avengers63 Posted July 20, 2013 Report Share Posted July 20, 2013 I'm considering a fairly boring build: matte black warlock, all black hardware. What I'm looking for input on is the constrution. It's gonna be a neck-through super-thin with poplar wings. I'm considering using yellow pine for the neck-through. Has anyone here used yellow pine for a neck? I know all about it's dense rings and soft late growth, so I know the neck shaping might be tricky. I'm just not positive if I want to use it or not. Input and personal experience would be helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazygtr Posted July 20, 2013 Report Share Posted July 20, 2013 Can't tell you about pine for a neck, never used it before in it, but I'll follow this one. I'd like to see how it ends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verhoevenc Posted July 20, 2013 Report Share Posted July 20, 2013 I remember seeing a couple builds that used pine for a neck. I've also seen other similar softwoods used. However, each time, I've seen them used with CF reinforcement. I'd recommend that too. If you do, I don't think I'd worry too much. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demonx Posted July 20, 2013 Report Share Posted July 20, 2013 What do you mean by "yellow" pine? Are you referring to radiata or something else? There are many pine varieties, some are called pine but aren't actually in the radiata pine family, like Huon for example, or kauri. Both of which I know have been used successfully for necks without anything other than a truss rod. I myself have used Huon in two necks, one of them winning me a GOTM, but don't think I will ever use it again for a neck. With so many timbers available, why not just pick one that is guaranteed? You're building a Warlock, majority of warlocks in the planet have maple necks. Why not go maple neck with mahogany wings? I recently did a respray of an old neckthru warlock with those specs. I happen to own an all maple USA neckthru warlock from the 80s, yet another popular spec Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MzI Posted July 20, 2013 Report Share Posted July 20, 2013 Yellow pine and standard white pine are two completely different woods. I am building a timber frame house right now, the frame is out of southern yellow pine. It is a very hard dense wood, to the level of traditional hardwoods such as hard maple, not quite, more comparable to mahogany. If you find a nice tight grain piece I don't think you would have too much problem with it as a neck. On the other hand Hard maple is so cheap, why use anything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted July 20, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2013 I'm thinking about the variety normally used for construction. To the best of my knowledge, it's called yellow pine. Think of a 2x4, but from a good lumber yard instead of Home Depot. My gut tells me that it'd be on the warm-ish side, which is my general preference. I don't want maple because it'd be really bright. I'd consider a maple/pine laminate for balance. I'm not sold on how much the wings influence the tone. I know they'll have some effect, but I'm not sure how much. Poplar is 1) inexpensive, and 2) middle-of-the-road tonally, so it's safe. FWIW: It'll probably have a maple fretboard. I'm painting the f/b too. Total blackout. I'm not using ebony b/c I want to save it for a better build. Alternatively, I could use oak or walnut, then ebonize it before painting it for extra insurance against the finish/paint rubbing off and ruining the appearance. They'd both be bright like maple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MzI Posted July 20, 2013 Report Share Posted July 20, 2013 Generally, 2x4s are white pine or doug fir, usually 2x8 and up are SYP from good lumber yards. If your concerned about the brightness of maple, turn the tone down on the guitar or use a different pickup imo. The neck is the last place I'd scarifice structural integrity to gain warmth of tone. From my experience, walnut is not even close to the brightness of maple, more in the range of mahogany. I have a few guitars that are solid maple and a combination of maple and northern hard ash, bright as can be, and even with a SD JB in the bridge position they are great for cutting through the distortion and maintaining clarity on the lower tunnings. If I have them tuned to standard E I role the tone knob back a bit and they aren't overly harsh. Just make sure any SYP you use is dry. Most that I find from lumber yards is construction grade, more in the 15% to 20 % range and not 5% to 8% 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demonx Posted July 20, 2013 Report Share Posted July 20, 2013 I've just never heard of "white" or "yellow" pine. Must be an American thing so I'm still unsure what timber you're talking about! Houses over here are made from what they sell as "structural" pine, which is basically the cheapest **** pine you can imagine. Pretty sure its radiata Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted July 20, 2013 Report Share Posted July 20, 2013 Houses over here are made from what they sell as "structural" pine, which is basically the cheapest **** pine you can imagine. Yup,that's it.Believe it or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted July 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2013 My main concern with it is structural integrity. The secondary concern is the difficulty in carving/shaping. My second choice is a no-brainer: white limba. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killemall8 Posted July 21, 2013 Report Share Posted July 21, 2013 John, I have to wonder, Why do you always search for so many alternative woods and methods, when the proven ones are easily accessible? Why go through all this, only to maybe find out it's not going to hold up? Maple is really cheap. Or even go for soft maple if you have to. Its still stronger than mahogany. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddiewarlock Posted July 21, 2013 Report Share Posted July 21, 2013 I have to agree with Luis...why do you always go thru this headache? I don't know you, but it seems like a waste of money and wood. If you don't want a bright tone, go for mahogany, or even sapelli. Both are cheap enough If not limba... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted July 21, 2013 Report Share Posted July 21, 2013 I agree with Luis on this one. Pine does not provide any advantages over recognised "guitar" woods. Whilst it can prove a point that Pine is useable with sufficient stock choice, reinforcement, etc. it is more effort than the result is worth. To misquote Darth Vader, "Your pinus is weak old man". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YetzerHarah Posted July 21, 2013 Report Share Posted July 21, 2013 (edited) Unfigured 4/4 maple is cheap (& what a lot if not most of the classic era Richs are made of (unfigured maple, Mal told me they ordered 10/4 not 4/4)), glue up something like this & you'll have a great guitar (w/o any questions when it comes to stability), & it'll look good enough that you won't even have to paint it black (it'll be a choice, not a necessity): That's just my opinion though Edited July 21, 2013 by YetzerHarah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted July 21, 2013 Report Share Posted July 21, 2013 I hate pine because it can be far too sticky and pitchy. I wouldn't let it near a guitar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted July 22, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2013 It may just be my seemingly perpetual quest to effectively use alternative timbers in the instrument. There's a lot of "crusader" in me. I may simply be subconsciously looking for another soapbox. Thanks for the feedback. I'll not attempt to use yellow pine for the neck-through blank. If I go through with this one soon, I'll probably look for ash or white limba. What I really ought to do is carefully plan out in minute detail and make the Airline or the Ric bass I've been putting off for over a year. I'm missing wood for the Ric, and hardware for the Airline. In either case, I can't spend anything on non-necessities right now. Just because I feel like talking about them....... Airline body shape hollow 4-piece alder body bocote neck old Teisco pups teisco style hardware & bridge vivid orange paint on body Rickenbacker 4001 bass walnut body w/ burdseye maple veneer & cream binding white limba neck jatoba fretboard chrome hardware - including a new $200 Hipshot Ric bridge I got for $50!!!! 2 active Rockfield Ernie Ball style pups Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddiewarlock Posted July 22, 2013 Report Share Posted July 22, 2013 I kinda understand you, John, i was the same when i lived in Venezuela, but because the wood choices were limited to what grew in the country and wasn't forbidden to use ( like all the mahogany and spanish cedar species) I was tempted to use caribbean pine for a neck, because i wanted something that looked like maple... But when you have available mahogany, maple, wenge, jatoba, ash, alder, etc etc etc etc, why would i even bother? It's a waste of wood, time, money and resources. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted July 23, 2013 Report Share Posted July 23, 2013 Too much pitch and too much sap and usually Yellow pine is heavy because of the high sap and moisture content. Finding good pine is hard. Finding good anything else is easy. I have used soft maple for necks many many times as most of the really flamed stuff I have is Big Leaf. It is a great cheap wood that can be light and strong. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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