Newbie question - WOOD???

[lookslikemeband]

Hey gang -

I've got some experience fixing, upgrading, modding, even refinishing guitars (electrics).... and I'm gonna give it a go at building a design I've got!!!

Ideally, I'd like to build the body out of one piece of good, quality wood. (I know that my choice will affect my finish, tone; etc...)

WHERE can I find a piece large enough (Ebay seems useless)??? And how big does it need to be?? A LP-sized blank seems to run about 22"x14"x2" (rough estimates)

Any help would be much appreciated!!!!

Lance

 

[Ron Thorn]

try www.galleryhardwoods.com

Larry is the man.

 

[lookslikemeband]

Thank you Ron!

 

[whoofnagle]

Agree with Ron. +1 for Gallery... They have hooked me up with some nice stuff in the past.

Bill

 

[JPERRYROCKS]

http://www.gilmerwood.com/Default.htm

 

[Barefoot]

nwtimber.com

 

[cSuttle]

Thanks for posting that site Ron. They have a couple of stock flat woods that would really be worth me looking at. Of course, who would know more about finding great woods than you. Just look at your guitars. You da man Ron.

 

[lookslikemeband]

Man! You guys rock!!! I've been here for a long time, and seen a LOT of great work..... The pressure's on to try to make mine really good!!!

 

[cSuttle]

Originally posted by lookslikemeband
Man! You guys rock!!! I've been here for a long time, and seen a LOT of great work..... The pressure's on to try to make mine really good!!!

Good luck. Post back when you have some pics.

 

[KevinF]

+1 on gilmer wood. They have some killer one piece mahogany and limba body blanks.

 

[lookslikemeband]

Will do... I'm pretty excited!!!

Right now, I'm trying to decide whether to go with:

• Solid Mohogany - Safest Route (cheap if I mess up)
  
  Mahogany blank with cap (spalted maple) - ooooh!
  
  Buy a blank and cap it myself with either quilted maple or spalted maple - I've never capped before.

Any suggestions???

 

[cSuttle]

Spalted Maple is a really tough material to work with. If you haven't worked with it before you may want to go with the quilt. You're going to have to learn enough in this process as it is.

 

[lookslikemeband]

Thanks! I love the quilted for my PRS guitars - 15 and counting!!

Should I attempt to cap it myself?? (I've read a TON on how to do it, and I have access to a lot shop tools - my bassist has an entire shop for furniture making).

I've just never done it - and I don't want to mess it up!!!

When doing the PRS tour - their maple caps look really thick - so the CNC machine can carve out a lot of the cap.

How thick should I go with a cap?? at least 1/2" ??

Thanks guys!!!

Lance

 

[KevinF]

Originally posted by lookslikemeband
Thanks! I love the quilted for my PRS guitars - 15 and counting!!

Should I attempt to cap it myself?? (I've read a TON on how to do it, and I have access to a lot shop tools - my bassist has an entire shop for furniture making).

I've just never done it - and I don't want to mess it up!!!

When doing the PRS tour - their maple caps look really thick - so the CNC machine can carve out a lot of the cap.

How thick should I go with a cap?? at least 1/2" ??

Thanks guys!!!

Lance

While I am not an "experienced luthier", I am an experierenced woodworker. I build mostly furniture, but am in the process of building a couple of guitars. They are LP style with mahogany backs and maple tops. It is not hard to cap the maple onto the mahogany. A couple of suggestions:
- If your top is more than one piece (ex bookmatched) you need to joint the edge before glueing the two halves together. This will ensure a very tight seam. Let dry for at least 8 hours.
- Determine the centerlines on the block of mahogany and maple.
- Apply a decent amount of glue to the mahogany. I normally use Titebond and then spread it around evenly with a putty knife.
- Place the maple top on the mahogany and line up the centerlines.
- Clamp the boards together using C clamps, bar clamps, or whatever else you have. Let dry for at least 8 hours (I usually let it dry overnight).

The amount of carve you want would help to define the thickness of the top. To do a LP you could probably get away with .5" top, if you wanted it more like a PRS you'd probably need a topy that is somewhere between .75" and 1".

Hope that helps.

 

[lookslikemeband]

AWESOME Kevin!!

Thanks!!