First neck build

[Denim]

Hi guys,

I'm almost finished the body for my guitar and I've decided to have a go at making a neck. The old neck just doesn't match the new body so here I go.

I have a few questions for you all before I start.

I have sourced some QLD maple in 65 x 65 mm but it's flatsawn. Now, is it better to put the effort in and split this into quartersawn pieces or can I get away with flat saw and include some strips of Jarrah for strength? If I used the maple flat sawn then I'd obviously have to make sure the grain orientation was opposing. What are your thoughts?

I'll also be using some Jarrah (see pic 1) for the fretboard.




The headstock will be angled at 12 degrees and I'll be using a scarf joint for joining the headstock to the fretboard.




Where do you guys source your truss rods and do you think I should invest in carbon fiber rods for added strength?

Thanks for your help. This is my first time building and I've spent a lot of time researching and planning but still would appreciate the advice and support.


Denim.

[rhoads56]

Personally, Id quarter the QLD Maple, or even cut it into three pieces to laminate as quartered.

Id also throw the Jarrah in the bin and grab something else. Honestly, it's terrible for guitars.

[Baz1000]

Personally, Id quarter the QLD Maple, or even cut it into three pieces to laminate as quartered.

Id also throw the Jarrah in the bin and grab something else. Honestly, it's terrible for guitars.

Couldn't agree more. The last thing you want with a first build is a questionable result that can be eliminated with good choices before you strike a blow.

[kamusur]

What the others have already said Denim, if you tip it over and laminate it will be approaching quarter sawn and plenty strong enough. Like the interesting look of lam necks myself. Also there's a bit research to do and some skills to learn about CF rods and their installation as well, so.........

Steve

[Jef Long]

Hi. I don't know why these fellas don't think that jarrah will make a decent fingerboard, I have zero experience with the stuff, but maybe you could split it for a couple stringers in your neck lam, that might free up a slice of the qld maple for the fingerboard

Can you guys tell why it won't work well for a fingerboard? I've personally found any kind of wood that's hard enough for decking or flooring to hold frets really well..

[Sebastiaan56]

There are a lot of tutorials around on both truss rods and carbon fibre rods. Suffice to say Ray posted a great local source here Carbon fiber strip & bar

Just be aware that if you overdo the carbon fibre the truss rod will have to work against it as well as the neck timber. Kind of defeats the purpose. I cut the slots on a table saw BTW. Its the easiest method.

As for Jarrah, the only fretboard Ive ever made from it still works fine but it probably should have been pore filled first. But that was on a Mandolin which is a shorter scale. As a laminate in the neck I really dont understand Perrys concern and like others am keen to learn some more. Solomons Ebony makes great fretboards BTW as do most Aussie desert timbers.

[rhoads56]

There are a lot of tutorials around on both truss rods and carbon fibre rods. Suffice to say Ray posted a great local source here Carbon fiber strip & bar

Just be aware that if you overdo the carbon fibre the truss rod will have to work against it as well as the neck timber. Kind of defeats the purpose. I cut the slots on a table saw BTW. Its the easiest method.

As for Jarrah, the only fretboard Ive ever made from it still works fine but it probably should have been pore filled first. But that was on a Mandolin which is a shorter scale. As a laminate in the neck I really dont understand Perrys concern and like others am keen to learn some more. Solomons Ebony makes great fretboards BTW as do most Aussie desert timbers.

Jarrah does seem to be somewhat usable for Mondolins, but they require a different characteristic to guitars. Im yet to hear a single guitar that sounded 'good' to me, that included Jarrah.

Labour is the highest cost component in an instrument. Why skimp on materials?

[Denim]

So, scrap the Jarrah for the fretboard. I'll do I 5 strip lamination with the Jarrah and quartersawn maple. The body of the guitar has very subtle browns so I think I'll avoid ebony for the fretboard and probably go with rosewood or something similar.

Thanks for all the feedback guys, I really appreciate it.


Denim.

[Baz1000]

So, scrap the Jarrah for the fretboard. I'll do I 5 strip lamination with the Jarrah and quartersawn maple. The body of the guitar has very subtle browns so I think I'll avoid ebony for the fretboard and probably go with rosewood or something similar.

Thanks for all the feedback guys, I really appreciate it.


Denim.

By the way Denim, your first pic shows a bottle of Selleys "acquadere" on the bench. I hope you are not using that glue in any neck application. Just sayin'.

[rhoads56]

So, scrap the Jarrah for the fretboard, so you can use it elsewhere in the same guitar?

[Denim]

Baz, I'll be using Titebond for the neck. The aquadhere was there for another small repair on some junk about an hour before I took the photo.

Perry, I have a few lengths of jarrah lying around and I was going to add a couple of 5mm laminations in the neck. It's all a bit confusing actually. There seem to be a few people for and some against jarrah for a fretboard. I would have thought it'd be fine given its density compared to ebony.

Denim.

[simso]

I agree, jarrah is a beautiful wood, but to date not one has sounded good on any guitar that ive seen come across my bench.

A rosewood fretboard will cost you about 5-10 dollars depending on the quality of the piece

[simso]

Where do you guys source your truss rods and do you think I should invest in carbon fiber rods for added strength?

Truss rods you can make yourself, they are pretty basic.

[simso]

The headstock will be angled at 12 degrees and I'll be using a scarf joint for joining the headstock to the fretboard

Do you know why a scarf joint is better than a one piece neck or vice versa.

I ask because, when one builds there guitar for the first time, the idea is not to blindly do what others do, but to understand why you do something before you actually pick up the first tool.

Wood was a living breathing entity at one stage, no two pieces of cut wood are alike, understanding why you do something before you do it is the key to making a great guitar, then when you understand something you can work with the woods natural properties rather than against them. (My 2 cents worth)

[Ball Peen]

I have used figured Jarrah as a drop top ( nice tap tone ) on a Q Maple body. Canadian Maple neck, Solomon Blackwood fb. and Bartolini P's. It sounds great.

Someone might be able to hear a nuanced difference at low or unplugged volumes but at a good vol. it becomes academic I think.