wierdOne Posted August 31, 2006 Report Share Posted August 31, 2006 (edited) I've purchased and read through the Benedetto book... and am about to embark on the long journey of creating an archtop.... First step (as I won't get around to actually building the instrument for about 6 months) is to acquire wood and allow it proper time to acclimate to my room. First off..... Should I buy Kiln dried wood?... I don't really want to wait 5-20 years for the wood to dry out... secondly... where do I buy instrument grade wood? thirdly... Alot of these places online offer planing and jointing.... um... what exactly are they offering? fourthly... because I can't actually pick up the wood and "tap tune" it... what questions should I be asking about the wood? I'm actually looking to build a few all Mahogany or Korina archtops... 1, because I love the wood.... and 2.. because I imagine it to be a little cheaper to work with than flame maple... Edited August 31, 2006 by wierdOne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mammoth guitars Posted August 31, 2006 Report Share Posted August 31, 2006 Most instrument grade wood will already be kiln dried. Body blanks are typically planed and joined being ready to build from, however some companies do sell blanks as pieces which can be rough cut. These are not blanks in our opion but pieces from which a body blank can be made from. Drop us an email and let us know the details of your project and we will be glad to help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myka Guitars Posted August 31, 2006 Report Share Posted August 31, 2006 The wood is pretty easy to get a hold of. If you are using mahogany and korina you don't really need 'archtop wood'. As long as the wood is in the dimensions you need it will work. Preferably you would want quartersawn wood (as suggested in the Benedetto book). Look up Gilmer Wood Company, Gallery Hardwoods, LMII.com, and even StewMac (watch out for prices). You will find a lot of wood to choose from. PM me if you can't find what you need. Air dried may not be an option with some of the african woods like korina which is always kiln dried. Most wood is actually. Air dried wood is preferable to some people but it can hardly be said that you need to use it. There are so many guitars that are made with kiln dried wood that sound great. Planing is a process where the wood is machined to a uniiform thickness. Jointing produces a smooth straight edge 90 degrees to the planed surface. Ideally a jointed edge is ready to glue together. Some builders use a handplane to make it perfectly smooth. You can tap a board to hear if it resonates at all before you buy it but tap tuning is a different thing. This was talked about in this thread (discussion starts on the 2nd page about halfway down). Are you building a straight up Benedetto archtop or something of your own design? ~David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinny Posted September 5, 2006 Report Share Posted September 5, 2006 I went locally (Home Creepo) for my archtop wood supplies for my Benedetto. This is my 1st guitar build and didn't want to ruin a $85 bookmatch top while learning to carve, or snap sides while geting a feel for the bending iron. I decided on white pine 1x10's jointed together for my top and ripped my 3/32 sides from 1x4 maple on the table saw, also used the same 1x4's for the 3 pc laminated neck. I wanted this one to be a low cost build cause I knew I'd drop a lotta cash on tools ($700 so far.) I'll get the better Engelman Spruce for the 2nd one. E-mail me if you'd like to exchange ideas. -Vinny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fryovanni Posted September 6, 2006 Report Share Posted September 6, 2006 I went locally (Home Creepo) for my archtop wood supplies for my Benedetto. This is my 1st guitar build and didn't want to ruin a $85 bookmatch top while learning to carve, or snap sides while geting a feel for the bending iron. I decided on white pine 1x10's jointed together for my top and ripped my 3/32 sides from 1x4 maple on the table saw, also used the same 1x4's for the 3 pc laminated neck. I wanted this one to be a low cost build cause I knew I'd drop a lotta cash on tools ($700 so far.) I'll get the better Engelman Spruce for the 2nd one. E-mail me if you'd like to exchange ideas. -Vinny I think it is a good idea to practice up on some less expensive wood. Honestly though when you are ready to invest all your time and labor in building a guitar. Get good wood for your project (buy to suit the design). I am not saying Pine is bad, nor do I want to imply expensive wood is best. Choose wood that is going to make a solid guitar that will last, has the potential to sound great, and have the look you want. As an example; you can buy a $30 dollar engleman or sitka billet which is clear, well quartersawn and straight grain (maybe it only has 10-12 RPI or a bit of color, but a solid bit of wood). You can buy a Big leaf Maple billet for the same price or a bit less (well quarter sawn, straight grain, mild but some figure, and maybe a dash of color). Big leal figured Maple sides same deal as back plate, but price more in the $10 range. A Maple neck blank well quartered and straight grain $10-$15. Now granted your talking about spending around $100 for the wood when all is said and done(fretboard, veneers and such), but that is just not a lot of dollars compaired to the number of hours you will spend on an Archtop. If you can find a hardwood dealer near you. You will find the price of wood becomes much less of a problem (when you are compairing to Stew Mac or LMI etc...). Peace,Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinny Posted September 8, 2006 Report Share Posted September 8, 2006 Thanks Rich, if I could get decent hardwoods for that price its definitly worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fryovanni Posted September 8, 2006 Report Share Posted September 8, 2006 Thanks Rich, if I could get decent hardwoods for that price its definitly worth it. Do a little looking around for hardwood dealers that are within driving range. If you have to buy via mail order you will get stuck paying shipping, but those prices can definately be had. Shoot me a PM if you have no luck. Peace,Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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