Logical Frank Posted August 9, 2006 Report Share Posted August 9, 2006 I've been lurking for a bit but decided it's time to post before I start thinking about my next project. At the minute, I'm getting started on this whole project guitar thing by assembling bits and pieces of bolt-neck guitars from eBay, Warmoth and whatnot. I'm wondering, beyond what type of wood is used in a manufactured guitar body what should I be looking for? Like, is the build quality/quality of wood pretty similar between brands? Really, ultimately, what I want to know is, am I gonna end up w/ something better if I buy an American-made guitar body rather than just getting a cheapo Squire body and refinishing it provided they are both solid wood all else (neck, pickups, etc.) is equal? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inisheer Posted August 9, 2006 Report Share Posted August 9, 2006 Welcome aboard! Since there isn't any 'brand' of wood, you are mostly looking for the quality of assembled parts(necks, etc.) And yes, quality does vary quite a bit. Material doesn't matter too much as long as it is decent wood. Squier bodies are made from plywood, and that's not a good thing. From what I hear, Warmoth is definitely high quality. I'm not exactly sure what you are asking, but I hope this helps a little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logical Frank Posted August 9, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2006 Sorry. That was unclear. By brand I meant the company that manufactured it not the people who distributed the wood or whatever. And I really meant to ask specifically about bodies. It seems the problems I have w/ most budget guitars is that the necks aren't dressed well and the electronics are crappy but I've never really felt there was anything to complain about when it comes to cheap guitars' bodies. I guess my experience is such that even I'm not fully sure what question I'm trying to get across here. I look at eBay a lot (I'm sure you all do too) and there'll be two, say, unfinished solid swamp ash tele bodies and one will cost seventy bucks and another will cost a hundred seventy. What is it exactly that would make one of these worth more, if anything? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitefly SA Posted August 9, 2006 Report Share Posted August 9, 2006 Some people get it cheaper and can sell it cheaper for one reason. Another would be that some is better quality for example i have 2 ibanez one is a 7 string the other a 6 string, the 6 is very high end and the 7 is low end and the 6 is much heavier because the wood is more dense. Some times the age of the wood is a factor, some times the way it was dried is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prs man Posted August 9, 2006 Report Share Posted August 9, 2006 (edited) I have built a few guitar and neck and this is what I have found in my projects. a good tone wood is everything. swamp ash is a good one [ swamp ash] not some scrap ash that is to heavy. maple body will give you a bright sound where alder will give you a nice warm sound. fender used alder for strat and tele boddies. warmoth is a good place to get you a nice body. they are not cheep but vary good. some bodies you might see on eBay might work just fine for you it will depend on what your going for and what sound you want. for me I love all different strats / tele and prs. all these builder have used alder. prs used alder and maple together at one time. this has a sweet sound. if you get a guitar done but the sound is not there you can always upgrade your pickups and bridge. a good solid bridge is worth the money when it comes to sound. a hard tail [string through the body] strat or tele will sound different then the same guitar will a trem. hard tail tend to pickup a little more tone from string going through the body. this is just the kind of things I have found out building my own guitar and necks. hope this helps and good luck to you. Edited August 9, 2006 by prs man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GodBlessTexas Posted August 10, 2006 Report Share Posted August 10, 2006 Since you point out Squire bodies, it's important to note that they are thinner than their Fender cousins, and that type of difference can have an impact on tone. GBT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GodBlessTexas Posted August 10, 2006 Report Share Posted August 10, 2006 Squier bodies are made from plywood, and that's not a good thing. From what I hear, Warmoth is definitely high quality. I'm not exactly sure what you are asking, but I hope this helps a little. That is incorrect. The only Squire bodies made of plywood is the Bullet series, which are the $99 and under guitars. The Affinity, Standard, and Deluxe series all use solid wood bodies. GBT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logical Frank Posted August 10, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2006 Thanks guys, good info. So, w/ the example of the Squire bodies, would that affect playability at all? I'm just getting started so something that I can mess around w/ refinish, reneck and have stay in tune is about all I need. I can probably tweak the sound w/ pickups. How would the thinner body affect tone anyway? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted August 10, 2006 Report Share Posted August 10, 2006 The two squiers i have (both ten year old squier strats) are both made from solid alder, the main difference is that there are more peices in the body than you would find on an american guitar. They are normally made from 4 or more peices of heavier and usually less pretty wood than the american equivilent, but the ones i have are quite well made. You have more chance of getting a good body if you order directly from somewhere like warmoth because they put more effort into there wood selection and you have more options on body woods to get the sound you like. It would be pot luck whether you good something that sounded good from squier or equivilent and the chances of getting something as good as you would get from warmoth, USACG or allparts is very, very slim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logical Frank Posted August 10, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2006 It's good to hear from someone w/ actual experience w/ the body in question. It looks like you get what you pay for (w/in reason) so I suppose that's just about what I expected to hear. I'm glad, though, that the Squire bodies are build solidly. The only problem is now I want to buy one of those Squire P90 Custom Teles to work on... Mmmm... Tele... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inisheer Posted August 10, 2006 Report Share Posted August 10, 2006 That is incorrect. The only Squire bodies made of plywood is the Bullet series, which are the $99 and under guitars. The Affinity, Standard, and Deluxe series all use solid wood bodies. Oops. I've heard that squiers were plywood, but didn't know what models. Sorry for spreading false information. Personally, I don't see anything wrong with squiers either. I don't really have any top of the line guitars, but out of my collection, the squier strat is one of my favorites. It seems like a good body, so it should be fine if that's what you want to work with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted August 10, 2006 Report Share Posted August 10, 2006 At the end of the day i learnt a hell of a lot by pulling those squiers apart. They are solidly built enough to make good modding guitars and for learning how to get the most out of a guitar. Any parts you upgrade on them can always be used later on a better body and neck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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