wood types

[StratDudeDan]

okay, as i said before, i was planning on building an SG style guitar. after finding schematics that suited my build style and prepping a small budget (that i'm hoping to god will get larger soon), it's finally time for me to get down to work.

...or some semblance of work...

in order to actually get this thing moving, though, i need wood. and i'm guessing good wood. here come my two questions...

first of all, i'm wondering what the SG's are most commonly constructed from. i'm not sure if i'm going to go the "purist" route, however, which leads me to my second question...

i really like the crisp, high-endy sound out of most SG's, whether they're P-90's or humbuckers. i'm looking for that, but with a little bit more of a growl or punch to it. so instead of more "mid-highs" that the SG is popular for, i am striving for more of a "mid-low" sound. an LP disguised as an SG, almost, but not quite. kinda like the two combined...

if there's any type of wood that would be best for this, or anything special i can do to make whatever wood i end up with have this type of sound, i would greatly appreciate and love the person or persons that tell me.

also, be prepared 'cause i'm sure i'm going to have a ton more questions coming up during the process of contructing the neck and getting the tune-o-matic to sit right.

[Setch]

Sg's sound great made from Mahogany or korina (black limba). I've also had good results using Padauk, though this probably isn't the route for you, since the result was a bright guitar, which I had to balance with a bass humbucker to get the sound I wanted.

[krazyderek]

korina, with a mahogany neck ( if korina isn't suitable for a neck) and ebony fingerboard are what came to mind

[westhemann]

korina is sometimes used for necks

[westhemann]

korina sg

[StratDudeDan]

uh...wow, that korina looks awesome. so, for the sound i'm going for, that would be the best choice?

also, about how pricey is that? it looks to gorgeous to be cheap or any semblance of cheap. by "small budget" i meant i have about $250 for the whole freaking project, pickups, woods, tools, everything. i'm on back pay right now so i haven't been able to let that grow.

[krazyderek]

ya.... korina is probably what you want, with a bright FB...

250$ eh? ebay is going to be your best friend for the next little while then... unless you want to shop around online for days and days..

just don't buy the first thing you see, and always make sure you're buying from people with plenty of positive feedback.. also try to avoid money orders cause the postal ones cost you 3$ to send out, paypal would be your best bet if you or your parents have a credit card... tools.... i hope you have router already..

[westhemann]

that guitar is figured korina and the wood alone would probably eat most of your budget.but plain old korina,which soiunds just as good,you can get without blowing your wad,so to speak.

if i were you i would make sure and not go to cheap on things like truss rods and neck reinforcement.that way the guitar itself is good,and you can go cheap on the electronics and hardware,which you can upgrade as you can afford it.

BUT...an alder sg with a maple neck would be much less expensive(for the wood)and would sound good.might even be the sound you are looking for.

$250 should be enough if you borrow all the tools you can

[StratDudeDan]

yeah, i got the tools. half of my family are carpenters, garage doors, cabinets, furniture, tons of stuff, so i have three carpenter "garages" to play around in. the things i'm most worried about are wood costs and then (if and when i finally get there) the electronics. also, i had this crazy idea to go for a semi-hollow body (cause sometime's i'm stupid) and wondered if anyone had tried this before. i know it may be a large project to take on for my first one, but i believe i have the woodworking skills (just not the guitar building skills) to handle it. if anyone has anything to offer as to whether this is a good idea or not, lemme know.

[westhemann]

i think rhoads guitar is semi hollow body and he has a whole site devoted to building it

[westhemann]

here you go.

[Setch]

I posted this to another site a while back, it may be helpful to you.

Building guitar bodies - Photo Essay.

[StratDudeDan]

thanks a ton, man. the first photo essay should prove amazingly helpful (though unorthodox). thanks for your help thus far and i hope i can count on everyone that answered to answer further questions down the road.

[PaulNeeds]

For the deeper LP-ish sound, I'd go for a thicker body of mahogany or Korina.