Red Curly Maple?

[jay5]

I came across a place that is selling some maple blanks that are said to be red curly maple. I don know enough about wood to be able to tell if they are hard maple or soft maple or what. Does anyone know if this is adequet for building necks?

[Guest Litchfield Custom Gutars]

It should be if it is soft even. A hard laminate or carbon rods will correct any errors.

[Scott Rosenberger]

I wouldn't use soft Maple for necks EVER!. Even with carbon rods it's still very easy to twist and the necks just feel rubbery.

[rhoads56]

I wouldn't use soft Maple for necks EVER!. Even with carbon rods it's still very easy to twist and the necks just feel rubbery.

Yeah, what he said...

[GuitarMaestro]

Red Maple is not SOFT it has a specific weight of 0.54 VS 0.61 for a hard maple and the stiffness should be very close....

[westhemann]

it's not the hardness as much as the stability...both are important but soft maple is harder than mahogany,which is suited for necks,but mahogany is much more stable...making it suitable

i wouldn't use laminations or carbon rods as the cure for completely unsuitable wood....but my cherry neck is still holding up well...it is 3 piece and has carbon rods...but it is also a thick neck and has a bocote fingerboard,which is very strong and stable

[rhoads56]

Red Maple is not SOFT it has a specific weight of 0.54 VS 0.61 for a hard maple and the stiffness should be very close....

some woods just arent good under constant pressure.

[jay5]

Thanks for the info. I'm glad I waited. The guy said he may have some hard curly maple but he will have to look. Well see.

[hyunsu]

i have many curly softmaple.. so i will try curly soft maple for neck.. and use fingerboard ebony..

soft maple is soft so.. i will use fingerboard too dense ebony..

i think.. softmaple + heavy dense fingerboard is same to hardmaple + rosewood or maple fingerboard

when hardmaple use neck.. using ebony is too high tone sound..

hardmaple is long sustain than soft maple..

i will try softmaple and use dense fingerboard and fingerboard thick is big..

mahogany is soft than maple.. but mahogany is dense about maple..

so mahogany is used guitar.. because of soft and easy working.. stable, dense..

i allway making neck is knife, chiesle,

i have router but allmost neck woking is knife.

that is my teacher's sugestion..

it is realy usefull for understood wood..

softmaple use for neck is my thinking.. not rule.. so use forum.. ^^

this is bonus pic ^^

yesterday.. my baby's ^^

too happy ... cleaning guitar haha..

and body's black line is edit line position ^^

more know.. wood by knife.. feeling wood by knife and hands..

have nice day..

[GregP]

Haven't many manufacturers used figured soft maples in necks before, or is it just my imagination? What was the MM EVH?

It wouldn't be my personal choice... I'd rather not take the chance, but I'm fairly certain it's been done successfully before.

Nice picture, Hyunsu! And your comments about the wood seem true about mahogany against soft maple... I think that 'stability' is more important than just 'hardness'. Know your wood! (I don't... yet...)

Greg

[GuitarMaestro]

Hmm....I was talking to the neck wood supplier for Peavey. He told me that also technically a soft maple the red maple is much closer to hard maple in it's properties. He said that many builders prefer it to hard maple because of it's a little warmer and less sterile tone. He supplied all neck wood for the Peavey Wolfgang series, so I think he knows what he is talking about. To me red maple sounds very promising and I will order a blank from him for my next project....

[Scott Rosenberger]

Haven't many manufacturers used figured soft maples in necks before, or is it just my imagination? What was the MM EVH?

the MM EVH Model had a Birseye Maple Neck. Birdseye is acer saccharum Sugar

Maple

You can read about it Here

[daveq]

So is the question that soft maple is OK for necks or is the question that Red Maple is OK for necks?

Here's a good document to read on Red Maple. It's interesting that they say that it is commonly used as a substitute for hard maple but also - the stifness rating is "low".

[tsl602000]

I used a red maple neck blank once. I looked all perfect untill I glued the fretboard on and the whole thing develloped a nasty twist.

Maybe you're lucky and you end up with having a neck that might do the job, but from personal experience, I definately say NO to red/soft maple as a neck.

[GuitarMaestro]

I can't comment on how red maple will hold up for a one-piece neck. I always laminate my necks with bubinga strips and then even soft maple worked fine so far....