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I've got a real nice piece of Narra that would make a nice laminated neck, it's a little on the heavy side compared to your average piece of mahogany (not by much tho). I don't think it's going to make a neck heavy 12 fret 000 (mahogany/adi slothead). I'll probably get away with it, the neck is shorter than a 14 fret after all.

However, this stuff rings like a bell, tons of sustain when tapped. Now, that has got me thinking. Do we want neck woods that have heaps of sustain when tapped? Or, is that going to be robbing the strings of their sustain (energy)? Or will it add to the whole sound of the instrument?

It's a lovely piece of wood, and I'd love to use it for both neck and binding. What do you all think?

All you can do is try it and let the rest of us know how you got on!
Tim
Australian Tonewoods

since necks have long been successfully made with other tonewoods, mahogany, rosewood, maple, etc., it shouldn't be a problem.

I know that Gerard Gilet is making guitars with narra necks, but he's using the real light coloured stuff that is much more like mahogany. The light stuff doesn't ring like this. My stuff is heavier, harder, and darker. The average air dried density for this stuff ranges from 450kg/M^3 all the way up to 850kg/M^3. So there's Narra, and then there's Narra.

I was thinking that a neck that resonates a lot, must be taking energy away from the strings/soundboard, and maybe killing the sound of the guitar by having a dampening effect. Or, does it just add overtones?

I would imagine since your hand is in contact with the neck most of the
time that its resonant frequency would be compromised as an important
factor by damping from contact with your hand, however it MUST play
some part simply because it is there.

I would imagine that a neck that likes to vibrate may help distribute some
of the string vibration into the top and back through the neck joint, but
how much and what part of those vibrations is beyond me. It seems
logical that a more dense neck with a strong tap tone would likely
sympathetically vibrate with the strings and actually help with sustain
(similar to more dense electrics increasing sustain?). I'm just guessing
there.

I've noticed with my mandolins that the tap tone of the top changes with
the neck on it, but I've never quantified that relationship. So, the neck
will have an effect on the sound of your instrument, and i would imagine
that the one you describe would work perfectly well. You will have to let
us know what you end up finding.

-geoff

Paul,

I would think that because your piece of narra is more dense than that which Gerard is using, it would be more beneficial to tone. As I understand, rosewood has been used as neck wood for this very reason, with some builders believing that the trade off in added weight was worth the benefits gained in regards to tone. Maybe you could use some carbon rods to balance things out a little.

Cheers

Kim