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View Full Version : Why do so many Fender CS guitars have birdseye necks?

furry
10-13-2009, 10:23 AM
I thought birdseye maple was considered unstable as a neck wood. Why do so many Fender Custom Shop guitars seem to use birdseye?
lamenlovinit
10-13-2009, 10:36 AM
I thought birdseye maple was considered unstable as a neck wood. Why do so many Fender Custom Shop guitars seem to use birdseye?

Really? You can't figure out why? When a guitar is held together with 4 screws you have to find some way to differentiate it from an off the shelf one:hide

But seriously. It looks pretty, and a piece with consistent markings is rare. It indicates a lot more attention to detail if you have a piece of wood with gorgeous consistent markings. And that's what custom shop and boutique is all about right? Attention to detail. Plus I've seen lots of 50's Fenders with amazing birdseye necks.

I realize some people will gig with them, but most never see a stage. And alot of them rarely see the light of day. It's just not logical to gig a custom shop unless you have a ton of bucks. Get an AVRI of the year you want, replace the electronics to your taste. Much less heartbreak if it walks away on its own when the "bottomless" nachos the club provides gives you the Amarillo Two Step and you have to run to the crapper!
teleblaster
10-13-2009, 10:45 AM
heres one from 94 its a soft V 9.5 radius. It stays in place dosent move much.
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk55/teleblasterunite/tele002-1-2.jpg?t=1255452387
BornToLate
10-13-2009, 10:49 AM
I thought birdseye maple was considered unstable as a neck wood. Why do so many Fender Custom Shop guitars seem to use birdseye?


Just like silicone boobs really...looks nice, catches your eye and once you see it, you just gotta play it (the guitar neck or the boobs)...hth
XKnight
10-13-2009, 10:59 AM
Why do so many Fender CS guitars have birdseye necks?Because they can.:rimshot
stevieboy
10-13-2009, 11:13 AM
Why do so many guitars have flame tops? They just cost more, they don't sound any better.

People just like them. I don't care for figured tops or necks, but that's just my own preference. I've read that bird's eye necks can be unstable, but I don't know if there is a preponderance of evidence that it is a common issue.
DS88
10-13-2009, 11:47 AM
Isn't birds-eye maple MORE stable? With flame being less stable?

It looks nice though!
furry
10-13-2009, 11:50 AM
I've read that bird's eye necks can be unstable, but I don't know if there is a preponderance of evidence that it is a common issue.

Actually, I think this has been pretty well established.
musicofanatic5
10-13-2009, 12:02 PM
"Isn't birds-eye maple MORE stable? With flame being less stable?"

Basically true. According to many, figured (flame, curly, fiddle-back, whatever; just don't call it "TIGER MAPLE"!!!!!) is considered "unstable", but not so much birds-eye. Warmoth is a proponent of this and for a long time, anyway, would not sell curly maple, but did sell birds-eye necks.

One reason one might see a lotta b.e. (or figured maple in general) maple on a custom neck is because plain maple is oh-so-nothing to look at. Unlike ash, walnut, mahogany, rosewood, etc, unfigured maple has no grain characture or dimension to it, and is basically like going to an art show and looking at a blank canvas. Unfigured maple has plenty of density and structural benefit, but might as well get an opaque paint job.

"It's just not logical to gig a custom shop unless you have a ton of bucks"

Or "enough bucks to buy one of these and enjoy playing it at a gig". Not logical?!?!?

Flame maple is a gift from the gods. Gaze deeply into it, wonder at the mystical forces that produce it, love it!
Dave Klausner
10-13-2009, 12:11 PM
Who knows? I mean, why would you want something that looks like this? :D

http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u245/dklausner/strat_09_4.jpg

http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u245/dklausner/strat_09_2.jpg
lamenlovinit
10-13-2009, 12:34 PM
"It's just not logical to gig a custom shop unless you have a ton of bucks"

Or "enough bucks to buy one of these and enjoy playing it at a gig". Not logical?!?!?


Meh... Tomato tomahto:rimshot
teleblaster
10-13-2009, 02:30 PM
Isn't birds-eye maple MORE stable? With flame being less stable?

It looks nice though!
Its harder. Like a bunch of little knots. At least the one ive got is.
Rumblefish
10-13-2009, 07:05 PM
I used to own a Cunetto Nocaster Relic with a ridiculous flamed and birdseye neck.Awesome gtr. It was real stable until the day I used it to shovel snow off my driveway.
Boris Bubbanov
10-13-2009, 07:44 PM
Because they can.:rimshot


Words of wisdom.

I note that Custom Shop coats most of their necks with lacquer. Lacquer is certainly more permeable than polyurethane, so the amount of protection a CS neck gets is less than a Production poly neck.

FMIC Custom Shop is taking a calculated risk. There may be more returns, because CS customers are more demanding and the finish alone increases the risk of a neck with issues. but there's enough vigorish or profit margin in there. FMIC Custom Shop can replace one in every 20 necks and still make a wad of money for the business. I bet they don't truly replace anything close to 1 neck in 20. You pick a number. 1 in 65?
Jazzydave
10-13-2009, 08:20 PM
The question has been answered...it just looks great with the right "figuring" so to speak.

I've owned several guitars with birdseyes and loved them - never had any issues at all playing them hard on stage.
lamenlovinit
10-13-2009, 08:37 PM
Who knows? I mean, why would you want something that looks like this? :D

http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u245/dklausner/strat_09_4.jpg

http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u245/dklausner/strat_09_2.jpg

That'll teach you to eat ribs before playing:rimshot
Doc55
10-14-2009, 04:27 PM
Ask a journeyman carpenter. He'll tell you that highly flamed maple is also highly stable. So is any quarter sawn maple. Lots of bunk out there.