# I'm seeing alot of wenge necks - reasons?



## trickae (Jul 18, 2012)

I'm seeing alot of wenge necks on the forum. Is there a certain reason why its being chosen currently? Is it turning out to be the next maple in terms of prevalent use in necks?

I love the figure and the texture and had a 27" neck made for my custom last month. Fingers crossed that the guitar gets done by August.


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## Necromagnon (Jul 18, 2012)

I think it's just a fashion thing.
People gets borred of maple and mahogany (and even more because mahogany becomes rare and is murdered!), so they look to something else. Wenge is really "new", sounds (in term of name and visual) exotic, and is very cheap.

I guess one other point is that it's good mechanical properties, so it makes a erfect choice for neck where tension/sollicitation is high.


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## sabreguitars (Jul 18, 2012)

Hey guys, as a luthier who uses wenge a lot, basically the reason is that its much stiffer and stronger than maple or mahogany and so its perfect for seven/eight string guitars where you want the neck to resist twist and bow as much as possible. 

Its also very dense which contributes to sustain and looks awesome.

I'd have to disagree with Necronomagnon a little in that its actually not very cheap if you're after good stuff. - A lot of the cheap wenge is sawn the wrong way making it useless and yet more is from really old constructional stock that has dried out massively and shrunk making it incredibly heavy - far too heavy to be really practical.

Good wenge, with straight grain, young enough to be light but old enough to be dry and stable is about 1.5 times as expensive as good rock maple.


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## Necromagnon (Jul 18, 2012)

sabreguitars said:


> I'd have to disagree with Necronomagnon a little in that its actually not very cheap if you're after good stuff. - A lot of the cheap wenge is sawn the wrong way making it useless and yet more is from really old constructional stock that has dried out massively and shrunk making it incredibly heavy - far too heavy to be really practical.
> 
> Good wenge, with straight grain, young enough to be light but old enough to be dry and stable is about 1.5 times as expensive as good rock maple.


Thanks for those precision! I've learn something. 

I was saying it's cheap because all the wenge I bought since somme years now is very good (I think, and hope!), dry, with nice grain, and I bought it really not expensive (but it was mostly to friends that have access to overstock so...).


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## Hollowway (Jul 19, 2012)

You're wondering why you're seeing a lot of pictures of wenge necks? Probably because you keep typing "wenge guitar necks" into Google. I have the same problem with buckeye burl tops. I feel your pain.


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## bob123 (Jul 19, 2012)

wenge is oak family. You;'ve seen and heard it before.

its popular because its really hard and stiff. It resists warping, and its a good base for a neck.

what else do you need?


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## Levi79 (Jul 19, 2012)

Yeah I chose it for my last build cause I love how it looks, I'm tired of seeing the same woods all the time for necks and it's a very strong wood. Mostly aesthetic for me. I wouldn't consider Wenge cheap at all really. IIRC at my favorite lumber yard it's about 2.5x as expensive as curly maple.


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## Necromagnon (Jul 19, 2012)

Levi79 said:


> Yeah I chose it for my last build cause I love how it looks, I'm tired of seeing the same woods all the time for necks and it's a very strong wood. Mostly aesthetic for me. I wouldn't consider Wenge cheap at all really. IIRC at my favorite lumber yard it's about 2.5x as expensive as curly maple.


I think this is also due because "hard" maple (to keep the commercial name) his from your area. For us in EU, it's very expensive, mostly because of shipping cost and customs fees. So, at the end, importing wenge or maple is about the same for us.


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## IkarusOnFire (Jul 19, 2012)

It's hard, and it's texture makes for a nice feeling on a neck. Coarse, but less drag on your thumb as you slide it across. Bass builders have been using it for quite some time - supposedly it cuts well through a mix  

I also agree with the others that it's qualities simply make it resist warping and increases sustain.


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## Konfyouzd (Jul 19, 2012)

Cuz it looks tasty. Wenge w flamed maple stripes ftw.


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## JaeSwift (Jul 19, 2012)

trickae said:


> I'm seeing alot of wenge necks on the forum. Is there a certain reason why its being chosen currently? Is it turning out to be the next maple in terms of prevalent use in necks?
> 
> I love the figure and the texture and had a 27" neck made for my custom last month. Fingers crossed that the guitar gets done by August.



