Are flame/curly maple necks inherently more unstable?

[dcomiskey]

So, I'm working with my second highly-figured flame maple neck blank (bolt on) for a new build that I was cruising on pretty quickly. Before I shaped the neck (routed, not carved yet) it was dead flat. Once I routed it to shape, I let it sit a couple of days. When I checked on it, it now has a good 1/8" bow in it - AND THAT'S WITH THE CF RODS ALREADY GLUED IN!!

This is the second or third time this happened to me, but ONLY with flamed maple. Is it just me or is this normal? They're easy enough to re-flatten on my jointer, but this one has the rods in it, so I'm not sure I should run that side across or not.

It's always something....

 

[Canman]

Is the bow side the side that will receive the fretboard?

I don't usually have problems with flamed maple boards, but my local shop only really gets soft flamed maple. Is that stuff hard or soft?

There was a period a couple years ago where every Sapele board I got from the same shop twisted after I cut the neck. My buddy who works there told me he had quite a few people complaining about that batch of Sapele. So annoying!

As far as the jointer goes...if the blades are old and you're going to replace them, I'd joint it. But if the blades are new I wouldn't get the carbon rods near the blades.

 

[Guy Named Sue]

Can't you just reinforce it with rods?

 

[dcomiskey]

Can't you just reinforce it with rods?

The rods were already glued in before.

 

[dcomiskey]

Is the bow side the side that will receive the fretboard?

I don't usually have problems with flamed maple boards, but my local shop only really gets soft flamed maple. Is that stuff hard or soft?

There was a period a couple years ago where every Sapele board I got from the same shop twisted after I cut the neck. My buddy who works there told me he had quite a few people complaining about that batch of Sapele. So annoying!

As far as the jointer goes...if the blades are old and you're going to replace them, I'd joint it. But if the blades are new I wouldn't get the carbon rods near the blades.

The machine is relatively new, so I guess there goes that thought.

It's bowed in that when it's laying flat, it rises in the middle. /----\ So, fretboard side is high in the middle.

 

[Guy Named Sue]

The rods were already glued in before.

Too late for something like this?

 

[cmjohnson]

I'm just going to note that when PRS makes a neck, every time they do a machining operation on the neck blank, they set it aside to settle for 30 days before the next process. This gives the wood the time it needs to assume its new shape to match its new internal stress patterns.

Hard, straight grained maple is most stable. For applications where structural strength is the prime consideration, the workers select straight grain and avoid curl, flame, birdseye, burl, etc.

It's rarely done and not generally recommended but I've seen some guitars made with even heavily quilted maple necks. Reportedly this is the weakest type of grain structure. I'd be really sure the neck showed signs of being stable before I glued it into the body. (As I don't do bolt-on necks at all.)

 

[kakerlak]

It strikes me that, setting aside the question of figuring, the cut edge of that board has some really wavy, erratic grain to it. That might be more of a culprit than figuring. There's plenty of highly flamed maple out there that has dead straight grain lines, but this doesn't look that way. What's the grain structure look like on the wide cut, though? Sometimes runout can be a little deceiving if it just happens to shave right along a line that's dancing along the same area.

 

[dcomiskey]

It strikes me that, setting aside the question of figuring, the cut edge of that board has some really wavy, erratic grain to it. That might be more of a culprit than figuring. There's plenty of highly flamed maple out there that has dead straight grain lines, but this doesn't look that way. What's the grain structure look like on the wide cut, though? Sometimes runout can be a little deceiving if it just happens to shave right along a line that's dancing along the same area.

It's not unusual. Nearly every piece of flamed maple I have has that on the side grain.

 

[dcomiskey]

I'm just going to note that when PRS makes a neck, every time they do a machining operation on the neck blank, they set it aside to settle for 30 days before the next process. This gives the wood the time it needs to assume its new shape to match its new internal stress patterns.

Hard, straight grained maple is most stable. For applications where structural strength is the prime consideration, the workers select straight grain and avoid curl, flame, birdseye, burl, etc.

