spyykko Posted October 20, 2006 Report Share Posted October 20, 2006 Hello all, Here you'll find a few in progress -shots of my latest project, an carved top guitar with cedar body, flamed maple top and cedar/maple laminate neck. I've had very little time to work with this, so it has progressed really slowly. I had some troubles in the beginning, like I had to make a new top and new headstock, but at this point I'm quite happy with the state of the project. Specs: 25" neck, cedar-maple laminate, ebony fretboard, ebony headstock veneer Brazilian Cedar body, flamed maple top Hipshot hardtail-bridge, Planet Waves locking tuners, 2 x humbuckers, 3-way blade, volume, push-pull -tone with coil split Visit my gallery -Seppo- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sexybeast Posted October 20, 2006 Report Share Posted October 20, 2006 Answers my questions about cedar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jester Posted October 21, 2006 Report Share Posted October 21, 2006 Looking good! What gauge of strings you're planning using on this? That neck might not hold up too well on heavier strings. Might I ask where did you get that top? Locally? Btw, I'm building a similar guitar too, check it out! http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.ph...=25927&st=0 Jatkoa odotellaan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spyykko Posted October 23, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2006 Looking good! What gauge of strings you're planning using on this? That neck might not hold up too well on heavier strings. Might I ask where did you get that top? Locally? May I ask what makes you doubt the strenght of the neck? Since it's a laminate construction to me it feels more sturdy than e.g. the mahogany neck with rosewood fretboard on my FlyingV. Woods are all bought locally. Cedar and maple are from Hakalan Puutukku in Lahti, and ebony from SoitinrakentajatAMF. -Seppo- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sexybeast Posted October 23, 2006 Report Share Posted October 23, 2006 Have you ever used Cedar in a neck before? I'm curious to see how it performs. I have a TON of it and it'd be nice to use it in a neck laminate if I can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattia Posted October 23, 2006 Report Share Posted October 23, 2006 (edited) Looking good there! When you say 'Cedar', you mean Spanish Cedar, ie Cedrella Odorata, right? If so, especially with some maple, it'll be more than tough enough for even the heaviest commonly used electric guitar strings. Sexybeast: what kind of cedar have you got? There are a boatload of species that go by that name, hardly any are actual cedars (neither Western Red or Cedrella are, f'r instance), so saying 'I have a lot of cedar' doesn't tell me much... Edited October 23, 2006 by Mattia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spyykko Posted October 23, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2006 When you say 'Cedar', you mean Spanish Cedar, ie Cedrella Odorata, right? If so, especially with some maple, it'll be more than tough enough for even the heaviest commonly used electric guitar strings. Yes, same stuff! Finnish luthier Juha Ruokangas uses spanish cedar in some of his models and he seems to be extremely satisfied with cedar's tonal qualities. Actually the body outline of my work has been stolen from his Duke model. The wood by the way tastes extremely bad. I have had to learn to work my mouth closed while sawing and sanding. Otherwise you'll taste the wood in your mouth many hours after leaving the Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jester Posted October 24, 2006 Report Share Posted October 24, 2006 May I ask what makes you doubt the strenght of the neck? Since it's a laminate construction to me it feels more sturdy than e.g. the mahogany neck with rosewood fretboard on my FlyingV. I haven't used cedar personally, but from what I've read here it is considered a soft wood. Since it's used for soundboards on acoustics. I guess I was wrong. Minkälaiset hinnat niillä siellä Hakalassa on? Oon tässä yrittäny vaan löytää suomalaista välittäjää mistä sais kelpo hinnoin soitinrakennus laatua. Onkos muuten Cedarilla suomalaista nimeä? