Guitar allergy question

Shawn · May 2007

Kind of a weird question, but I have recently been having some GAS ("Guitar Acquisition Syndrome" for the uninitiated), and I have a question about allergies. I am allergic to Tree Nuts such as Walnuts, Almonds, Pecans, etc., but not peanuts (thank god I can still eat Chinese food).

Anyhow, all of my current Selmer style guitars have Mahogany necks and generally non-nut producing woods. So my question is: Would playing a Walnut neck guitar cause my allergies break out? I realize that the woods all have a finish over them, but being that I play my instruments pretty hard I can't guanantee that the finish will stay on for more than a few years or so.

Does a walnut neck offer anything different than a Mahogany or Maple neck? Should I even try a Walut neck?

djadam · May 2007

OK, you get the strange post of the year award!!

I can't answer your question with any authority, but my understanding is that food alergies are usually caused by a reaction to proteins in the food. These proteins are not so likely be found in the wood itself, as they are there for the development of the nut, so I'd guess you're safe, but it's just a guess.

mmaslan · May 2007

Just don't eat the guitar.

Bob Holo · May 2007

Walnut, Mahogany, Maple, Koa, & Redwood all make good necks - and there are plenty of other woods too. You're just basically looking for woods that are stable enough to resist warping and strong enough to do the job. Density of wood is another consideration; your luthier can advise you on whether the design you want is best implemented with a more or less dense neck wood and what types of structures will be required to get the neck to be stable and of the right strength (multi-piece / support rods / truss rod etc.)

Walnut is similar in density to to Koa - and Koa can get very rich in color. Some of it is dark enough to look a lot like Walnut. Maybe that would be a better option for you if you have concerns and you're going for a particular look.

Stackabones · May 2007

mmaslan wrote:

Just don't eat the guitar.

Now he tells me.

Craig Bumgarner · May 2007

I've heard some of the original Selmer's had rosewood necks. Francois Charle speaks of it in his book. A couple years ago, I was shown Selmer #849, c. 1951, the owner claimed had a rosewood neck. It looked more like walnut to me, but the finish was pretty dark and it was hard to see the details of the wood. I only had a minute to look and didn't get to play it.

The wood was very straight grained and uniform. Certainly could have been rosewood, but if it was, it was a superb example of old growth wood, not the squirrelly stuff we often see today.

Rosewood is arguably denser and more resonant than most any other wood commonly used for necks and I've often wondered how much it might contribute to the sound. Does anyone know what kind of rosewood was used? Was it common in older instruments other than Selmers? Sadly, the scarcity of rosewood today makes it likely we will never see it used for necks again.

Craig

a · May 2007

why would you want the neck to resonate?

Ken Bloom · May 2007

I have made instruments with rosewood necks at the request of the client. I found them so heavy as to make the instrument unbalanced and also found that they hurt rather than helped the tone. Since then, it's been mostly mahogany, with a few of walnut or maple. I prefer mahogany and walnut as they are both so much more stable and far less affected by moisture and temperature. They also have less tendency to twist than a maple neck.
Getting rosewood for a neck is no problem but I can't imagine why you would want it. Just my 2p.

Craig Bumgarner · May 2007

a wrote:

why would you want the neck to resonate?

Oh, I don't, necessarily. Just commenting that the resonance of rosewood might well get involved in the sound somehow.

Ken Bloom wrote:

I have made instruments with rosewood necks at the request of the client. I found them so heavy as to make the instrument unbalanced and also found that they hurt rather than helped the tone.

Interesting. Balance is certainly an issue, isn't it. I've heard builders strive to keep weight down in general to encourage responsiveness. Light weight seems to be characteristic of the best Selmacs.

Craig