Solid rosewood neck? Yessss.

[GuitarSlim101]

So, since my telecaster is the focus of the majority of my lutherie experiments and frustrations, I've decided to make a solid, one piece, fat and wide rosewood neck for it. Sourced a nice chunk of East Indian rosewood from Bell Forest Products. Right now I'm planning on 1-3/4" nut width, 12" radius, mediumish frets, asymmetrical rounded V neck carve that will taper from just under an inch to just over an inch thick, no truss rod. I'll do my usual wee little brass dots for fret markers and I'm pondering inlaying some copper swirly bits on the headstock, but we'll see. Finish will be linseed oil and wax.

My wood


The telecaster in question

[Chankgeez]

Sounds tasty.

Is that chunk kiln dried?

[rustywire]

Muh wood
Muh rosewood

[GuitarSlim101]

Sounds tasty.

Is that chunk kiln dried?

It is. They kiln dry their stuff to 6% moisture content. And Bell Forest products is in Northern Michigan, which is a fairly similar climate to my lovely little yuppie town in Minnesota. This piece is mighty close to perfectly quartersawn, too, which is exciting.

[GuitarSlim101]

Progress. (Pardon the potato-quality photo)



Now I'll let it sit for a few days.

[Decibill]

Awesome...I pretty much love rosewood anything....

[GuitarSlim101]

A little shakeycam footage of how I shape my necks for those interested in such things



Progress is happening. Fingerboard is mostly leveled and radiused, fret slots are cut, headstock is thinned to almost final thickness, and the contouring has begun. This piece of wood is working like a dream, too. No weird movement, it isn't chipping or having ridiculous tear out, and it isn't murdering my tools. I like it when things work nicely.

[waltdogg]

friggin' awesome. my old tech had a partscaster with a solid rosewood neck, best feeling thing ever.

[GuitarSlim101]

More progress. The headstock, which is tele with a touch of Harmony DNA mixed in


Bass side of the neck, side dots installed, and a bit of a tease on how fat it'll be


And the fingerboard, with dots and a bit of lighter fluid to show off the grain

[kosta]

Small dots FTW!

[Bon Hoga]

no truss rod

Doesn't sound like a very good idea to me.

[GuitarSlim101]

Aw yissssss


Still a bit of fine tuning to do on the nut and frets, but it's pretty close. And it feels wonderful.

no truss rod

Doesn't sound like a very good idea to me.

I certainly understand that. Building a neck without a truss rod has its drawbacks, and if this neck was being made for someone else, I would have put a rod in it. However, it works for me. I've never noticed any of the tonal differences some people claim, but there's a certain way the neck vibrates in my hand that I dig. Should things get weird down the line and I decide I have to add a rod, I will.

[Chankgeez]

Looks fantastic!

[GuitarSlim101]

Thanks, Chank!

[GuitarSlim101]

Swirly bits...