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spyykko Posted October 24, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 24, 2006 I haven't used cedar personally, but from what I've read here it is considered a soft wood. Since it's used for soundboards on acoustics. I guess I was wrong. Yes, it's soft - but so is mahogany. Minkälaiset hinnat niillä siellä Hakalassa on? Oon tässä yrittäny vaan löytää suomalaista välittäjää mistä sais kelpo hinnoin soitinrakennus laatua. Onkos muuten Cedarilla suomalaista nimeä? Originally Jester asked about one local wood supplier. I'll answer in bad english, so no one will feel left outside of the discussion. Prices at Hakala's are competetive, but the wood is not necesserily tonewood-quality. They store all wood indoors, but they aren't allways seasoned after kiln drying, so at least I have always kept my woods in storage for at least a couple of months before starting working with them. Cedar for this project costed around 40 euros. The usually have great stock, but it varies a lot, so it's not a bad idea to give them a call before visiting. They are opened only on weekdays 8-16, but the owner may come to serve you also on other hours and on weekend, if you warn him beforehand. Cedar is in Finnish seetri. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jester Posted October 24, 2006 Report Share Posted October 24, 2006 Cedar is in Finnish seetri. Oh, really? I thought seetri was ash? Well, live and learn. And thanks for the info! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fryovanni Posted October 24, 2006 Report Share Posted October 24, 2006 Looking good there! When you say 'Cedar', you mean Spanish Cedar, ie Cedrella Odorata, right? If so, especially with some maple, it'll be more than tough enough for even the heaviest commonly used electric guitar strings. Sexybeast: what kind of cedar have you got? There are a boatload of species that go by that name, hardly any are actual cedars (neither Western Red or Cedrella are, f'r instance), so saying 'I have a lot of cedar' doesn't tell me much... Common names can really be confusing. I grabbed a little bit of info(I am not typing this just pasting it in). Cedar correctly refers to those treeplant family Pinaceae. They are most closely related to the Firs (Abies), sharing a very similar cone structure. They are native to the mountains of the western Himalaya and the Mediterranean region, occurring at altitudes of 1,500-3200 m in the Himalaya and 1,000-2,200 m in the Mediterranean. There are five taxa of Cedrus, assigned according to taxonomic opinion to two to four different species: • s belonging to the genus Cedrus in the coniferous Deodar Cedar Cedrus deodara. Western Himalaya. Leaves bright green to pale glaucous green, 25-60 mm; cones with slightly ridged scales. • Lebanon Cedar or Cedar of Lebanon Cedrus libani. Mountains of the Mediterranean region, from Turkey and Lebanon west to Morocco. Leaves dark green to glaucous blue-green, 8-25 mm; cones with smooth scales; four varieties, which are treated as species by many authors: o Lebanon Cedar Cedrus libani var. libani Mountains of Lebanon, western Syria and south-central Turkey. Leaves dark green to glaucous blue-green, 10-25 mm. o Turkish Cedar Cedrus libani var. stenocoma Mountains of southwest Turkey. Leaves glaucous blue-green, 8-25 mm. o Cyprus Cedar Cedrus libani var. brevifolia or Cedrus brevifolia. Mountains of Cyprus. Leaves glaucous blue-green, 8-20 mm. o Atlas Cedar Cedrus libani var. atlantica or Cedrus atlantica. Atlas mountains in Morocco & Algeria. Leaves dark green to glaucous blue-green, 10-25 mm. The generic name Cedrus is derived from the original Greek name, 'kedros'. It has been mis-applied to many other trees with scented wood, including the genera Calocedrus ("incense-cedars"), Chamaecyparis and Thuja ("whitecedar", "Western Redcedar"), Cryptomeria (Japanese cedar"), and Juniperus ("Eastern Redcedar", "Mountain-cedar") in the family Cupressaceae; Cedrela ("Spanish-cedar") and Toona ("Australian Redcedar") in the family Meliaceae; and Tamarix ("Saltcedar") in the family Tamaricaceae. Cedrela is a genus of seven species in the mahogany family Meliaceae. They are evergreen or dry-season deciduous trees with pinnate leaves, native to the tropical and subtropical New World, from southern Mexico south to northern Argentina. Species • Cedrela fissilis Vell. - Costa Rica south to Argentina • Cedrela hirsuta C. DC. - Paraguay • Cedrela lilloi C. DC. - Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador • Cedrela montana Moritz ex Turcz - Colombia, Ecuador • Cedrela odorata L. (Cedro Hembra) - West Indies and from 24°N in Mexico south to 28°S in Argentina • Cedrela salvadorensis Standl. - Central America • Cedrela tonduzii C. DC. - Central America Cedrela odorata is the commonest species in the genus, widespread in seasonally dry tropical and subtropical forests; it is deciduous in the dry season which may last several months. C. lilloi and C. montana occur at higher altitudes in moister conditions, and are evergreen or only briefly deciduous. