eyema_believer
Bondservant
OK... but if you just happen to be in Michigan, PM me if that's not taboo.
Peace!
~Shawn
apl
Stand Up Comity
muttley600
Banned
Ditto. I have bench tension jigs but rarely use them. There are some occasions but they mainly involve fingerboard removal or twisted necks that don't need or aren't wanted to be straightened. The only other time you may want string tension on the neck is when your doing some local fret dressing.
Get the neck straight, stone the tops, I use a very fine very flat diamond stone that gets used solely for that. Re-crown and polish.
As for the cost of those necks, If you add up the parts alone on a decent neck they'd be more than that. If they are any good buy the lot.
apl
Stand Up Comity
Ditto. I have bench tension jigs but rarely use them. There are some occasions but they mainly involve fingerboard removal or twisted necks that don't need or aren't wanted to be straightened. The only other time you may want string tension on the neck is when your doing some local fret dressing.
Get the neck straight, stone the tops, I use a very fine very flat diamond stone that gets used solely for that. Re-crown and polish.
As for the cost of those necks, If you add up the parts alone on a decent neck they'd be more than that. If they are any good buy the lot.
What's Mighty Mite charge for those wholesale?
muttley600
Banned
I have no idea. I make every neck I use. I wouldn't use a third party item such as a neck. I haven't actually seen the ones your looking at but I'd guess they are Imports and they do a bit of tweaking when they get them. I say that because to get even close to that price in the UK you'd have to tool up and make hundreds if not thousands of them. I'd guess the same would be true in the US as overhead is the killer.
Of the import necks I've seen they have been of mixed quality but you could get lucky. The things that are likely to be sub Fender or similar wood be the quality of the fret wire, timber and general finish of the detail. At that price your not blowing a huge amount to give it a go. If they do make them in the US I'd like to know how they do it.
Hope it works out as a winner for you.
apl
Stand Up Comity
Might Mite's website says they use US woods and ship it Korea for manufacturing.
castlerock
New member
regardless of outcome, at least the logo will be cool. 
i can't wait to see the pics when you're finished.
i can't wait to see the pics when you're finished.
muttley600
Banned
That would be about right. Most of the maple used in instrument making comes from either Canada and the US or the central and eastern regions of Europe. The Chinese, Koreans etc are buying it up un mass at a very alarming rate. Getting decent stock is getting harder and harder. I'm just glad that I've been loyal to my suppliers and they are now loyal to me even though what I use is a drop in the ocean compared to them. Same goes for many other tone woods
I'd be interested to find out how much of the total Canadian and US instrument grade maple is shipped to them these days. My guess would be that it is increasing as well.
Light
New member
As for the cost of those necks, If you add up the parts alone on a decent neck they'd be more than that. If they are any good buy the lot.
He said if they were GOOD!
Light
"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
Light
New member
Well, since I mostly use Mahogany for necks, that's the one that scares the piss out of me. I've decided to go to Sapele for necks when I run out of my current supply of South American (which will be awhile, but still).
Light
"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
muttley600
Banned
I guess I do about 50/50 mahogany and maple. Most of the maple ones are quilted or highly figured so thats premium I admit. I had to buy some more Honduran this year and boy did I get a shock. For the decent straight even grain stuff with traditional colour the price had doubled in a year.
There was quite a bit of stuff priced as per last year but it was the newer stuff thats coming out and the colour was pink, almost white, kind of like European cherry. I bit the bullet and bought as much as I could of the traditional colour stuff.I have experimented more in recent years with alternatives like walnut and other fruit woods. They seem to work well but many players are not ready to try them. I think in the long run we are going to have to and I don't think thats a bad thing.
eyema_believer
Bondservant
I guess I do about 50/50 mahogany and maple. Most of the maple ones are quilted or highly figured so thats premium I admit. I had to buy some more Honduran this year and boy did I get a shock. For the decent straight even grain stuff with traditional colour the price had doubled in a year.
I have experimented more in recent years with alternatives like walnut and other fruit woods. They seem to work well but many players are not ready to try them. I think in the long run we are going to have to and I don't think thats a bad thing.
Speaking of cherry wood, I seen a Tele Thinline body for sale recently, unfinished, with an ash back, and a cherry top. I thought that was an odd combo, but maybe that particular luthier has lost his supply of more traditional wood, or is experimenting, so as to be ahead of the curve. What do you guys think?
muttley600
Banned
That is an odd combo but hey it could work out great. I'm all for trying things out like that and I'm sure it would look cool, especially a chambered F hole model.
I've used cherry quite frequently for some instruments and it's use in luthiery can be traced way back to the days of lutes and viols. It is becoming more widely used these days. It's the perfect choice for anyone thinking of taking the plunge into instrument building.
I haven't used it on a solid body yet but you can get it with some nice figure. I have used it for acoustics and it's sound is light, sweet and bright, not as harsh as maple or as dark as mahogany. It works well and bends easily. The colour is a red/pinkish orange that darkens with age. There are two types available commonly American cherry and European. The American stuff is also nice to work if a little harder and punchier in it's tone. Still very nice from the few Instruments I've seen made with it. I have less experience of it but what I have used is nice. It's certainly a timber I wouldn't be ashamed to use or play on.
I have a lot of cherry that I salvaged from a tree in my Gran's garden just before she died aged 99. It's been seasoning for 6 years now and as soon as time allows I'm making myself and the kids a guitar each from it. I used to climb that tree as a kid and It will make a great keep sake for the kids.
eyema_believer
Bondservant
muttley600
Banned
The stock is limited in width and I recon I can just about get a couple of 000 sets from it and leave me enough for a 15" body archtop. Thats the plan, I'll decide when I do the final re-sawing.. I'll be able to get some mandolin stock out of it too and also hope to do some mantle clocks for the rest of my family.
That old tree has some memories for us all.
eyema_believer
Bondservant
The stock is limited in width and I recon I can just about get a couple of 000 sets from it and leave me enough for a 15" body archtop. Thats the plan, I'll decide when I do the final re-sawing.. I'll be able to get some mandolin stock out of it too and also hope to do some mantle clocks for the rest of my family.
That old tree has some memories for us all.
Sounds great. What a project!
apl
Stand Up Comity
