by mrblanche » Wed Oct 03, 2007 5:03 am
It's used for necks. Keep in mind that "soft" and "hard" woods are relative terms. And the strongest wood known to man is paulownia...but that is just in comparison to its weight.
The strongest wood would probably be oak, but you wouldn't want it for a guitar neck, due to the weight. And you wouldn't want a paulownia or balsa neck (both of which are hardwoods); it would have to be too large to be strong enough.
I suspect basswood is not uncommon in necks. But it's not particularly pretty, compared to birds-eye maple, which would be my first choice.