Author Topic: Any views on roasted guitar/bass necks? (Read 332 times)

jazzyvee · « **on:** October 22, 2014, 04:59:16 PM »

I've been searching for a strat style neck for a self build guitar and keep bumping into Roasted guitar necks. I'm not considering buying one but I just wondered if anyone here has any informed views on what the benefit of roasting a neck.

Is this just another emperor's new clothes scenario?

JuancarlinBass · « **Reply #1 on:** October 22, 2014, 05:32:50 PM »

It might have some snake oil potential, I guess... but I found this, and at least sounds interesting:

http://www.suhr.com/guitars/tone-woods/maple-tone-wood.html

John Suhr is, AFAIK, a well respected builder, and I don?t think I would (in his place) put at risk my reputation by some dubious statement. Still, I don?t think there is a one for all recipe when it comes to tone making. But, alas, I?d leave it to the expert ones...

lbpesq · « **Reply #2 on:** October 22, 2014, 09:51:17 PM »

My first thought is that it sounds like a quickie alternative to good old fashioned aging. I'd love to hear Mica chime in on this one.

Bill, tgo

pauldo · « **Reply #3 on:** October 23, 2014, 02:04:22 AM »

A side of potatoes, carrots and onion and it sounds like a winter paupers meal.

StephenR · « **Reply #4 on:** October 23, 2014, 08:56:16 AM »

sonicus · « **Reply #5 on:** October 23, 2014, 08:57:17 AM »

Add some garlic ,onions , curry powder & a Ghost pepper and you will have a spicy delight !

eligilam · « **Reply #6 on:** October 23, 2014, 09:16:31 AM »

I have a 2011 EBMM Stingray Classic with a roasted neck. The neck seems very stable and the maple is certainly very snappy (and I'm a fan of lacquered fretboards...).

Voodoo? Probably. To be honest, when I got it, I just thought it looked cooler than the lighter standard maple.

lbpesq · « **Reply #7 on:** October 23, 2014, 09:34:51 AM »

Add a broiled body, poached pickups, sauteed strings. Then baste the bridge for two hours and you have the perfect instrument for someone who is hungry for music. Just don't plug it into a fried Fender!

hehehehe

Bill, tgo

bassfingers · « **Reply #8 on:** October 23, 2014, 11:28:46 AM »

I'm a user and big fan of Sadowsky basses.Here's Roger's take on the matter:

July 2010
Roasted Maple Necks

Sadowsky Guitars has always taken pride in the quality and stability of our neck wood. We are now pleased to offer roasted maple necks for an unprecedented level of stability. Lumber for maple necks and fingerboards is placed in a special oven after normal kiln dying. The wood is roasted at temperatures ranging from 180? to 220? Celsius. The result of this treatment is wood that is significantly more resistant to absorbing or releasing moisture. With this increased stability, the roasted maple process enables us to offer figured maple neck blanks for the first time in our three decades of instrument making. We have always advocated that figured neck stock was too unstable to use. However, any piece of wood than has a stability problem will warp during the roasting process and be discarded. It would also be a recommended option for players who reside in areas of extreme humidity (low or high), or who travel a lot through variable climates, as well as players who desire a figured maple neck for aesthetic reasons.

NOTE: The roasting process is performed on lumber. It cannot be applied retroactively to finished necks. Any revisions to existing instruments already on order will delay build time by approximately five months.

sonicus · « **Reply #9 on:** October 23, 2014, 12:32:00 PM »

Very interesting ! Thanks for the lowdown ____ .

tomhug · « **Reply #10 on:** October 24, 2014, 07:16:05 AM »

I would venture to say that if Roger Sadowsky has embraced it, it's not snake oil.

I regard wood roasting as primarily an aesthetic thing, with some probable, but not absolute, acoustic and structural benefits.

(Message edited by TomHug on October 24, 2014)

JuancarlinBass · « **Reply #11 on:** October 24, 2014, 06:14:23 PM »

And just when I was taking the pizza and baking pans out of our kitchen?s oven to put my el-cheapo beater bass?s neck, there goes Roger and says it cannot be applied to finished necks. What If I take the finish off the neck? Oh, well... one can always dream

tncaveman · « **Reply #12 on:** October 26, 2014, 08:13:03 PM »

I have a Musikraft neck with a roasted birdseye maple fretboard. The shaft wood is roasted flame maple. It's beautiful and plays nice. Its mounted on a custom build body made by me. It's patterned after a Fender Lead II. I'll do a full writeup soon. Fun project.

http://www.musikraft.com/product-info.php?pid603.html

Warmoth just started using roasted maple. They don't require a finish for their warrantee.

I think Tom Anderson is using it also.

This process apparently really changes the wood's properties. It's not the same as aging. I read somewhere that quite a few boards don't make it.

Stephen