Question about poplar bodies

[jdl]

hey guys;

Is their a reason not to just stain a poplar body, other than the "ugly" colour of it? Warmoth says that you should do a solid finish because of the greenish colour of poplar. But does it really matter, other than asthetics? The reason i'm asking is that poplar is the cheapest, and i like natural finishes.

james

[UnklMickey]

hi james,

i'm way out of my element when it comes to stains and wood, but i'll tell you what little i know.

(whoa there Rune, before you tee off on that one, i really am talking about guitar finishes!)


i know some woods take stain very unevenly. if poplar is one of those, it may look "blotchy", when stained.

it certainly wouldn't hurt to do some experiments on some scraps first.

even if it doesn't take stain well, that might not mean you have to do a solid finish.

you might start by doing a clear finish, to seal the wood, and covering that with a transparent color.

if the natural color is "greenish", maybe celebrate that with an emerald green transparent topcoat.

if you don't like green, maybe even some other color that will mask the greenish hue.


but as i said at the start, i don't know squat about it, i'm just guessing here.

wait 'til someone who knows for sure confirms either, this is a good plan,

or that i should stick to wiring and tube-amps.



unk

[jdl]

lol thanks unk;

i like your idea of an grean finish, even if it wont work!!!

james

[pollyshero]

A couple of reasons poplar isn't popular among the natural finish crowd:

First, it's typically not very "pretty" compared to other woods. The figuring patterns are usually pretty large and not well defined, and yes - they're mostly green and the color tends to show through. Probably the biggest I can think of is that the grain likes to run in a lot of different directions and that makes it hard to get a good even finish. No matter how finely sanded, there will appear to be rough spots where the grain runs contrary to the general direction. Those spots will appear darker compared to the rest of the piece.

I suppose it would be possible to get a good result if you were careful to find and sand each area in the grain pattern in the direction it goes astray. As far as color, if you've got a lot of green, I'd choose a dark stain.

[Runewalker]

Poplar, Alder, and Black (swamp) Ash have similar densities, in the range of 30-35lb/cu'.

There are a number of woods actually in that range, just not as common. Leo used alder because it was inexpensive and plentiful at the time. Interestingly enough, Douglas-Fir, considered construction lumber, has commensuate density, and on that calculus would also be acceptable as a 'tonewood.' Seen in Fir (not Billy Gibbons' "fur") guitars?

Popular is bvtt-ugly for a clear or stained finish (unless very dark - even then there are probs). As PH notes the green tint, which is greyish and moldy looking is splotched in broad bands. The contrast in rarely aesthetic arrays also compromises it final stained appearance. Poplar is used as filler layers in hardwood plywood with a finish veneer, usually of birch, maple, oak or ash.

Marginal cost for different woods for a clear finish would be worth it.

If you are going for a grain reveal finish, you will want to think about the glue-ups. Unless the mfg. carefully matches the piece the glue line are usually visible and contrasty in a linear vs occurs-in-nature-non-linear fashion.

Glue ups are often 5 pieces to keep costs down, with increased costs going for the 3 and 2 pieces. Single pieces are rare and unless carefully selected for growth patterns by the mfg, subject to cupping. A stable and attractive 1-piece will be expensive. Quartersawn is a very nice alternative, but also expensive. It is also very stable because of the way it is cut, but mostly touted for its appearance.

The whole grain-reveal decision, done right, allows little room for error and is a more expensive decision.