Pinewood Derby!

[Hecube]

It looks blue in the pic but it's gray in real life...

And thanks!

[2leod]

Gorgeous either way!

[Hecube]

I feel like an outlaw posting past 1000...

[2leod]

We're livin' on the edge, baby!

[Timbre Wolf]

Hope to post a photos of my nitro-finished Brian Poe 1-piece Ponderosa pine body, before the lock:

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q248/opalize/TO-2.jpg

Neck is an especially fat quartersawn piece, just like I like it - from Glendale:

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q248/opalize/TO-3.jpg

- Thom

[gkoelling]

Cheers Everyone!!!

:drink:band:beer

[Hecube]

Hope to post a photos of my nitro-finished Brian Poe 1-piece Ponderosa pine body, before the lock:

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q248/opalize/TO-2.jpg

Neck is especially fat, just like I like it, from Glendale:

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q248/opalize/TO-3.jpg

- Thom

What kind of tuners are those?

[VicAjax]

No truss rod? As in just a T-bar, or nothing at all?

Fir is pretty stiff in bending, so I suppose it's possible to go without....

What a vibrant axe that's going to be!

No truss rod at all. Just a one-inch thick neck all the way up. Plus, the fir is already more than 130 years old and dried out by decades of radiator heat and crack pipe smoke. :D

[Timbre Wolf]

What kind of tuners are those?

Sperzel, with "ivoroid" tuner buttons

- Thom

[Southern ILL]

More G.O.A.T. please.................

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i32/jsh1970/GOAT014.jpg

More to come.

[gkoelling]

More G.O.A.T. please.................

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i32/jsh1970/GOAT014.jpg

More to come.


Hey, cowboy, the poster is better focussed than the guitar. :D

[Southern ILL]

Hey, cowboy, the poster is better focussed than the guitar. :D

Spy photos,man.

My photo skillz are lacking and lacquer was borderline blushing.......so had to hit it and get it sorta speak,to where there was less moisture in the air.:bonk

Better pics. once she is wet sanded and buffed.

[mik.e]

Ive got some 150+ year old pine sitting in the shop just waiting too be turned into guitars :)

[Cornbread]

my Rick Kelly pine is almost done:



that looks amazing !!!!

looking forward to the tone report thread ;)

[gkoelling]

my Rick Kelly pine is almost done:

http://i856.photobucket.com/albums/ab122/VicAjax/Kelly%20Telecaster/KellyTele003-1.jpg








Amazing guitar, thanks for posting.

[Southern ILL]

Still a ways to go........but getting there.
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i32/jsh1970/GOAT020.jpg
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i32/jsh1970/GOAT.jpg

[Rich Rice]

That fir neck sure is pretty. It's a real gutsy move, in my opinion.. The fir I have used isn't suitable for necks. It will be interesting to see how it holds up. Every piece is different, and hopefully yours is a special piece. I love oddball pieces, and I've made necks from some weird woods- they have all worked, but some have required continuous special handling- especially the apple wood neck. If it didn't have a truss rod in it it would have gone on the fire.. I don't have the stones to build a neck from fir for anybody but myself.

[gkoelling]

Hi Rich,

I wondered about that myself, it's beautiful but fir is a softwood isn't it?



Hey Jeff,

That one is turning out real nice. Is that Dakota red?

[Rich Rice]

Yes, fir is considered to be a softwood. I guess it would depend on the specific piece, though. I did some hollowbodies a few years ago using southern yellow pine (very old wood), and that stuff was harder and more tightly grained than any mahogany I've used. I'm sure Mr. Kelly is aware of the risks and has taken them into account. I just haven't come across any Douglas Fir that I would trust for a neck. Surely doesn't mean that it doesn't exist.

As an aside, I was using doug fir for bodies a few years ago and found that it was rough to work with. Sure sounded and looked great, but the router would grab the slabs out of my hands and fling them across the room.. After that happened a few times, I left the rest of the wood sit for a few months in the garage, and it split, warped, and became unusable. It wound up in the fire pit. I won't use it again with hand routers. I would consider using it for bodies in combination with other woods, cut on the CNC. It's a really cool wood, but I don't trust it over the long haul...

[sahhas]

boy , looking through all these pics of pine guitars, most most cool!!!!

[Southern ILL]

Hi Rich,

I wondered about that myself, it's beautiful but fir is a softwood isn't it?



Hey Jeff,

That one is turning out real nice. Is that Dakota red?