It's rarely done and not generally recommended but I've seen some guitars made with even heavily quilted maple necks. Reportedly this is the weakest type of grain structure. I'd be really sure the neck showed signs of being stable before I glued it into the body. (As I don't do bolt-on necks at all.)

I remember that exact video, which is Why I do the same thing with necks now. I'm sort of hoping it straightens out a bit in a couple of weeks.

I just realized (now that I have more caffeine in me) that I can flatten the back with my jointer and then run the top through my thickness sander. Duh.

 

[the great waldo]

So, I'm working with my second highly-figured flame maple neck blank (bolt on) for a new build that I was cruising on pretty quickly. Before I shaped the neck (routed, not carved yet) it was dead flat. Once I routed it to shape, I let it sit a couple of days. When I checked on it, it now has a good 1/8" bow in it - AND THAT'S WITH THE CF RODS ALREADY GLUED IN!!

This is the second or third time this happened to me, but ONLY with flamed maple. Is it just me or is this normal? They're easy enough to re-flatten on my jointer, but this one has the rods in it, so I'm not sure I should run that side across or not.

It's always something....

View attachment 515443

That wood looks like big leaf maple. If it is I would steer clear of it, it's too soft for a neck. How long have you stored the wood before working on it ? It could be that the wood is not properly seasoned. Birds eye maple takes a long time to be stable and curly hard maple also takes longer than normal straight grained maple (hard maple)
Cheers
Andrew

 

[dcomiskey]

That wood looks like big leaf maple. If it is I would steer clear of it, it's too soft for a neck. How long have you stored the wood before working on it ? It could be that the wood is not properly seasoned. Birds eye maple takes a long time to be stable and curly hard maple also takes longer than normal straight grained maple (hard maple)
Cheers
Andrew

I’ve had it at least 2-3 years.

And I think a Mr. Reed Smith would disagree with you.

 

[Canman]

I disagree with big leaf maple being too soft for a neck...I’ve yet to come across any kind of soft maple that’s too soft for a neck.

Make any progress on flattening out that board?

 

[LtDave32]

Watch out if you get a real crazy burl pattern, for it could be a bed of cracks.

I had a high-burl headstock on a Strat, was pushing in the tuning machines, the headstock just fell apart on me, right in the center of the heavy burl pattern.

 

[LtDave32]

And I've had curly maple necks that were rather soft, but fantastic as necks.

Just choose your wood carefully.

 

[cmjohnson]

It's a bit risky to do it but you can try to pre-compensate for neck bend by building a tiny bit of backbow into your neck before putting the fingerboard on. And consider that inserting frets has a wedging effect as well. You have to estimate the rigidity of your neck accurately for this to work.

The first guitar I ever built, a neck-thru SG with a maple neck and ebony fingerboard, turned out to be just as I just described. I knew I was going for a thin fast neck so I built a tiny backbow into it. And it worked out perfectly. The truss rod nut is just tight enough to keep it from rattling on the washer and my action is perfect, right where I want it, with my string gauge preference, 10-46. BUT....if I put on a set of 8s, the neck assumes a very slight backbow and I have to raise the bridge by a quarter turn of the adjusters. It's fine with 9s and 10s but 8s don't pull on the neck enough to get it dead straight.

You always have the option of resculpting the fingerboard. Establish how far off your neck is from ideal, pull the frets, sand the board down where needed, refret it, check it, and if you got it right, call it good.

 

[dcomiskey]

I disagree with big leaf maple being too soft for a neck...I’ve yet to come across any kind of soft maple that’s too soft for a neck.

Make any progress on flattening out that board?

I'm going to let it sit for a couple more weeks to see if it's done moving or not.

 

[Roxy13]

I have a MIJ strat with a lot of flame and it's been totally stable.

 

[Patek]

“Are flame/curly maple necks inherently more unstable?”

not if it’s baked or vulcanised

 

[thelegendnedk]

Top quality Maple is very plain ! No flame or burl marks and will make the best guitar neck !
Flame / Burl / Figured / Curly has become more desireable for all the wrong reasons ! asthetics.