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Meliaceae, or the Mahogany family, is a flowering plant family of mostly trees and shrubs (and a few herbaceous plants) in the order Sapindales, The family includes about 50 genera and 550 species, with a pantropical distribution; one genus (Toona) extends north into temperate China and south into southeast Australia, and another (Melia) nearly as far north. Some economically important species belong to this family: • Neem Azadirachta indica (India) • Crabwood Tree Carapa procera (South America and Africa) • Cedrela Cedrela odorata (Central and South America; timber also known as Spanish-cedar) • Sapele Entandrophragma cylindricum (tropical Africa) • Utile or Sipo, Entandrophragma utile (tropical Africa) • Bossé Guarea cedrata (Africa) • Bossé Guarea thompsonii (Africa) • Ivory Coast Mahogany Khaya ivorensis (tropical Africa) • Senegal Mahogany Khaya senegalensis (tropical Africa) • Chinaberry or Bead Tree, Melia azedarach (Queensland, India and southern China) • Mahogany Swietenia species (tropical Americas) • Australian Redcedar Toona australis (Australia), often included in Toona ciliata (seq.) • Toon, surian (int. trade) Toona ciliata (India, southeast Asia and eastern Australia) Kinda confusing Peace,Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattia Posted October 24, 2006 Report Share Posted October 24, 2006 May I ask what makes you doubt the strenght of the neck? Since it's a laminate construction to me it feels more sturdy than e.g. the mahogany neck with rosewood fretboard on my FlyingV. I haven't used cedar personally, but from what I've read here it is considered a soft wood. Since it's used for soundboards on acoustics. I guess I was wrong. See, that's the whole confusing thing; Cedar as in Western Red cedar (Thuya Plicata) is soft. Softer than spruce. Cedar as in Spanish Cedar/Cedrella is softer than mahogany, but is actually also a member of the Melicae family, like the true mahoganies and the African mahoganies, and looks similar-ish, and has similar properties (it's a bit lighter/less strong, though). Commonly used for cigar humidors, smells lovely, tastes absolutely disgusting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fryovanni Posted October 24, 2006 Report Share Posted October 24, 2006 Spanish Cedar is commonly used as an acoustic neck wood. As Mattia mentioned it is a bit softer and lighter than mahogany(genuine/honduran- whatever common name it is going by at the moment), but it is a very nice wood. Peace,Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jester Posted October 25, 2006 Report Share Posted October 25, 2006 Cedar is in Finnish seetri. Oh, really? I thought seetri was ash? Well, live and learn. And thanks for the info! Oops! I got seetri and saarni mixed up. So it is: Seetri = Cedar Saarni = Ash Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spyykko Posted December 29, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2008 Hello folks, after about 40 months of being In Progress, I finally managed to finalize this guitar. Final specifications: * Cedar (cedrela odorata) body, flame maple top, cedar-maple laminate neck. * Macassar-ebony fret board, 25″ scale, 22 medium-jumbo frets * Duncan JB + Jazz -pickups, 3-way switch, volume + push-pull tone. Positions: neck HB, Neck SC + Bridge SC with in phase / out of phase selection with push-pull -pot, Bridge HB. * Hipshot hardtail -bridge, strings through body design, Planet Waves autotrim-tuners * Acrylic finish I'm really satisfied with this guitar. It plays really nicely, looks great and has all the features I need. I had some roadblocks along the way, but I learnt a lot while fixing the mistakes I made. In my future projects I still try to pay more attention to every single detail. Nevertheless, this is by far the best and challenging build I've made. a teaser: More pics here -SeppoP- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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