Spruce For Electric Guitar?

[hendrix2430]

Hi, I was wondering if any of you made an electric out of spruce?

if so, was it the whole body or just the top?

What are the tonal properties of a spruce top/whole body?

Thanks!

[sepultura999]

If I am wrong about this, someone correct me please...

I think someone on this forum has used a spruce top on their guitar. Try using the search in the In progressed and Finished section. You're better off to get it as a top, instead of the whole thing. From what I have heard, the best grades of spruce are getting harder to find. Yamaha made a solid body electric nylon guitar using an alder body with a spruce top. For some reason they took it off the market after a year or two. The tonal properties I am sure would be the same, however don't expect it to be amazing as an acoustic .

From what I have read sitka spruce has the best velocity of sound and produces more sustain than any other guitar top. I would love to build a guitar made of mahogany with a sitka spruce top, mahogany neck and ebony fretboard...mmmmmmmmm ebony.

If this doesn't help, try using google.

-Jamie

[marksound]

Well, you could ask Ted Nugent.

Ted Nugent’s 1962 Gibson Byrdland

[suregork]

I'm in fact building a Les Paul right now with a mahogany body and a spruce top. Spruce is very soft, so I would suggest using a pickguard or anything to protect the top. I will let you know how it sounds when it is done!

[ibreakemineedtobuildem]

I think Hyunsu used a spruce top on a guitar on this forum didn't he?

[crafty]

Parker uses solid spruce for the Fly Artist, Nylon, and Bronze guitars.

[bigdguitars]

I have used sitka spruce for guitar bodies. Resonates very well. Has that acoustic semi hollow body tone.

[erikbojerik]

A guy named Heath over on the USA Custom Guitars forum built a jazzmaster with a solid spruce body (after building one out of wenge...talk about contrasts...). The consensus was that it was pretty bright-sounding.

[selmac]

its a wench to finish though every time you touch it it gets a dent in it. and the finish isn't that durable. its a softwood so it is extremely easy to work with though

[ooten2]

Myka's Dragonfly has a spruce top. I just LOVE this guitar!!

http://www.mykaguitars.com/instruments/017/default.htm

[hendrix2430]

I talked to my owner of local wood shop, who specialized in spruce, and he recommends a whole body out of spruce...however he did mention it was really soft. How about painting the guitar and adding layers of poly to strenghten it?

www.bois-lutherie.com

By the way, i'm considering building a PRS type guitar (semi hollow) out of it. No F holes though.

I'm torn between a basswood-spruce top or spruce-spruce top...?