Pinecaster Question

[Fndrman]

I've been considering building a Pinecaster out of knotty pine boards that I found in an old store renovation. Would knotty pine give a good tone?....has knotty pine been used for building Teles? Thanks.

[aram]

it depends on how naughty you want it to be.

:roll

seriously though, check out the Rick Kelly thread in the small company luthiers section. there's pics of my tele, which has some knots, and another one that's being built now that has many more.

i've found that every pine tele i've played of Rick's is great, for better or naught.

:roll

[stormin1155]

I wouldn't expect knots to affect the tone much if any. I would be concerned abuot the stability of the wood. It would be more prone to cracks. Knots would create an interesting look. I'm building a pine tele right now, but I got a piece with no knots.

[shally]

I wouldn't expect knots to affect the tone much if any. I would be concerned abuot the stability of the wood. It would be more prone to cracks. Knots would create an interesting look. I'm building a pine tele right now, but I got a piece with no knots.

i dont know that it would be any less stable than birdseye maple.. although i did hear an urban legend once from a guy who swore he had one of the maple "eyes" pop out of his maple neck tele..that report is unsubstantiated by my eyes and probably more likely to reckless use of a pen knife trying to "relic" the neck.. but who knows for certain ??

[stormin1155]

i dont know that it would be any less stable than birdseye maple.. although i did hear an urban legend once from a guy who swore he had one of the maple "eyes" pop out of his maple neck tele..that report is unsubstantiated by my eyes and probably more likely to reckless use of a pen knife trying to "relic" the neck.. but who knows for certain ??

I do a lot of woodworking. In pine, the knots are much harder than the surrounding wood, and is affected differently by humidity. On larger knots it is very common for the knots themselves to get several radial cracks as the wood dries. If the wood is adequetly dried during construction you can fill the cracks. It would be less common for the knots to cause cracking in the surrounding wood, and then it probably wouldn't hurt the wood structurally. I wouldn't look good though.

I would have less concern about the eyes in birdseye maple. Maple is a much different wood and the eyes are so much smaller than knots in pine.

[gkoelling]

There's at least one knotty pine in this thread.

http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showthread.php?t=370889&highlight=pine

[Structo]

One of the issues I can imagine with the knots is the pitch or sap that may come from them.
I know one guy that built a pinecaster with (I think) white pine and he had a hell of a time sealing it so the pitch wouldn't exude.
You also have to use a hardener with pine to make the surface a little bit harder since it is such a soft wood.

[Quarter]

I've been considering building a Pinecaster out of knotty pine boards that I found in an old store renovation....
How old is "old"? Using old reclaimed pine is a great way to find well seasoned wood that would make for a great guitar.

[Fndrman]

The wood I got came from a store in a shopping mall that was built in 1975, so I believe the wood should be aged well by now...no cracks, no sap, and the knots are set nicely into the wood. I need some templates. BTW, gkoelling, that is one gorgeous Pinecaster! I might do mine the same way. Thanks everyone for the advice.

[jaydawg76]

If the knots are solid then they won't be a problem. If you are concerned about them than wick some thin CA type glue (Super Glue, Hot Stuff, ect...) around the edges of the know. I've also used two part epoxy, after I stabilized the knot with CA, to fill any voids around the outside of the knot.

Its interesting how some people will go on and on about how much better a one piece body is compared to a multi piece body or how an off center body seam is better than a center seam. While other just want to make sure the knots don't fall out of the tele they just built. Just another reason I love this place.

[Fndrman]

Thought I would mention that the boards aren't quite the standard thickness of a Tele body. I plan to add a 1/4 inch maple laminate to the back of the body. I might add some binding to it to cover it up.

[gkoelling]

Thought I would mention that the boards aren't quite the standard thickness of a Tele body. I plan to add a 1/4 inch maple laminate to the back of the body. I might add some binding to it to cover it up.

The early pine Esquires were 1 1/2" thick, so you might be able to leave them as is.

[Fndrman]

The early pine Esquires were 1 1/2" thick, so you might be able to leave them as is.

Thanks, that's nice to know. I might be okay with ok with that as long as I have enough depth for the selector switch and neck pocket.

[gkoelling]

If you still have 1 1/2" after sanding you should be OK.

[RAM]

I have worked with knotty pine (and clear pine) and have seen no significant shrinkage issue with the knots..but the knotty wood was probably 50 years old and dry. The idea for the guitar was to use a piece of wood with character but it also sounded great in the end. The wood was also capped by a piece of ash because the rough cut pine was just too thin. Pics can be seen at http://www.fattoneguitars.com/ram-neo-e-blonde.aspx. The knots are slightly visible when viewed up close. Not visible in the pics.

Hey, pine/spruce is a tonewood it has great strength along the grain.
Looking around the net I have encountered many "pine-casters" and in my opinion it is Tonally a good idea. The reason pine is not so popular is because it is so soft and a ding will show up easily and probably chip some paint. It is also seen as a "cheap" wood. If you like the look of knots then try it out. Every piece of wood is different and you may see some checking and separation but you may be very pleased with the tone and it will be pretty unique. No two knotty boards are the same.


Ron
RAM Guitars