Thanks.

D'Kota Red.......lil' bit of everything thing in this one,LesterJR-Supro Airline-bit of tele......Pine and a beefy Flame Maple neck. For more bits I'll show later.

[VicAjax]

Yes, fir is considered to be a softwood. I guess it would depend on the specific piece, though. I did some hollowbodies a few years ago using southern yellow pine (very old wood), and that stuff was harder and more tightly grained than any mahogany I've used. I'm sure Mr. Kelly is aware of the risks and has taken them into account. I just haven't come across any Douglas Fir that I would trust for a neck. Surely doesn't mean that it doesn't exist.

As an aside, I was using doug fir for bodies a few years ago and found that it was rough to work with. Sure sounded and looked great, but the router would grab the slabs out of my hands and fling them across the room.. After that happened a few times, I left the rest of the wood sit for a few months in the garage, and it split, warped, and became unusable. It wound up in the fire pit. I won't use it again with hand routers. I would consider using it for bodies in combination with other woods, cut on the CNC. It's a really cool wood, but I don't trust it over the long haul...

i do realize that i'm taking a bit of a risk with this neck... especially with no trussrod. but i do trust Rick, and he stands by his work. if something goes wrong with it, he'll help me out.

i don't know if it makes a difference, but this particular fir was cut more than 130 years ago, and has been exposed to severe temperature changes and radiator heat for more than a century. so hopefully it has dried out enough and all the resins have hardened to a point that it's pretty stable. also, the neck is a full one inch thick all the way up to the headstock, with a fairly beefy shoulder.

G.E. Smith just went on tour with Pink Floyd playing a bass with a no-trussrod neck cut from the same fir plank.

maybe i'll have to replace it in a few years with a more standard maple neck, and i'm OK with that. the idea of having a piece of the Chelsea Hotel as an integral part of my guitar is worth the risk to me.

[Rich Rice]

I'm absolutely not knocking it, I think it looks awesome. I hope it works out for you. Old wood is completely different on many levels. I have never had occasion to work with wood that old (not fir, anyhow). I did a pine bodied guitar for a fellow, using wood from his grandparents' barn- it was so old and hard we couldn't identify it until I sliced it up and took into account it was from New England- we think it is old growth Eastern Pine- but that stuff was as dry and stable as any wood I have ever used. Bordering on petrified..

Best of luck with your guitar! :D

[VicAjax]

I'm absolutely not knocking it, I think it looks awesome.

oh i know you're not! and you're far more qualified than i am to have an opinion on it either way. i love the way it looks too, but to tell you the truth i didn't pick it because of the look... i picked it because of the mythology of being from the Chelsea Hotel. and also because Rick said that the solid fir necks he's made have been some of his best sounding and playing necks ever.

now, he didn't need to say this to me. he wasn't upcharging me for using this wood, so there was no advantage for him. he also knows i live in town and it could end up being more of a pain in the ass for him if the neck is problematic.

I hope it works out for you. Old wood is completely different on many levels. I have never had occasion to work with wood that old (not fir, anyhow). I did a pine bodied guitar for a fellow, using wood from his grandparents' barn- it was so old and hard we couldn't identify it until I sliced it up and took into account it was from New England- we think it is old growth Eastern Pine- but that stuff was as dry and stable as any wood I have ever used. Bordering on petrified..

Best of luck with your guitar! :D

thanks! :beer

[Ben Furman]

I can tell you with absolute certainty that properly seasoned doug fir will be lighter and more resonant than mahogany (no mean feat) and more stable than flatsawn maple. The lack of a truss rod is daring but not unheard of. (Dave Wendler built a bass neck that way.)

The wood is a total pain to work with, and it does dent easily, but the sonic payoff is pretty cool. FWIW, my necks have pau ferro fretboards....

[Rich Rice]

I've done quite a few truss free necks, but only from quartersawn maple. I like 'em.
Pao ferro is one of my favorite woods- beautiful stuff! I'm almost finished building a set neck chambered Osprey, padauk and maple body with a pao ferro neck (I'm shooting nitro on it right now).. Gonna be a killer! ;)

[VicAjax]

I can tell you with absolute certainty that properly seasoned doug fir will be lighter and more resonant than mahogany (no mean feat) and more stable than flatsawn maple. The lack of a truss rod is daring but not unheard of. (Dave Wendler built a bass neck that way.)

