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Birch neck tone & feel?

Posted: Fri Jun 26, 2015 5:36 pm
by Dave Locher
How would those who have used it described the tone & feel of a birch neck compared to maple & mahogany for a solidbody electric? I am not familiar with birch.

Re: Birch neck tone & feel?

Posted: Fri Jun 26, 2015 10:04 pm
by Dave Locher
I can't figure out how to edit my post, but I meant to say maple OR mahogany.
I just learned that Ibanez made a spruce neck/spruce top les Paul in the '70s and wondered how that would compare to maple for sound & feel? The jazzy model I had was maple neck & top, but the more "rocking" model specified spruce.

Re: Birch neck tone & feel?

Posted: Fri Jun 26, 2015 11:20 pm
by Mark Swanson
Do you see the "edit" button on the lower right?

Re: Birch neck tone & feel?

Posted: Fri Jun 26, 2015 11:41 pm
by Dave Locher
No. I see a quote button on the bottom right, and two on the bottom left (profile and pm) and that's it. I'm using an iPhone, not a computer; maybe that's why?
Edit: it showed up on this post as soon as I hit submit. I guess I lost the edit option on the first post because I logged out and then back in? (I have to log in every time I come back even when I select the "automatically log me back in when I return" option.)

Re: Birch neck tone & feel?

Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2015 10:31 am
by Charlie Schultz
The edit button is only there for 30 minutes after a post.

Re: Birch neck tone & feel?

Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2015 1:22 pm
by Mark Swanson
Oh, thanks Charlie! I forgot that Staff have that button there all the time.

Re: Birch neck tone & feel?

Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2015 4:14 pm
by Dave Locher
So...about the birch.
Is it similar in feel & tone to maple? Or is there some noticeable difference? I'm just wondering why Ibanez would use it for a neck? (Or claim to in an ad - the "maple" top on the pf350 was thin plywood with a nice flame veneer so who knows.)

Re: Birch neck tone & feel?

Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2015 10:25 pm
by Stephen Neal Saqui
Ibanez didn't use it for the sound. Probably for the cost...they're a factory and they think that way.

Birch is similar to maple and would probably make a good neck depending on the stability of the piece of wood. By that I mean if it doesn't react to humidity changes. For instance, I have a customer who had an Ibanez bass with a maple neck. If the heat or humidity changed during a gig the neck would bow forward or back. Fortunately he could correct it by adjusting the tension rod but it became such a nuisance he got rid of it.

I like Birch but haven't used it for necks yet. I would, though, if it was on the quarter.