Red Oak/walnut As Fretboard/neck?

[Mors Phagist]

I made two Oak FBs, slightly radiused, ready to be Inlayed/Attached/Fretted, Whatever. It is fairly attractive wood, so is there any factor than looks and slight tonal differences between FB wood?

I could be getting some Walnut on Monday, So I might make a neck and FBs.

Anything to know about Oak and Walnut for Necks and FBs?

[B. Aaron]

In comparison to hard Maple, Red Oak is (believe it or not) about 10% softer and more 5% less stiff. It's about the same weight. I suppose, therefore, that you can make fingerboards and necks from it, but I dislike its texture and I would personally rule it out on those grounds alone. See: http://www.woodworkerssource.com/show_nume...Quercus%20rubra for some numerical data.

Regarding Walnut:

Most of the necks I've made recently are ⅓ to ½ Black Walnut (juglans nigra) in their cross section with the rest being maple. Black Walnut is about 10% lighter than hard Maple yet just as stiff, but it's about 30% softer (and thus easier to carve and unsuitable for fingerboards). Being softer and lighter, it's going to have a darker tap-tone and less sustain than Maple... but it's still heavier and stiffer than mahogany, so don't imagine that it's going to be grossly dark or dead. Structurally it is just fine in any application where Maple would suffice, and more than adequate for a situation that would normally call for mahogany. Tonally, you will get different opinions depending on who you ask: Roger Siminoff hates the stuff, while Carvin builds entire guitars from it (i.e., DC400W) because it's a little like maple but less piercing.

Personally? I like it, because it's easy to work with, it seems tonally sensible to me, and it smells delicious when freshly worked.

[Mender]

As mentioned more than once elsewhere on the forums, Brian May of Queen made his fretboard out of oak, stained black, and lacquered. 40+ years on, and it still works for him

[Woodenspoke]

As mentioned more than once elsewhere on the forums, Brian May of Queen made his fretboard out of oak, stained black, and lacquered. 40+ years on, and it still works for him

What kind of Oak, I bet it's not red Oak.

I am tired of the Brian may story. If Oak was such a great wood for guitars every manufacturer would be making guitars out of Oak..end of story. Plus I am sure if the table or mantle May used was made from a coconut tree we would all be talking about coconuts...

You can use whatever you want but frankly red oak is best left for furniture. I personally find it unappealing. If you like filling really deep wood pores than more power to you. But for me I hate filling pores..

[B. Aaron]

As mentioned more than once elsewhere on the forums, Brian May of Queen made his fretboard out of oak, stained black, and lacquered. 40+ years on, and it still works for him

And Robert Benedetto built an archtop guitar with lumber yard knotty pine for the carved top (with a huge knot in the face of it) and it sounded just fine, but you don't see pine tops appearing everywhere.

Just because you can use a material doesn't always mean you should.