Custom Shop Invader in Blue Ice featuring a Wenge neck ...

[Craig]

Invader in Blue Ice featuring a Wenge neck. This machine is ready to rock! Being delivered to our distributor in Japan 山野楽器 / yamano music.

[FZTNT]

Can you tell us more about this Wenge neck? I understand it's fairly new material to be used on a neck but to me it just looks a bit soft. Inquiring minds want to know.

Thanks,

Tom

[Keith R]

Warwick has used Wenge for its (bass) guitar necks for 30-odd years - and continues to do so very successfully.

Warmoth has sold replacement Wenge necks for nigh-on 20 years and they're a popular part of their line; and Schecter currently uses it for the necks on their Signature Nick Johnson "Strats" (my most recent encounter with the wood).

It's definitely not soft:

A black hard wood, stiff and very strong with chocolate brown stripes. Very hard, coarser textured wood with open grain. This wood makes awesome bass necks with strong midrange tones and warm lows. Combine it with an ebony fretboard for more brightness. Used primarily as Neck shafts but can also be used as a coarse fretboard. This wood is usually played raw. No Finish required. Wenge trims some high overtones like Rosewood does, while resonating more fundamental mids and low mids due to it's multi-density "stripes" combing away a little more of the mid and low mid overtones.

No downsides to a Wenge neck, if you like the sound and feel. Personally, I love the stuff, even though I don't own any Wenge-necked guitars currently.

G&L has been here before, too...

[FZTNT]

Very interesting, thanks for the info. I was just in Clermont FL. where Cornerstone Music is but did not have time to stop in. I will have to keep an eye out for guitars that use this wood.

Tom