Advice Figured/tiger Maple

[jamesj]

I am building a tele. I have a book matched set of nice maple that is 1 1/8 thick,

Should I book match these peices and have tops for 2 guitars, or use it for a thick top for 1 guitar? The back was going to be Mahogany but thats still up in the air, I dont want too much of a LP sound, so I'm going to use a maple bolt on neck. Any thoughts? Or shall I ask.... What would you do?

Thanks

J.J.

[westhemann]

i would definately go the "two tops" route...1 1/8" is way too much maple unless you combine it with an all mahogany back and neck

[rhoads56]

Should I book match these peices and have tops for 2 guitars, or use it for a thick top for 1 guitar?

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i reckon you should do it. Definately go for one of those options i say.

[Devon Headen]

I'd be tempted to do a really really deep carve and use the whole thickness. You don't get bookmatched stuff that thick very often, so it seems like a bit of a shame to cut it down so thin. Then again, maybe get a 3/4" top and a drop top from it.

[jay5]

i reckon you should do it. Definately go for one of those options i say.

That was helpful.

I would resaw it into two tops. I dont think that deep a carve would look good on a tele. Maybe a 3/4" top at the most if you were to carve it. With a 1 1/8" top you would only have a 5/8" back which would look odd to me.

[thegarehanman]

You know, I agree. Perry entered a guitar in the august GOTM competition called "frank's superstrat." It had a really thick maple top and it just didn't look right to me. He may have done it for tonal reasons though. For what it's worth, I just did a carved flamed maple top and back set that were both carved about 15/16" and I think that's about as much as you could do on an average sized guitar without it looking distastefull.

[jamesj]

You know, I agree. Perry entered a guitar in the august GOTM competition called "frank's superstrat." It had a really thick maple top and it just didn't look right to me. He may have done it for tonal reasons though. For what it's worth, I just did a carved flamed maple top and back set that were both carved about 15/16" and I think that's about as much as you could do on an average sized guitar without it looking distastefull.

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Ok so a set of two it is, Now for the tuff question, I have never bookmatched anything, can it be done on my table saw then finished up with my band saw? My band saws tracking is not up to par for something of this size without some help. Also never have planed maple with my planer, I was told they leave a less than desirable job with figured wood. Should I attempt it or Would a cabinet shop be my best bet or would they "break the bank"?

[toddler68]

Ok so a set of two it is, Now for the tuff question, I have never bookmatched anything, can it be done on my table saw then finished up with my band saw? My band saws tracking is not up to par for something of this size without some help. Also never have planed maple with my planer, I was told they leave a less than desirable job with figured wood. Should I attempt it or Would a cabinet shop be my best bet or would they "break the bank"?

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I'd use a band saw. A table saw will work but you're immediately losing 1/8" from the saw kerf and planing will remove even more. I would also recommend that you have the pieces thickness sanded -figured wood doesn't typically fare well when planed. Yes, find a cabinet shop in your area. It will probably cost you about $10 or $15 to have it sanded.

In fact, you might take the whole chunk of wood to the shop first and see what they'd charge to book it for you. I'll bet it's fairly reasonable and you'd probably be getting the most out of the wood if you let a pro do it. Just my $.02

[jay5]

In fact, you might take the whole chunk of wood to the shop first and see what they'd charge to book it for you.

That would be my advice as well. I wouldnt have at it yourself unless youre sure you can do it right. No sense in ruining the wood. Likeise, even if you are able to re-saw it yourself you are going to want to avoid planing it to thickness. A thickness sander would be ideal. Like toddler said, yank out the phone book and make some calls. If you dont have any luck call up a local woodworking shop and tell them what you are trying to do. They are bound to know someone who will do it for you.

[frank falbo]

My local shop resawed (grammar?) some bubinga for about $15 I think, and it was well worth it. If you've never resawn wide stock, don't do it-ever! unless you have practiced and learned your tools backwards and forwards, that is a job I wouldn't do.

As for that Maple, I had the same problem with about 1 1/4" piece of solid quilt. Not even bookmatched, just one piece about 14" across, and 4ft long. So I made a thin 7-string guitar, and I'll use the other half for a thin 6-string bass. A thin Maple body will be bright and lively, without sounding thin and weak like a full thickness Maple body can. The 7-string is very open and snappy, and the low B is absolutely perfect. But 1 1/8" is pretty thin. I'd resaw it. I thought about hollowing it out from the back and putting a back on it, but I didn't do that because I wanted the quilt to show through on both sides.

You'll get two 1/2" tops, and that's a great payoff for that piece of wood. Although I do love the idea of an asymmetrical resaw for a drop top and a 3/4" mega top. If it were any thinner I'd say leave it, but 1 1/8" is perfect for a resaw.

If you're not after an LP sound, then I'd back it with Swamp Ash myself. That's a great sound combination.