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Post by kuzi16 on Jun 9, 2007 9:02:40 GMT -5
I am looking to build my first guitar from scratch. (save for the neck) I have my designs thought out, re-thought out, and re-re-thought out. I have made my templates, decided on my hardware, chosen my pickups and configuration.
time to start. I only need three things:
1) a band saw or jig saw
2) router
3) the wood.
since I'm not trying to copy a strat or a Les Paul or any other guitar for that matter, buying a pre-shaped body is out of the question. I'm looking for a wood that will look good with only a protective coat on it. No other color or finish will be added.
where would one find a body blank like that?
would it be easier to just make my own blank?
any thoughts on what brands of the above mentioned tools are good?
thanks for the help in advance!
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Post by crazymanandy on Jun 9, 2007 11:25:54 GMT -5
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Post by sumgai on Jun 9, 2007 13:16:23 GMT -5
Andy, The protective coat is nothing more than a sealer that is usually applied right after the body forming and routing. It's there to keep the wood from absorbing extra moisture and swelling up before it can be painted. Sometimes there's a goodly delay between those two steps.  HTH sumgai |
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Post by sumgai on Jun 9, 2007 13:28:20 GMT -5
kuzi,
While I'm a firm believer in supporting local merchants, this is one of those cases where you won't get what you pay for.
In this case, you want a chunk of wood that's been cut in the proper grain direction, has been cured correctly, and if it's not one piece, then it was glued together with good glue. Almost as important, it'll look good when finished au natural - but tone comes first!! To get all of that, your local lumberyard won't know diddly-squat, and will only help you by directing you to a guitar parts supply house.
The links cited above are good starting points. Fortunately, depending on your choice of wood, you can buy a blank that's large enough for just about any shape starting in the $60-70 range. (USD). Shipping a block of wood won't cost you an arm or a leg either, it's not that fragile, and weighs only 5 lbs. or so.
HTH
sumgai
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Post by kuzi16 on Jun 9, 2007 14:38:00 GMT -5
The protective coat is nothing more than a sealer that is usually applied right after the body forming and routing. It's there to keep the wood from absorbing extra moisture and swelling up before it can be painted. exactly. this is why the choice of wood is so important. i need a wood that will look good on its own. in some of the links above, specifically this one: www.galleryhardwoods.com/specials.htm(under tone woods of course) it has prices and following the price it has "2pcs unglued" I'm assuming that they need to be put together and glued to make it large enough to work with. How hard is this to do and will it affect the tone at all ? how about the strength? |
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Post by crazymanandy on Jun 9, 2007 15:38:35 GMT -5
I know what you are talking about now, sumgai. Totally skipped my mind. But regardless, you'll still have to put a finish on it (colored or not is your choice), kuzi. The protective coat is nothing more than a sealer that is usually applied right after the body forming and routing. It's there to keep the wood from absorbing extra moisture and swelling up before it can be painted. exactly. this is why the choice of wood is so important. i need a wood that will look good on its own. in some of the links above, specifically this one: www.galleryhardwoods.com/specials.htm(under tone woods of course) it has prices and following the price it has "2pcs unglued" I'm assuming that they need to be put together and glued to make it large enough to work with. How hard is this to do and will it affect the tone at all ? how about the strength? If you want a good looking wood, pretty much any wood that is figured will look good finished clear. You could put on a figure maple top or other figured wood top, which is what a lot of people do. But it is up to you, if you like the way a piece of wood looks, go for it. As far as pieces go, many production guitars are at least three pieces. Sometimes you'll get two pieces. Even many boutique guitars are two piece. You'll find two piece to be the general standard in the guitar building world, especially if you're dealing with highly exotic woods which are hard to get in one single slab. And as a plus it is cheaper. It is pretty easy to do. Get some glue, apply, and clamp them together and keep them as level with each other as possible. Don't worry about strength, it'll have plenty. And it won't hurt your tone or anything. I highly suggest you get a copy of this www.gettextbooks.com/search/?isbn=0953104907 book before you start building. It will answer most of your questions and prevent you from making any avoidable mistakes along the way. kuzi, While I'm a firm believer in supporting local merchants, this is one of those cases where you won't get what you pay for. In this case, you want a chunk of wood that's been cut in the proper grain direction, has been cured correctly, and if it's not one piece, then it was glued together with good clue. Almost as important, it'll look good when finished au natural - but tone comes first!! To get all of that, your local lumberyard won't know diddly-squat, and will only help you by directing you to a guitar parts supply house. sumgai Yeh, I probably shouldn't have said lumberyard, which implies construction wood. But there are many lumberyards that have domestic and exotic lumber for specialized woodworking like turning, furniture, rich people who cover their house in exotic wood, etc.  Kuzi, try this link: www.woodfinder.com/ |
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Post by sumgai on Jun 10, 2007 1:13:33 GMT -5
Andy,
Very nice link, that woodfinders! Good enough to earn your first Exalt! unk, I think this one's a keeper on the Resource List, don't you?
Just be sure that when you walk into such a place, the person you're dealing with has some idea of why you're being so picky about your choice of wood. Many old-time salesmen have no clue about musical instruments and their requirements, so caveat emptor.
sumgai
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Post by sumgai on Jun 10, 2007 1:22:37 GMT -5
kuzi, Most 2- or 3-piece guitars are glued through the length of the short dimension. If you buy wood like this, be sure its depth is oversized so that you can plane it down after the glue job, and still have the proper thickness. (1¾" is standard, but you are free to make it whatever you wish.) No matter how carefully you set your clamps, the joints will still "creep", and you'll be running the slab through a joiner after the glue has fully cured. I see that galleryhardwood's sample images are each labeled as being 2" thick. Now you know the reason why. HTH sumgai |
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Post by crazymanandy on Jun 10, 2007 1:28:18 GMT -5
Thanks sumgai! ;D Oh and kuzi, I would like to mention that I think you should add a good drill press (preferably a floor model or very heavy duty bench model) to your list. IMHO, a router and a drill press are the two best power tools to have, primarily because they are such diverse tools. A router can do a lot of things, it can route your cavities, carve, cut out shapes, and more. A good router + good router bits + jig = a very versatile tool. The drill press is similar. It can drill holes, drill out wood before you route (to ease the router's job), sand, and even fret. Just thought I should let you know  CMA |
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Post by kuzi16 on Jun 10, 2007 1:45:42 GMT -5
i do have a good drill press ;D
im getting excited to build this thing
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Post by UnklMickey on Jun 10, 2007 21:53:40 GMT -5
unk, I think this one's a keeper on the Resource List, don't you? done! |
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