Wenge isn't ''new'', it's been used on bass guitars for god knows how long. I wouldn't use just a 1 piece Wenge neck as I've seen many Warwick bases who had that end up with warped necks, but even if you just laminate it with 1 piece it is much, much more stable than maple. 

I get why people think maple is the standard, because well, it is, but i.e Rosewood, laminated Wenge and Walnut are much more stable. I recently used a Myrtlewood top on my own build and as soon as I get the chance to get a nicely figured Myrtlewood neck blank I'll jump on it, because it's been infinitely more stable than any pieces of maple I've ever worked with at the thickness of 8mm; just imagine how it would be when comparing necks.


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## MF_Kitten (Jul 19, 2012)

The funny thing is that Wenge isn't really ideal for necks at all. It warps and bends and can crack over time. I'd rather go with something that's tried and tested over longer periods of time. Maple will always be a winner, Mahogany works very well, and i believe Rosewood does a very good (if not as good/better?) job too.


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## bob123 (Jul 19, 2012)

MF_Kitten said:


> The funny thing is that Wenge isn't really ideal for necks at all. It warps and bends and can crack over time. I'd rather go with something that's tried and tested over longer periods of time. Maple will always be a winner, Mahogany works very well, and i believe Rosewood does a very good (if not as good/better?) job too.



1 peice wenge likes to warp, but if you laminate it, it can hold up to any abuse.


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## Necromagnon (Jul 20, 2012)

Any wood will be subject to twist if it's one piece. For good one piece necks, it's quarterswam, perfectly dry and 0 defects on the wood. Laminate is (nearly) always much more stable (if you glue pieces in opposition).


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## TankJon666 (Jul 20, 2012)

I love the feel of wenge, the colour and the grain patterns. 

I built a 7 string with a mahogany body, wenge neck and ebony board.

As for warping, I had a warwick corvette 5 string for years and that neck was solid as you could want.


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## trickae (Jul 20, 2012)

JaeSwift said:


> Wenge isn't ''new'', it's been used on bass guitars for god knows how long. I wouldn't use just a 1 piece Wenge neck as I've seen many Warwick bases who had that end up with warped necks, but even if you just laminate it with 1 piece it is much, much more stable than maple.
> 
> I get why people think maple is the standard, because well, it is, but i.e Rosewood, laminated Wenge and Walnut are much more stable. I recently used a Myrtlewood top on my own build and as soon as I get the chance to get a nicely figured Myrtlewood neck blank I'll jump on it, because it's been infinitely more stable than any pieces of maple I've ever worked with at the thickness of 8mm; just imagine how it would be when comparing necks.




that sounds like a wicked build. By August I'm hoping to have my custom guitar finished. 
Guitar specs
* 5 piece laminate neck of wenge/walnut/wenge/walnut/wenge. 
* Quilt Maple head stock cap
* ebony fretboard
* alder body with a quilt maple top.


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## thatguy87 (Jul 20, 2012)

So... can someone hook me up with a good place to buy a Wenge neck blank because I am having no luck.


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## mwcarl (Jul 20, 2012)

Wenge is a good laminate wood for necks, but I hate working with it and to me it's just crazy ugly. Reminds me of ugly old furniture.


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## JaeSwift (Jul 20, 2012)

mwcarl said:


> Wenge is a good laminate wood for necks, but I hate working with it and to me it's just crazy ugly. Reminds me of ugly old furniture.



While I like the looks (different strokes, etc.) it is really annoying to work with; it tends to splinter like crazy.


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## Konfyouzd (Jul 20, 2012)

^ Good to know... I might have to pump the breaks on a build I'm cookin' up.


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## explosivo (Jul 20, 2012)

JaeSwift said:


> While I like the looks (different strokes, etc.) it is really annoying to work with; it tends to splinter like crazy.


This is my only beef with wenge. Other than that, I love the way it feels and looks.


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## leonardo7 (Jul 20, 2012)

Ive got a Mayones with Wenge 11 piece neck coming in Sep. I cant wait to play it and hear the tonal properties of it.

Other than Mayones and Ibanez using the two wenge stripes in their 7s for the past 8 years or so, I havent really seen alot of wenge necks at all. They have been used in bass necks and fretboards for many years. Ive heard from a luthier that its a good choice for longer scale necks.


