Your thoughts on a neck idea please.

[johnston]

I was sanding down a new fret board on my old bass when I noticed the grain on the side of the piece of wenge and an idea came to me .

Now I know nothing about woodwork or guitar building so feel free to shoot me down  :p

If I was to make up a laminate neck using wenge as 1 part to get the creamy and dark swirls and another wood. Could I do it and use the actual neck woods as the fret board instead of using a fret board.  So the fret board has the stripy look?? Which would carry on through to the headstock.

Also to keep it looking 'solid' could the middle section of the laminate be routed up and the truss rod installed while laying up the neck.  My thinking is to have the centre section the same thickness as the rod so its just a cosy fit.

Whats you all think will it work or am I talkin out of my behind 

[Neil]

Yeah, Fender has done a lot of fretting on to the neck wood rather than a fretboard, its no problem at all.

and yeah I see no reason why you couldnt install the truss rod at the same time as gluing the neck lams,

you would have to be quite careful with glue squeeze out though, you dont want to get any glue on the truss rod.

[Simo]

Yeah it shouldn't cause you any problems, as long the neck woods are also suitable fretboard woods of course. Personally, I'd route the truss rod from behind and install a skunk stripe, ala Fender. You could always use the same wood for the skunk stripe as the centre laminate if you want it to be inconspicuous.

[johnston]

Yeah it was because of the fender neck I thought about it.  But then they are solid not a laminate neck so I wasn't so sure.

I have been given what I think are planks of mahogany, not 100% sure as there in garage rafters about 8 feet above my head in the dark and they've been there maybe 20 years now    Should be enough to do 2 neck throughs. 

I was thinking the skunk strip method but to me it seems easier to use a template and route out of a plank and do it during the build up. Well in my head it does anyway 

In my head for the first attempt I'm thinking the mahogany with maple veneers .