The wood is a total pain to work with, and it does dent easily, but the sonic payoff is pretty cool. FWIW, my necks have pau ferro fretboards....

I guess I'm best off keeping this one in the case, as much as it will pain me not to have it accessible whenever I want to reach for it. Although I plan on this one being my daily player.

I guess if worse comes to worst, I could have the neck routed for a truss rod and capped with a fretboard.

[gkoelling]

I guess I'm best off keeping this one in the case, as much as it will pain me not to have it accessible whenever I want to reach for it. Although I plan on this one being my daily player.

I guess if worse comes to worst, I could have the neck routed for a truss rod and capped with a fretboard.


For years my guitars were left out and if one was cased, it didn't get played.

About 6 months ago I moved into a situation where I have to case them all, all the time. I'm used to it now. It may take some time but you'll also get used to it and won't even notice after a while.

There's actually something nice about opening the case at the end of the day and grabbing the guitar.


It's a beautiful Tele, enjoy it.

[Ben Furman]

I plan on this one being my daily player.

I guess if worse comes to worst, I could have the neck routed for a truss rod and capped with a fretboard.

No worries, man. You'll be fine. When I say it dents easily, I mean compared to maple. You're not going to hurt it by brushing it with your fingernails.

I finished mine with shellac. Dave Wendler uses poly. The poly is especially durable. Just don't drop your guitar.

Old wood is completely different on many levels. I have never had occasion to work with wood that old (not fir, anyhow).

Rich - Check out Pacific Heritage for recycled (i.e. old barn) timber. It's expensive but worth it. Check out the tight grain on this neck:

http://img821.imageshack.us/img821/940/img2459800x1200.th.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/821/img2459800x1200.jpg/) http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/2654/img2460800x1200.th.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/833/img2460800x1200.jpg/)

Also note the fir top (from Larry Stamm in BC) and a Sitka spruce back, sourced from a Houston lumberyard:

http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/3023/img2463800x1200.th.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/827/img2463800x1200.jpg/) http://img845.imageshack.us/img845/6205/img2464800x1200.th.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/845/img2464800x1200.jpg/)

[gkoelling]

Wow! Beautiful work, Ben!


Thanks for posting.

[VicAjax]

No worries, man. You'll be fine. When I say it dents easily, I mean compared to maple. You're not going to hurt it by brushing it with your fingernails.

I finished mine with shellac. Dave Wendler uses poly. The poly is especially durable. Just don't drop your guitar.



Rich - Check out Pacific Heritage for recycled (i.e. old barn) timber. It's expensive but worth it. Check out the tight grain on this neck:

http://img821.imageshack.us/img821/940/img2459800x1200.th.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/821/img2459800x1200.jpg/) http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/2654/img2460800x1200.th.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/833/img2460800x1200.jpg/)

Also note the fir top (from Larry Stamm in BC) and a Sitka spruce back, sourced from a Houston lumberyard:

http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/3023/img2463800x1200.th.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/827/img2463800x1200.jpg/) http://img845.imageshack.us/img845/6205/img2464800x1200.th.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/845/img2464800x1200.jpg/)

wow, that looks fantastic. it's very cool to see fir used in a different context for a guitar... and i'm really glad someone else has tried it!

[Ben Furman]

... and i'm really glad someone else has tried it!

No worries, my friend. The road is well trodden. Siegmund, Wendler, and Erlewine have all traveled before you. Fir has amazing bending stiffness. I believe the only conifer to exceed it is Alaskan Yellow Cedar (which is really a cypress, but whatever).

My Wendler, which has a Western Red cedar body and weighs a hair over 5 lbs, is almost too resonant. It doesn't feed back unacceptably, but it sure comes alive at high volumes, making string muting all the more important.

The guitar pictured above actually weighs 7 lbs. The spruce is very dense, and it is not a chambered body. The choice of laminated top was purely for sentimental reasons.

The Hemi pickups are coming out and going into a guitar with chrome hardware....

Waiting for your tone report.:munch

[Southern ILL]

3x3 Headstock-Trapeze tailpiece.........ready to get this one done.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i32/jsh1970/GOAT032.jpg

[tamtam10]

Been interested in building a pine guitar for a while now, but never got around to it. Found out about a place nearby that has some lovely reclaimed old pine from 100+ year old barns in the area. Gonna' go in on Tuesday and pick out some nice pieces and build a T-style guitar similar to the GVCG Piney... Also thinking of doing a unique take on a Jazzmaster using old pine. Will keep updating.