mahogany neck

[Izegrim]

Hi,
I've bought a Kevin Bond Rhoads and it has a mahogany neck. Now, I've read about mahogany necks being more vulnerable than i.e. maple. You read more about LP's with broken necks than Strats.

How does this risk actually compare to maple? What do you know from experience and would it keep you from buying a guitar with a mahogany neck?

[busdriver]

Re: mahogany neck

A LP has a single-piece neck and a Kevin Bond has a 3-piece neck, which is much stronger. I wouldn't worry [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Izegrim]

Re: mahogany neck

I think that's a misunderstanding. At first, I thought that it has a 3 pc. neck but look closer. The descriptions tell you that it is three piece mahogany neck thru, which to me seems like the neck and two wings that makes it three pieces. The neck is painted so we can't check this.

[xenophobe]

Re: mahogany neck

Jackson won't make a mahogany neck that isn't 3 piece. Submit a quote for a 1 piece mahogany neck to any dealer, it'll come back listed as a 3 piece.

You're confused. A 3 piece neck does not mean the body wings glued to one piece. It means that there are three individual strips that compromise the neck. Additional pieces are glued to the headstock to form the headstock shape, unlike a one piece neck which has a 1 piece headstock scarf jointed to the neck.

[Izegrim]

Re: mahogany neck

So that would make it very strong then... Geez, I was a little worried about being so vulnerable. It seems that a 3 piece neck would be as strong as a maple neck then huh?

[Chrisb]

Re: mahogany neck

Maple necks are usually quartersawn for strength, mahogany necks can be quartersawn but you don't see it as much (I am not sure why that is) some boutique guitar makers use 1 piece quartersawn mahogany. It may just be a matter of cost. I wasn't aware that all mahogany necks are 3 piece. Interesting. Is it only with mahogany they do that or is it most exotic woods in general? The neck on my custom is koa and I know koa is a pretty strong wood being from a tropical climate. Then again my neck is also bolt on, so I dunno if that matters.

[YetAnotherOne]

Re: mahogany neck

Les Paul (and Gibson in general) neck joints are notoriously weak. The reason you see relatively more Gibsons with broken necks has a lot more to do with the headstock design than the wood choice IMHO.

[neilli]

Re: mahogany neck

[ QUOTE ]
Jackson won't make a mahogany neck that isn't 3 piece. Submit a quote for a 1 piece mahogany neck to any dealer, it'll come back listed as a 3 piece

[/ QUOTE ]

Xeno, I have no idea on the import Bond guitars, but are you sure that doesn't just apply to CS orders?

[Zerberus]

Re: mahogany neck

[ QUOTE ]
Les Paul (and Gibson in general) neck joints are notoriously weak. The reason you see relatively more Gibsons with broken necks has a lot more to do with the headstock design than the wood choice IMHO.

[/ QUOTE ]

Exactly... Gibson angles their headstocks back 17° as opposed to the 10-13° of most other manufacturers... as a result there´s less stability in the neck/headstock transition becasue of the way the wood grain runs.... a fall that will snap a GIbson headstock off may very well leave most other heads on (depending on the fall, of course)..

Gibson´s design is just especially breakage prone, that´s all [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[Izegrim]

Re: mahogany neck

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Jackson won't make a mahogany neck that isn't 3 piece. Submit a quote for a 1 piece mahogany neck to any dealer, it'll come back listed as a 3 piece

[/ QUOTE ]

Xeno, I have no idea on the import Bond guitars, but are you sure that doesn't just apply to CS orders?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, what he said. [img]/images/graemlins/popcorn.gif[/img]

I still can't find anything convincing on the 3 piece KBR neck story. Does any owner want to remove the paint so we can see what's underneath? [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[busdriver]

Re: mahogany neck

[ QUOTE ]
I still can't find anything convincing on the 3 piece KBR neck story.

[/ QUOTE ]

http://www.jacksonguitars.com/resour...Summer2005.pdf
-> Page 18
If you think that's not convincing, I guess you have to buy one and look what's under the paint [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

[Izegrim]

Re: mahogany neck

Hey thanks dude! You know what convinced me? The COW DK7 below says "bolt-on 3 pc. mahogany neck". Now a bolt-on doesn't have wings, does it? "3 pc. mahogany neck-thru-body" now sounds like a 3 piece mahogany neck... [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[neilli]

Re: mahogany neck

Maybe a question in the 'Ask Jackson' section to get a definitive response from John? [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Izegrim]

Re: mahogany neck

Yeah, I might do that. I'm still curious about that Iommi pickup. Maybe he can provide an answer. On the neck I'm pretty confident now that it's a 3 piece neck.

[DonP]

Re: mahogany neck

I have 3 Les Pauls and 2 SG's, all with a one piece mahogany neck. You just have to be careful.

I did have a 1979 SG with a 3 piece neck. It looked like it might have taken a hit and survived. The laquer on the back surface of the neck by the headstock was cracked, but the neck was not broken.

Gibson did three piece necks through out the 70's and for a long time had a 14 degree headstock angle, but people complained they want their Gibson's to be like the golden years ('52 - '60 Les Pauls, and 60's SG's). So, that's why Gibson makes them the way that they do - people demand it.