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Forum Newbie
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 24/02/2008 10:28:01
Posts: 8, Visits: 18 |
| Yo Spacehog. Way to go!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have two questions.
1. I am thinking of making an electric guitar from scratch. What are the best woods to use. Should I be fussy about the grain?
2. Is there any truth in the rumour that Elvis is alive and working in a chip shop in Doncaster.
Respect.
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Bouzouki Joe - "Man in a Suitcase"
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Forum Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 30/04/2008 21:45:02
Posts: 188, Visits: 559 |
| Hey man!
Taking the things in the wrong order... I was thinking about Elvis the other day. Considering how much he was abusing his body, even if he didn't die in '77, he'd now be 73 years old, and he'd be unlikely to have reached that age. Even if he did, he'd be well past the retirement age by now! Plus, if he could go anywhere in the world, why Doncaster? The odds that he was milling about a Greek island somewhere seem higher stacked to me...
I've never built a guitar myself, as it's not really a project I'd like to undertake (my DIY skills are OK, but nothing exceptional!).
In terms of woods, generally you want something fairly dense for the body. Mahogany is very heavy and dense, and gives a good meaty sound even if you don't use a lot of it. Maple is also heavy and dense, slightly brighter sounding, and you can get some very nice cuts of maple... it can also be veneered quite thinly, so it's good for those pretty figured tops you see on PRS guitars etc. Other woods used commonly in guitar building are ash, alder and basswood (or lime as it's more commonly known in the UK). Koa is another lovely wood but it's hard to find and expensive.
I don't know that grain is too crucial other than for appearance, although a tighter grain should in theory aid sustain and strength a little. You want the grain to run along the body towards the neck, rather than across the body, and you obviously want to avoid any pieces of wood with knots in them. It's OK to use one piece of wood for the middle, and another for each wing, as long as they're properly set and glued, but you want to avoid using more pieces than this, really (except for the top veneer if that's what you decide to do).
Guitar necks are usually made from maple, quartersawn if possible as it gives more strength... obviously you'll need a trussrod as well so you can adjust its action. Fretboards are typically maple, rosewood or ebony, although there's a particular rosewood called Pao Ferro that is about as good as it gets, very hard and a lovely colour to it.
Hope that helps a bit, I'll see if I can think of anything else tomorrow when my brain's less frazzled!
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Forum Newbie
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: Yesterday @ 18:30:17
Posts: 38, Visits: 654 |
| I would second everything spacehog has said, however there are some guitar companies out there (godin comes to mind) that would use rock mapele for the body (which is very dense and very heavy but gives AMAZING sustain) and mahogony for the neck, which is almost the opposite of most other makers of rock guitars, but having played both i can see benefits to either side, the mahogony guitars tend to be (believe it or not) lighter than the rock maple counterparts... however as the claim is the sustain and brightness really do excel in the rock maple bodies, if i was building a guitar i would investigate all the different woods used in guitars for the style of music i was playing, see what characters they added/negatives they added, make a list of those compare from there and see what best suited myself. The wood itself can make a HUGE difference to tone though so research thoroughly and pick wisely.
Drew |
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iMuso Guitar Guy
Group: Administrators
Last Login: Yesterday @ 16:19:28
Posts: 638, Visits: 1,409 |
| | I once saw Elvis's cock... 
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The Man in the Jar
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