Oak Neck?

[WAK Guitars]

I was wondering if anyone out there's used oak for a neck? I heard that people dont generally use it cause its not very resonant. Cause I got an offcut I could use for a neck and I was just wondering if anyone here has done it?

[WezV]

well resonance will vary between different bits of oak... i think the bigger issue will be weight

Wasn't Brian May's red special oak necked??

i wouldnt bother with it but it is usable if you must

[hooglebug]

oak fretboard but i think the neck was a mahogany fireplace or something.

[SwedishLuthier]

Mays guitar was made from a century old oak fireplace mantle.

I have made two neck of Oak. No problems. Resonance wary between two pieces of maple or mahogany too. No two pieces of wood will be the same. I still do not recommend oak as the pores are huge and the difference in hardness is quite big between the soft and hard parts, making a smooth carving difficult, very similar to ash (ever tried to make a smooth belly cut on a ash body...).

[ihocky2]

An oak neck is also going to be heavy and cause neck dive issues.

[Woodenspoke]

Mays guitar was made from a century old oak fireplace mantle.

I have made two neck of Oak. No problems. Resonance wary between two pieces of maple or mahogany too. No two pieces of wood will be the same. I still do not recommend oak as the pores are huge and the difference in hardness is quite big between the soft and hard parts, making a smooth carving difficult, very similar to ash (ever tried to make a smooth belly cut on a ash body...).

I agree with the Swed the large pores would be a pain. As far as shaping it probably would be a bit more difficult than your standard neck blank but not impossible. White oak would be a better choice than red oak, quartered rather than flat saw would also reduce the soft spots band effect in the wood.

[SwedishLuthier]

An oak neck is also going to be heavy and cause neck dive issues.

That is not an issue on the two guitars I have made with oak necks. And one of them is a SG shaped guitar, meaning there are a shorter-than-usual upper horn (compared to a Strat or similar shaped guitars)so the issue should really be more apparent on that guitar.

[ihocky2]

That's surprising. Oak rings in around 40 lbs/cu. ft. which is one of the heaviest North American woods. I think maple is around the mid 20's, but I don't have my book handy right now.

[WezV]

yeah but... ever played a guitar with a rosewood neck or something similarly weighty. you can tell its heavier in the neck when you compare side by side with something more normal but its not often a problem