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## Necromagnon (Jul 20, 2012)

JaeSwift said:


> While I like the looks (different strokes, etc.) it is really annoying to work with; it tends to splinter like crazy.


So true... And when it cracks up, it's not false! 

Other thing is that it has huge pores, so finish is always a dman hard thing on wenge stuff.


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## JaeSwift (Jul 20, 2012)

Necromagnon said:


> So true... And when it cracks up, it's not false!
> 
> Other thing is that it has huge pores, so finish is always a dman hard thing on wenge stuff.



I prefer conditioning it and just leaving it as is, I find it's oily enough to not have a finish other than a few coats of linseed oil to protect it from discoloration. 

Wenge is my choice when I'm dealing with body woods like Ash or Alder, woods where you want to warm up the low end a little bit but keep the mids very pronounced and barky. Or, to put it simpler, its just a really good alternative to a mahogany neck; it's much more stable when laminated and kept in thickness and doesn't mud up the tone, but it's still pretty warm. If I start experimenting with neck-thru's I'de probably get a Wenge neck; right now I'm planning to build a replacement neck for my Alder superstrat that will be wenge with a maple skunk stripe.


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## noob_pwn (Jul 21, 2012)

the model i designed for myself with ET guitars (the katana) has a wenge neck with maple skunk stripe.

The neck also has 2 carbon rods in it. It is the most stable neck I've ever used, holds up great when touring when a lot of guitars shit themselves, especially when flying and playing in humid conditions. Currently I just have one which is the prototype and it's a 27" 7. I use big ass strings and tune relatively low.

It also feels extremely comfortable especially on hot stages when sweat can make other necks too slippery, the feel is the same no matter how much you sweat.

Tonally the attack is very immediate and present, sustain is huge and clarity in low notes in unmatched. Goes very well with an ash body, the body we used is ash/wenge and in future we'll keep this combination because it works. VEry aggresive and clear but still full.

No surprises as to why it's great on basses but I have heard a lot of stories about 1pc warwick necks warping.


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## Giuseppe79 (Jul 21, 2012)

Here's my custom 7 strings...the wengè in the neck is sooooo sexy!!


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## Necromagnon (Jul 23, 2012)

JaeSwift said:


> I prefer conditioning it and just leaving it as is, I find it's oily enough to not have a finish other than a few coats of linseed oil to protect it from discoloration.


I've always been afraid of not finishing a neck (coating, even with tung or danish oil)... But I also never build an (almost) full wenge neck. I guess wenge is more suitable for those king of finish.


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## JaeSwift (Jul 23, 2012)

Necromagnon said:


> I've always been afraid of not finishing a neck (coating, even with tung or danish oil)... But I also never build an (almost) full wenge neck. I guess wenge is more suitable for those king of finish.



My rule is usually ''If you can leave it unfinished as a fretboard, it'd probably work as a neck''. Regardless, I have a danish oiled maple neck here on my Ibanez (refinished it myself of course) and I really prefer the feel of that over laquered necks. That said it's not something I'de gig/tour with, mainly because it's a 1 piece maple neck. I'de have no problems with it if it were a 3 piece neck though.

I have an unfinished (just conditioned with bore oil) rosewood neck on my 7 string that's simply amazing and just never needs any adjustment. Can't wait to have that guitar back from the paint guy, I miss it like I'de miss an arm


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## Necromagnon (Jul 23, 2012)

Personnally, I oil my fingerboards. I sand it down to 1000/1200, oil it to fill pores and protect it a little. I think it's quite similar to what you do.
And I don't like the feel of laquer neck to. Or, in fact, gloss finish. It's awefull. I much prefer satin or mat finishes. Much smoother.


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## JaeSwift (Jul 23, 2012)

Necromagnon said:


> Personnally, I oil my fingerboards. I sand it down to 1000/1200, oil it to fill pores and protect it a little. I think it's quite similar to what you do.
> And I don't like the feel of laquer neck to. Or, in fact, gloss finish. It's awefull. I much prefer satin or mat finishes. Much smoother.



To Ibanez's credit, the satin finish on my RGA 8's neck is incredibly smoothe, almost as smoothe as a freshly oiled+waxed neck.

Laquered necks are the worst things on guitars to me, total deal breaker unless it's satin (which I never really see, once a neck is laquered it's usually sticky gloss).


