Walnut Wip

[al heeley]

Managed to get a kindly lumber man to slice up my thick planks of walnut. I now have 12mm top for the fretless bass and almost 50mm for a solid body guitar, which is most likely going to end up as a carved prs-type.

My Warmoth 5-string bass has a very nice figured walnut top, only 4-5mm on an alder body, and sounds great, but I'm completely in the dark about a walnut solid body guitar.

Does anyone know if this can be considered a good tone wood to be used on it's own for a solid-body guitar?

[ihocky2]

Walnut tends to be good for a more bassy sound. Thus the reason you'll see it on a lot more basses than guitars as a solid body. If you are okay with a deep sound, then it is fine for a body. I have actually been kicking around a solid walnut Tele with a neck through design just to see what I could get it too sound like. Possibly even a thinline model.

[Alarung]

I'm just finishing a walnut guitar, it's currently strung up for a test fun proir to finishing. It's a bolt-on double cutaway, hardtail, double humbucker, with a maple neck and fretboard. 25.5 inch scale (647.7 mm), and the body is 1.75 inches(44.45mm) thick.

It's a very, very, clear tone. Defined, but not harsh at all. I think the maple adds some high-end snap to the walnuts low end, making a very balanced midrange machine, which is really a very proper guitar sound. It's a great jazz tone.

And it's so pretty. Like chocolate.

[prauny]

The old Gibson 'The Paul' was made from Walnut. Ive not heard it mtself, but people tell me its sounded great.

[blackburncustomguitars]

Walnut tends to be good for a more bassy sound. Thus the reason you'll see it on a lot more basses than guitars as a solid body. If you are okay with a deep sound, then it is fine for a body. I have actually been kicking around a solid walnut Tele with a neck through design just to see what I could get it too sound like. Possibly even a thinline model.

Hi,

If I could figure out how to put a pic on here, I'd show you two recent builds of mine. One is a neck-thru 12-string with walnut chambered wings, and the other is a "jazz" tele of chambered walnut and northern ash with a Lollar Charlie Christian pickups in the neck and a Harmonic Design in the bridge.

Peace,

Dave

[blackburncustomguitars]

Walnut tends to be good for a more bassy sound. Thus the reason you'll see it on a lot more basses than guitars as a solid body. If you are okay with a deep sound, then it is fine for a body. I have actually been kicking around a solid walnut Tele with a neck through design just to see what I could get it too sound like. Possibly even a thinline model.

Hi,

If I could figure out how to put a pic on here, I'd show you two recent builds of mine. One is a neck-thru 12-string with walnut chambered wings, and the other is a "jazz" tele of chambered walnut and northern ash with a Lollar Charlie Christian pickups in the neck and a Harmonic Design in the bridge.

Peace,

Dave

Walnut tends to be good for a more bassy sound. Thus the reason you'll see it on a lot more basses than guitars as a solid body. If you are okay with a deep sound, then it is fine for a body. I have actually been kicking around a solid walnut Tele with a neck through design just to see what I could get it too sound like. Possibly even a thinline model.

Hi,

If I could figure out how to put a pic on here, I'd show you two recent builds of mine. One is a neck-thru 12-string with walnut chambered wings, and the other is a "jazz" tele of chambered walnut and northern ash with a Lollar Charlie Christian pickups in the neck and a Harmonic Design in the bridge.

Peace,

Dave

[al heeley]

Wow, that 'jazz' tele sounds marvellous! Can i borrow it?

This is going to end up as a solid prs-type body with a carved/profiled top. How important is it to do all your cavity routing fuirst, for the neck pocket, the bridge and pickups before you start shaping the top?

[unclej]

with the understanding that each piece of wood within a species can sound different i have to disagree with the "good for a bassy sound" assesment. this was my third solid body walnut guitar... CASCADE and it's a great sounding, very versatile instrument. i contribute that to the pickups as well as the wood. i wouldn't call walnut a neutral wood..it seems to me that it can be a bit on the bright side and it definitely contributes to good sustain.

this particular guitar has a dimarzio paf joe and a paf fred and a pretty hot single coil that i can't remember at the moment. it goes from very jazzy/bluesy to country twang to rock with the flip of a toggle.

aside from the tonal qualities you're gonna love working with it. cuts well and sands even better. not a great deal of worry about tearout while routing. i've used an oil finish on all of mine and it accepts it very well. i just cut out a body blank from my last piece of a 10' plank that i bought and am looking forward to working with it again.

good luck on your project.