Question How are your roasted maple necks holding up?

[Zeke]

Just curious to hear from some owners of roasted maple necks to see how they have held up during the hot & muggies of summer. It was a big question early on that the roasted birdseye necks wouldn't be as stable as say a quarter sawn maple neck.

My JP6BFR needed a little loosening, but that is to be expected here in Philly where the humidity makes everything expand.

 

[Grifff]

Mine holds up quite well. I've only needed to adjust the truss rod once so far this summer.

 

[misterB]

Haven't had to touch it at all yet. Love it, love it, love it!!!!

 

[Tollywood]

Only one adjustment on the roasted neck due to the humidity in Rhode Island in the summer. Two quick turns, and I have been good since.

My unfinished Axis neck needed a similar adjustment.

I love, love, love both necks...

 

[DrKev]

It was a big question early on that the roasted birdseye necks wouldn't be as stable as say a quarter sawn maple neck.

No it wasn't. The roasting process was supposed to make it more stable, if anything!

 

[RobertJFortner]

The only adjusting I've had to do since I bought the RM Luke is because of my dumb fault. It was prefect right out of the case and I should have left it alone! I changed to DR Coated Neon Strings. So gave the guitar a monster movie look, Green strings on a black guitar. It threw my whole guitar out. Even though my guitar from the factory was setup with RPS 9's, the string tension on the DR 9's were obviously different. So last week I went back to RPS 9's and had to re-adjust everything...again...haha..But now she's happy she's got her EB RPS 9's on lol.

 

[Zeke]

No it wasn't. The roasting process was supposed to make it more stable, if anything!

DrKev,
Yes I understand what the process was supposed to do and we all heard it from corporate. Not to say that that corporate was wrong or trying to mislead us, but I thought it would be best to get responses back from individual owners.

And it was a big question in the beginning here in the States and by some who manage national guitar stores. That being said, mine is stable and it would appear the additional responses indicate that as well.

Good for us for choosing a quality built guitar!

 

[Thetomsk]

Going to sound like a rookie here, I love the look of the roasted necks but some questions to be asked. How does the neck feel when unfinished and also does it offer any variation of tone compared to a similar spec non roasted neck?

 

[Zeke]

Going to sound like a rookie here, I love the look of the roasted necks but some questions to be asked. How does the neck feel when unfinished and also does it offer any variation of tone compared to a similar spec non roasted neck?

My JP6BFR has a poly coated neck with an ebony board, but I can't say for sure all the roasted necks are coated the same way so I can't comment on the feel of an unfinished neck. My Axis SS Rosewood Limited Edition is unfinished and I do like the feel of that neck. I don't believe there are any option variations, but some necks have more birdseyes than others and that is what lured me into buying mine. I had no intention of buying a guitar at the show last fall and then I saw the JP6 and a day later I was selling my 1966 Fender Electric XII to pay for it.

 

[GWDavis28]

The models with the roasted necks that are available, are the first offering of roasted necks. EBMM's never done an unfinished roasted neck offering.

Glenn |B)

 

[straycat113]

I could not be happier with my RM neck guitars as both are keepers for life. I never had an issue with finished necks but these have a feel all their own which I believe is due to the fact they are so light. I will keep it real just as Zeke did, what sold me on the guitars at first was the look of the necks and I could not say anything about stability or it being stronger as I never owned one, and it just seemed to fall into place that as far as I had seen EB was the first company that did a run, so good for us. I had seen a Suhr Vulcanized neck which is cooked twice as long and kind of looks like Rosewood, but I believe they only offered a 30 or 60 day warranty on those which raised an eyebrow. But after ordering the RM neck their was a whole thread on the GP where John explained the whole process and said that Roasted was much stronger that Vulcanized which he did away with, and also better looking as well as stating the scientific facts behind it that it is stronger and 30% lighter after the process is done.

From Wiki for instance.....
Heat treatment can also improve the properties of the wood with respect to water: lower equilibrium moisture, less moisture deformation, and weather resistance. It is weather-resistant enough to be used, unprotected, in facades or in kitchen tables, where wetting is expected.
There are 3 similar European heat treatments: Retiwood, developed in France, Thermowood, developed in Finland by VTT, and Platowood developed in The Netherlands. These processes autoclave the treated wood, subjecting it to pressure and heat, along with nitrogen or water vapour to control drying in a staged treatment process ranging from 24 to 48 hours at temperatures of 180 to 230 °C depending on timber species. These processes increase the durability, dimensional stability and hardness of the treated wood by at least one class.

So besides the cool look and feel their is definitely scientific fact to back up the process. I just read that Gibson is now coming out with a version and I am sure the rest will also now follow.