitar would look as they match up nicely. i see lots of really interesting material out there for back and sides but i can't imagine how they would look with a mahogany neck. i realize sometimes different wood for the body and neck can look really good but i also worry about just having a mishmash different types.

what other kind of neck wood i can use? do you sometimes stain the neck to match the body?

how do folks here approach their designs using different woods for the body and neck?

thanks!
-patch

_________________
http://www.wideskyguitars.com
https://www.instagram.com/wide_sky_guitars/

Neck woods are most commonly Mahogany , Spanish Cedar , or Maple. I have seen and played a few that had a rosewood neck . Be careful as neck wood can also effect the tone and feel of a guitar. In both cases the necks made the guitar so heavy and out of balance that they were uncomfortable to play.
Staining the neck to match the body is not that difficult and is a practice that fall into tradition. Walnut can make a decent neck but you have to be careful some woods will not take the stress as well as others and really won't make a good neck.

_________________
John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

Mahogany necks are way overdone, IMO. Just about the most average wood there is. Medium density, medium stiffness, medium color, medium tap tone, medium cost... the only extreme is that it's extremely stable with regards to humidity, which is of course a good thing for necks.

Spanish cedar is also overdone on classicals, but for better reason. Not many other hardwoods that low density.

My favorite at the moment is black walnut, for its dark color and because it grows all over around here and is thus cheap and sustainable.

I'm currently working on one with Indian rosewood, and another with Port Orford cedar. Haven't cut into the rosewood yet, but I suspect it will be a long and unpleasant process. Working on the POC scarf joint right now, and it has quite an interesting feel. Cuts and planes extremely easily, even when taking huge chips. The chips feel dry and crispy. The surface is super soft and smooth after using a scraper on it. Really light weight, too. I wish I could get more of it for a reasonable price.

As for my own decision process, it's largely visual, but also based on density, and general "vibe" I get from each wood, relative to the overall theme of the guitar. I don't like stained woods on guitars... at least not mine.

Historically necks have been veneered and painted also, two more options to get the look you want while still retaining the structural qualities a neck needs.

thanks all! lots to think about here.

_________________
http://www.wideskyguitars.com
https://www.instagram.com/wide_sky_guitars/

Butternut (J. cinerea) is the 'local' equivalent to cedro for necks. It has the right density, stiffness, and working properties, and, being a walnut, it's pretty stable.

I've used cherry for necks a number of times, and it works well. I tend to stay away from the denser woods, like rosewood or oak, for necks, as they tend to end up top heavy unless you make the neck really thin. Very thin necks can actually end up being uncomfortable to play.

I love the look of a natural finish mahogany neck on most body woods. The relatively neutral color means it plays nice with a lot of different wood species, something I don't necessarily find is the case with something like Walnut (which I love carving). That said, where appropriate, I will try to match body and neck - Walnut and Cherry for example - or add a 'matching' contrasting stripe for heavier species that may not make ideal neck material for balance reasons.