kevin7 Posted September 13, 2005 Report Posted September 13, 2005 (edited) I was going to make my neck Mahogany but I had a change of heart and want to build my neck with a 3 piece construction with maple and a walnut middle strip that runs the entire length of the neck and headstock. I have heard that some factories used to make their necks with a walnut skunk stripe for added strength, so I figured a full strip would do allright, also. Any thoughts? Thanks! Edited September 13, 2005 by kevin7 Quote
Gemleggat Posted September 13, 2005 Report Posted September 13, 2005 Thats the basis for a very strong neck, a 3 piece laminate neck is always gonna be stronger that a 1 piece mahogany. I also like the way it looks. Quote
SwedishLuthier Posted September 13, 2005 Report Posted September 13, 2005 Another very good combination is a neck with three thick mahogany laminates, like 15 mm, and two thinner maple laminates arround 5 mm. Killer looks, and mega-strong. A little more work maybee.... BTW: I've never heard of anyone using the scunk stripe as an laminate. Fender use a valnut skunk stripe to cover up the trussrod installation wich is done from the back on their guitars. If its not a Fender (or a Fender clone/copy/ripp off) it is probably a all-trough laminate and not just a skunk stripe. Peter Quote
Mattia Posted September 13, 2005 Report Posted September 13, 2005 Stronger...only if the woods used are stronger. More stable..very probably. Some 1-piece mahogany necks would stay stable no matter what, after all. Laminated necks are cheap insurance in the stability game, though. Quote
fryovanni Posted September 13, 2005 Report Posted September 13, 2005 Stronger...only if the woods used are stronger. More stable..very probably. Some 1-piece mahogany necks would stay stable no matter what, after all. Laminated necks are cheap insurance in the stability game, though. ← Maple will be stronger than Mahogany. Walnut is stronger than Mahogany but not going to add to the strength of an all Maple neck. All that aside either way you go you will have more than enough strength. Mahogany, Maple and Walnut are all acceptable in terms of strength. I agree with Mattia 100%. No matter what combination you use. Be mindful of the orientation of the grain. Quartersawn orientation will improve strength and stability. Peace,Rich Quote
Mattia Posted September 13, 2005 Report Posted September 13, 2005 Maple will be stronger than Mahogany. Walnut is stronger than Mahogany but not going to add to the strength of an all Maple neck. All that aside either way you go you will have more than enough strength. Mahogany, Maple and Walnut are all acceptable in terms of strength. I agree with Mattia 100%. No matter what combination you use. Be mindful of the orientation of the grain. Quartersawn orientation will improve strength and stability. ← Cherry's good too! I was just trying to counter the common misconception that lamination automatically equals stronger. Strength and stability are, after all, different things. Kinda like that 'good glue joint is stronger than the wood itself' thing (if it doesn't always break along the line, that just tells me it's at least as strong as the wood itself, nothing more) The wood's always providing the strength, the lamination 'merely' adds stability. CF rods add a bit of resilience and can even things out further. Also, laminating means you can 'make' quartersawn wood out of flatsawn stock, meaning still more stability, and rip 'n' flip practices can let you counter any minor stresses inherent to the wood, playing them off each other. Anyway, enough pointless agreeing. Back to work! Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.