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## Necromagnon (Jul 23, 2012)

Yep. It's barely done. What a pity. But I saw a lot of people "satinning" there clossy neck, and I'm wondering if I'll do this on my C7... I've done this on my eight string, and it's not so so smooth, so I can't imagine with the lacquer glossy...


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## JaeSwift (Jul 23, 2012)

Necromagnon said:


> Yep. It's barely done. What a pity. But I saw a lot of people "satinning" there clossy neck, and I'm wondering if I'll do this on my C7... I've done this on my eight string, and it's not so so smooth, so I can't imagine with the lacquer glossy...



steel wool it (4x0 grade), then micromesh up to brown, worked nicely for my Charvel model 6 back in the day. Just get some carnuba wax based car polish afterwards (only if you're certain the laquer is poly!)


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## Necromagnon (Jul 24, 2012)

Thanks for the tip!
The laquer is PU bi-component. A professional floor laquer, very very hard, fast dry, but horrible to use (because of fast drying rate), and very very hazardous for environment... I think I should do a complete new finish on this guitar, and I really don't have the motivation for it. 

Sorry for this huge off-topic.


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## signalgrey (Jul 24, 2012)

I JUST ordered a Wenge/Ebony baritone conversion neck for my strat. 

I like the powerful clear upper midrange.

and it looks badass.


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## MF_Kitten (Jul 28, 2012)

bob123 said:


> 1 peice wenge likes to warp, but if you laminate it, it can hold up to any abuse.



of course, but i wasn't talking about laminated necks, i was talking about wenge necks 

also, to the person who downvoted me for saying that wenge necks can warp and crack over time, are you stoned, or is wenge your religion?


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## Necromagnon (Jul 30, 2012)

MF_Kitten said:


> also, to the person who downvoted me for saying that wenge necks can warp and crack over time, are you stoned, or is wenge your religion?


Someone does that? 

And, laminates necks are NOT more stable. In fact, you have to place pieces in opposition, so that when one will try to warp in one direction, the other will try to warp on the opposite way and then compensate. That's why neck laminates are more stable. If you don't do this, there's no more chance your neck won't warp.


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## bob123 (Jul 30, 2012)

Necromagnon said:


> Someone does that?
> 
> *And, laminates necks are NOT more stable* . In fact, you have to place pieces in opposition, so that when one will try to warp in one direction, the other will try to warp on the opposite way and then compensate. *That's why neck laminates are more stable. *If you don't do this, there's no more chance your neck won't warp.






The red is contradictory,

and Im still trying to interpret the green


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## JaeSwift (Jul 30, 2012)

MF_Kitten said:


> of course, but i wasn't talking about laminated necks, i was talking about wenge necks
> 
> also, to the person who downvoted me for saying that wenge necks can warp and crack over time, are you stoned, or is wenge your religion?



Downvoting people for wood advice/opinions is stupid 

By the way, a laminated wenge neck is still a wenge neck; you can laminate it with another piece of wenge with opposing grain.


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## Necromagnon (Jul 30, 2012)

bob123 said:


> The red is contradictory,
> 
> and Im still trying to interpret the green


Yep, it's wasn't very clear.
What I wanted to say is, if you don't place grain in opposition when laminating the neck, it won't be more stable than a plain neck.
So saying that "laminates are more stable" is subject to one big condition: placing parts in opposition. As Jaeswift said, you can make a laminates with only one piece of wood cut 2 or 3 times, and just reglued inverting parts. It still be a "plain neck", but with no chance to warp.


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## bob123 (Jul 30, 2012)

Necromagnon said:


> Yep, it's wasn't very clear.
> What I wanted to say is, if you don't place grain in opposition when laminating the neck, it won't be more stable than a plain neck.
> So saying that "laminates are more stable" is subject to one big condition: placing parts in opposition. As Jaeswift said, you can make a laminates with only one piece of wood cut 2 or 3 times, and just reglued inverting parts. It still be a "plain neck", but with no chance to warp.




yup, "rip n flip". 


I knew what you were saying, but it was just a bit ridiculous how you said is all


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## Joe Harvatt (Jul 31, 2012)

Konfyouzd said:


> Cuz it looks tasty. Wenge w flamed maple stripes ftw.



This is what I want, this is what we all want.


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