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Re: Neck Strength questions for figured woods??
Plywood school:
What makes plywood so tough (and straight) is that each layer has the grain oriented 90 degrees to the previous layer. Woodworking grade plywood is different than the stuff from lumberyards, in that it's usually made from a much better wood than pine (birch, maple, etc) and it often has a nice hardwood veneer on the outside layers (like oak). Woodworking grade also has no voids in it. Ever notice all those gaps down the edge on a piece of plywood? As far as I know, there is no plywood made of tone woods. Plus all the glue between the layers would kill any tone anyway.
Multi-piece necks and plywood is apples and oranges. With plywood bodies (or the old "pancake" body Les Pauls), you end up with way more glue than what's on a simple maple cap. Plus some of those import plywood bodies are made of god knows what kind of wood, if real wood at all. I once saw an Epiphone LP where the arch top cap was made of a hard pressed cardboard like material, kinda like the stuff peg board is made of, only it peeled off in sheets.
Plywood school:
What makes plywood so tough (and straight) is that each layer has the grain oriented 90 degrees to the previous layer. Woodworking grade plywood is different than the stuff from lumberyards, in that it's usually made from a much better wood than pine (birch, maple, etc) and it often has a nice hardwood veneer on the outside layers (like oak). Woodworking grade also has no voids in it. Ever notice all those gaps down the edge on a piece of plywood? As far as I know, there is no plywood made of tone woods. Plus all the glue between the layers would kill any tone anyway.
Multi-piece necks and plywood is apples and oranges. With plywood bodies (or the old "pancake" body Les Pauls), you end up with way more glue than what's on a simple maple cap. Plus some of those import plywood bodies are made of god knows what kind of wood, if real wood at all. I once saw an Epiphone LP where the arch top cap was made of a hard pressed cardboard like material, kinda like the stuff peg board is made of, only it peeled off in sheets.
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