neck woods

[mike-p]

I have a double neck blank of brazilian mahogany but thinking of saving that and trying some alternatives. Any experience with spanish cedar, meranti or sapele for necks?

It's for another l-00 size so I'm thinking the lighter cedar might be a good option.

[ken cierp]

Spanish Cedar is very stable -- I like it. Back, sides, necks. Its a little softer than Honduran Mahogany so it dents more easily, I know that is one of the complaints regarding Martins that have SC necks. As long as the owner uses a capo properly I don't view this as a problem.

[Kevin in California]

I have made two necks of Sapele, and I have material for 5 more. It is a little heavier than honduras hog, but it has a finer grain and is nice to work, doesn't require as much filling either.
I've made one neck of African Hog (Khaya) and it is a little lighter in color than most honduras, maybe a little lighter in weight to, and again, easy to carve. I thought it made a fine neck, and the prices are very good for this wood.

Kevin

[Bob Dill]

I've used Honduras, Sapele, Spanish Cedar, Walnut and Maple, in all cases I use a 5 laminate for the glue-up. Maple is used for the center strip to hold the insets along with carbon fiber rods and a double action truss rod. I also vacuum two layers of uni- carbon fiber to the underside of the fingerboard before it's epoxied to the neck, this caps off the rods adding quite a bit of stiffness but not too much that the truss rod won't work. I've found that after the first relief is set, the necks very rarely need anymore adjustment regardless of what wood is used for the neck. I've had really good results with Walnut and Sapele, if you look hard enough, you can find stock that is lighter than the norm.