Graphite guitar necks?

[freethought]

I saw them doing some web surfing for the fist time. Although not "blown out of the water" when I found them, they did rouse my curiosity.
Has any one ever played on one these graphite necks? Is there any big advantage? Are the means of neck adjustment any different from a wooden neck? Is the sound or feel any different? I am quite curious!

Thanx

[ProfessorGAC]

1. I've Played Them

There's a couple of oddities about those. Because of the density, they are very firm and tend not change as much over time and humidity. The modulus of flex is far higher than wood as is the tensile strength. So, in theory, they should need far fewer adjustments over time.

Now, i've played two. One on an Alembic bass, and the other on a boutique guitar. (The Modulus, which if i remember correctly is actually also Alembic.) The weird part on both of these, is that because they have wooden fingerboards overlaying, it felt completely normal and i didn't notice a thing different about the tone.

Of course, in theory (yeah i know, here he goes with the theory thing again), the vast majority of the mass of the guitar, and therefore the string anchoring, is in the body. So, the sympathetic vibrations off the strings into the "wood" are going to be reinforced and transferred back to the strings (resonance frequencies) much more by that than the neck.

And, the fingerboard material tends to mostly change the first milliseconds sound, or the attack. The body of the tone sounds prettty much the same (at least to me) no matter the fretboard material. (I think maple fingerboards "sting" a little more at first attack, while rosewood "honks". Neither is bad or good. Just different.) But, past that initial sound, i can't hear much difference.

So, same thing here. The neck felt nice; they were really expensive guitars, so i guess that's to be expected. But, if there was really a huge advantage to them, i would think more high line stuff would have graphite necks, because the top end players would be demanding them. And, i can't remember the last time i saw someone playing a graphite neck guitar. (Well, if Parker Fly has a graphite neck then it would be Reeves Gabrels or Todd.)

Even the Line 6 Variax has a wooden neck i think. And, that's ALL tech.

For a while, the guitar synths had graphite necks. (I think those were Roland made, but not sure.) They were supposed to be a little more pitch stable. But, i'm not sure i ever saw any real proof. Just marketing. Grain of salt, ya know. No ad is ever going to say "Buy our guitar, they really suck."
The Professor

[freethought]

2. I did notice the price on a graphite neck

From what I saw, a Strat style graphite neck goes for about $400.00. That's a pretty stiff price for just a neck. As you explained it it appears that there is no huge advantage to a graphite neck, nor does there appear to be any advantage sound wise. You could go to Warmoth or Mighty Mite and pick up a neck for half that price.

Heck, one of the lower end PRS guitars can be acquired for $450-$500. If someone wants to spend those bucks on a "Spare-No-Expense" 6 string, that's fine. All the power to them. I think I'll keep it a little more modest. To each his own I guess.

Still, I was curious if there was any huge advantage. Apparently not.

Thanks for the insight Professor!!

[ProfessorGAC]

3. I Just Think Good Is Good

Besides, since there are so many variations on how a neck is built, the most important thing is that you have a neck with a depth, width, and radius that fits the hand. I don't like necks that are too flat, or too broad. The thickness isn't that critical to me, unless it's ridiculous, like on my 62 Jazzmaster. That neck is too deep and feels like a 2 by 2. But, i do like the radius and width.

The only reason i have a replacement neck is that i put one on a 1974 Strat, and the necks in that era were less than great! In addition, i bought the neck from a guitarist i knew (actually i traded him a Fender Rhodes for it), and it was still on a guitar when i tried it. It fit my hand nicely.

I'd be very hesitant about buying a neck i hadn't tried, unless i knew that i could get EXACT measurements of my favorite one and the new one would be built to those specs.
The Professor

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

4. Graphite is used in many guitar necks for stability

Many high end archtop jazz guitars have rigid graphite bars in addition to a truss rod to give the neck more stability. And probably the best custom shop as far as quality is concerned (I'm talking about USA Custom Guitars - better than Warmoth) uses graphite bars in the slimmer necks that they make for "shred" type guitars similar to the superstrats that Ibanez, Kramer, Jackson, etc. make with their extremely slim necks. Graphite is lighter than steel and is a better material for construction than putting in a heavier double action steel truss rod like the Warmoth company does, which tends to make neck-heavy guitars. But I don't see a need for an all-graphite neck since maple or mahogany necks (among other tone woods) already do a great job and each has its own unique tone qualities in both solid body electric guitars as well as in acoustic guitars. And greater neck strength can also be achieved by using multiple pieces of wood which are glued together instead of just one solid piece to make strong and stable guitar necks. I think that if you're playing a wooden guitar, you might as well keep as much wood in it as possible. I'm not sure but I think the tone of even all-electric solid body guitars like Fenders (most necks made of maple) and Gibson (most necks made of mahogany) contributes a lot to each guitar's type of personality. You might want to talk to an experienced guitar maker to ask about any tonal differences in the use of all-graphite necks. Even the type of wood in a fretboard as wel as the frets (nickel or stainless steel, for example) can affect the tone.

I do own a guitar with a mahogany neck but with a fretboard that is "superphenol". That's a composite of wood dust and some kind of plastic. It's the Peter Rogine Model jazz guitar made in Korea for the Aslin Dane company. I can tell you that it's without any question the fastest, smoothest, easiest guitar neck I've ever had the pleasure of playing upon, better than Pao Ferro or Ebony fretboards for effortless play. The only drawback might come when a new fretjob is needed. I think you have to throw the neck away. In the case of a graphite neck, I assume that a wooden fretboard is required, to avoid this problem.

I have played on an all-graphite acoustic guitar where everything including the guitar body was made of graphite. They're made by the Rainsong company and they are very pricey. But they are amazing instruments, with a clarity, resonance, and loudness that you rarely find in wooden guitars. In fact, the guitar was maybe too bright, with a sound almost like a piano. I wish I could afford one.