Mahogany neck, stock in MIJ Fender Strat?

[joseito]

Here's my first thread:

I have a MIJ Fender Stratocaster (with a sticker that says "Made in USA") from the mid 80's, according to Fender's serial #'s page. I don't know what kind of woods the body or the neck are, and mostly I don't care, I'm no purist, I love my guitar just the way it is and I love it just because it's MY STRAT.

It's just that lately I've been wandering about the neck wood, it's too dark for maple and too light for rosewood (as the guitar has a rosewood fingerboard, duh! to myself), and I can't seem to find a single reference to stock Fender necks that aren't maple or maple/rosewood on the net.

I'm guessing it's a mahogany neck (estrictly guessing), but is this possible? A stock, production line mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard?

Post pictures.

Please, let's stick to the question at hand, I know that what I did to my guitar may be controversial and many people will hate it, I know the neck has a growth nut and I know my craftmanship is sub par at best, but it is what it is and I love my guitar just the way it is.


Thanx beforehand for your answers.

[QQQ]

To my eyes that is most definitely maple. It probably had a tinted finish sprayed to darken the color. The grain pattern does not look like mahogany.

Here is a pic that resembles most of the basic mahogany I have seen used on guitars


Here is a good example of unfinished maple. With a tinted finish, or if the wood was dyed and then finished clear it would resemble your neck grain pattern

[joseito]

Originally Posted by QQQ

To my eyes that is most definitely maple. It probably had a tinted finish sprayed to darken the color. The grain pattern does not look like mahogany.

I have drilled into the neck a couple of times and I assure you it's not a tint, the drilled out wood is the same color as the surface.

If it's not mahogany then, what is it?

Cheers

[QQQ]

Originally Posted by joseito

I have drilled into the neck a couple of times and I assure you it's not a tint, the drilled out wood is the same color as the surface.

If it's not mahogany then, what is it?

Cheers

By looking at the close up pic of the exposed neck holes you can see that the wood color is almost white inside. Look at the pics I added to my first response. Your neck is maple. 99.99998712% sure.

[Foley]

That's a maple neck.



^ You can see the grain pretty well in this picture, that grain is definitely maple. Woods can vary in color, this maple must be a little darker if the drill shavings are the same color. Mahogany will be a different color than that though and its grain will look a lot different. You can see in the two grain patterns above what mahogany looks like and what maple looks like. Your neck's grain even looks like the maple picture above.

[Mark C]

Definitely maple.

[beNsteR]

absolutely positively maple.

[wizard333]

Stained maple. I have maple necks darker than that.

[IAE]

No way its mahogany! Its maple!

[joseito]

Thanks everybody for their input. As far as I'm concerned this matter is settled: it's maple and I'm an ignorant.

Thanx again

[mc5nrg]

The neck is from a later 80s MIJ Standard Stratocaster. Sticker is aftermarket.I guess you modified the body or is that a parts guitar?

[joseito]

As I stated at the opening of the thread, it's a MIJ Fender, 86-87 to be exact. I bought it from an stablished store, and it came with the sticker, not until I checked fender serial number page (it has a Fender serial number) did I found it was MIJ; but because of the sticker (being on the guitar brand new) I was under the impression it was US made, and I looked into it 'cause of the quality (or lack thereof) of pots and such. I modified the body recently, it had a normal boxy heel and it was painted black, and this too I stated right off the bat, the heel mod, that is.

Original body (modified by me)
Original neck
Original pickguard and pickups
Different pots and switch (originals broke down)
New Wilkinson VSVG bridge (didn't like the original, the modern Fender tremolo)

What was throwing me off was the color of the neck wood, and my doubts appeared after I played an Eric Clapton "Blackie" Strat, and the neck is too light colored, and my tele has a maple neck that, because of the finish, is more on the yellow-ish side.

But the good people in this site had showed me the error of my ways.

Thank you, mc5nrg, for your interest.