There are several factors to take care of while choosing your guitar. If the guitar is custom made according to your taste, you should learn the properties and importance of different woods that are used for guitar making. The guitar neck is said to be its backbone and has to be the best one specifically made for you. There are different properties to be considered while choosing the guitar neck. We have done some extensive research on this topic and sorted out 7 Amazing Exotic Guitar Neck Blanks you should try for your next guitar.
East Indian Rosewood Guitar Neck Blanks
The decline of beautiful Brazilian Rosewood from the market due to sales restrictions paved the way for East Indian Rosewood. Even though the rich brownish or purplish shades of Brazilian rosewood cannot be replaced, the grain structure and purple shades of East Indian rosewood are very attractive. This high-density wood gives good stability and rigidity to the neck, which is important. The interlocked grain structure of the wood can sometimes be difficult to deal with while working. East Indian rosewood glues and finishes well.
Hard Maple Guitar Neck Blanks
The dense, hard, and strong maple wood necks help the guitar to produce bright and warm tones. They are easy to work with machines and gives a good response to gluing and turning. The creamy colored sapwood of the maple is used for constructions. They often come with straight grains and are susceptible to insect attacks. Hence the guitar necks have to be protected with coatings. Maple tonewoods have the ability to highlight individual notes without getting mixed up.
Gaboon Ebony Guitar Neck Blanks
Gaboon Ebonies are famous for their exotic black color and extreme durability against decay and insects. These woods are extremely rare and listed as endangered in CITES Appendix II and IUCN Red List. Even though the straight grain woods are comparatively easy to work with, the interlocked woods are very hard and cause a blunting effect on machines. The jet black Gaboon ebonies glue and finishes well with an exotic look in the end. Their exceptional strength and density offer stability and durability to guitar necks. They have a smooth tone and gives a great impression when combined with the right toned woods.
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Spanish Cedar Guitar Neck Blanks
They are also known as Cuban cedar. Spanish cedars have light reddish color when freshly cut which darkens with sunlight exposure. They are most commonly used in guitar making. They have a good decay resistance as well as less susceptible to termites. The grain structure is often straight or interlocked. The low density of the wood makes it a good choice to work with both hands as well as machines. Unfortunately, due to the increase in exploitation, these woods are in the CITES Appendix III and IUCN Red List. The lightweight of the wood makes it easy to handle while playing and the strength of the wood avoids unwanted vibrations. The stability and tonal qualities of this wood almost match the Mahogany wood.
Padauk Guitar Neck Blanks
The padauk woods produce warm tones similar to maple. They come in a variety of colors ranging from orange to brown shades. They are said to be one of the most decay-resistant woods on the market. The exotic color and comparatively low cost of the wood is another reason for its popularity. Padauk woods are exceptionally strong, stiff, stable, and has resonant tones.
Birds Eye Maple Guitar Neck Blanks
Birds Eye Maple woods are rare and costly in the market. It has no difference from ordinary maple other than the physical appearance. The major attraction of the wood is its grain pattern that is very distinctive and resembles a bird’s small eye. Nobody knows the reason why this phenomenon occurs to the maple wood but wood enthusiasts love to see the unique and amazing pattern on their guitar neck. The sapwood comes with light creamy colored birds-eye while the heartwood tends to be darker. Apart from the physical appearance, there is no specific difference to be noted when we compare hard maple with birds eye maple.
Mahogany Guitar Neck Blanks
Among the varieties of mahoganies, Honduran mahoganies are the popular wood for making guitar parts. Mahogany wood has a reddish heartwood which gets darker with time. The aged tree blanks show more decay resistance compared to the younger ones. They are easy to work with and returns a good result while gluing and polishing. Mahoganies produce warm, bright, and smooth tones as the large pores in it absorbs the vibrations while playing the guitar. They are used for making both acoustic as well as electric guitars. Due to the exploitations and slow growth rate, these woods are declared endangered and are listed on CITES Appendix II, and IUCN Red List.
