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Post subject: Is Flamed Maple Neck Good?
Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2009 6:13 pm
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I just bought an 2008 American Standard Precision Bass. And I noticed that the back of the neck is a bit different.

When you're looking on the back, you can see the usual circular grain on the left side of the neck, but on the right side where your thumb usually grips there were stripes. I looked it up and I think it's because the neck is flamed maple on that part! The neck has a deeper tint than the other ones that I've seen.

Although this picture is not my guitar, it looks like this: http://farm1.static.flickr.com/66/21876 ... 38.jpg?v=0


I was wondering if that's a good thing? Or if it even makes a difference?

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Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2009 6:44 pm
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It makes a nice visual difference, especialy when your playing. Its usuall for customshop models to get the pic of the wood. Out of my 4 fenders only my customshop guitar has that detail. sounds like you got a nice axe mate.
Image

There are people who say a better quality of wood produces a better tone and i wouldnt argue with em. Myself i cant tell and im quite critical, but i pick my guitars by their necks and like em all equaly.

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Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2009 6:48 pm
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It makes it more expensive. Check out Warmoth or StewMac for prices and specs. They will probably give you some info on the sales pitch that it is premium wood.

Your bass is a quality instrument and should not give you any trouble performing and recording.

A lot of the fancy woods are more for asthetics than sound. Check out PRS and you will see exorbitant prices for their finished guitars. But look at them in person and they are works of art.


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Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2009 6:51 pm
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Thanks for the reply and for showing the neck of your custom shop. It looks great!!!

It worried me a bit a few days after I got my new guitar. I read a review that says, he got a p-bass and the direction of the grain on the neck was wrong and it will be prone to warping. And I looked at my guitar and it's unusual to me as I never had a guitar with a flamed neck.


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Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2009 7:01 pm
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You pay more for the Flame effect which happens in random Maple trees and it can occur in several different species of Maple and you cant tell if a log is going to have it or not until you cut. Somtimes you can look at the bark and have a clue that it may have the effect but its not a given. The best necks are the quartersawn sugar Maple necks ( Hard Rock)

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Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2009 7:53 pm
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The Naturals wrote:
It worried me a bit a few days after I got my new guitar. I read a review that says, he got a p-bass and the direction of the grain on the neck was wrong and it will be prone to warping. And I looked at my guitar and it's unusual to me as I never had a guitar with a flamed neck.


Now there may be something in that. Ive next to no experience with bass guitars but the bit i have shows em suffering more stress on the neck than a 6string.
Still you've got the lifetime warranty so keep your recipt and dont worry. Just enjoy the thumpathumpa :wink:

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Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 6:08 am
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The Naturals wrote:
I read a review that says, he got a p-bass and the direction of the grain on the neck was wrong and it will be prone to warping.


There's two different issues here. Regarding the figuring there is a superstition that markings such as flame, quilt or birdseye might make the timber weaker. However, I read an interview with the gentleman who founded Warmoth (what's his name?) where he said he thought he probably had as much experience with neck timbers as anyone in the business and he'd never noticed the slightest difference in tendancy to warp between figured and non-figured wood.

The direction of the grain is another question. Some, such as Eric Johnson, believe that quarter-sawn wood may be more stable and perhaps more resonant than other cuts. (Quarter sawn is where the grain runs at a right-angle from front to back, when you look at the end of the heel.)

However, the vast majority of our Fender necks have the grain running at an angle somewhere around 45 degrees and very few of us ever have an issue with warping. It's a hard old timber, maple. Once seasoned it is very stable. It's always possible to have a warping problem, but it will likely be an individual neck with an invisible instability in its grain which nobody could predict, and it often only emerges when the guitar is subject to less than ideal conditions, such as repeated extreme changes in temperature and humidity.

The Naturals, you are most unlikely to have a problem. Sit back and enjoy your guitar's unique markings.

Cheers - C


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