Where Do You Buy Your Wood?

[crash6882]

I was just wondering where everyone bought their wood too. I have been looking around for Mahogany for a neck and have found that in my area it is very hard to find a board thick enough. Is there any good site online to order the wood from???

[Acousticraft]

I buy all my wood from my local specialist timber importer.

Although I cant get all the species I want, I can hand pick all the rough sawn wood I need and can sometimes buy short offcuts cheaply.

You can make a excellent neck by laminating several pieces together rather than cutting it out of one thick piece.

You can then orientate the grain in opposite directions when gluing to make a real strong stable neck. This is my preferred option and the least wasteful way of making a neck without a scarfed neck joint.

Edited January 23, 2008 by Acousticraft

[Vinny]

Acousticraft is right, and I think some contrasting laminations add a visual 'pop' for the eye. -Vinny

[MiKro]

I was just wondering where everyone bought their wood too. I have been looking around for Mahogany for a neck and have found that in my area it is very hard to find a board thick enough. Is there any good site online to order the wood from???

First off, where are you? That may help others that are in your area to help you find a local dealer for your needs. If you are in Texas let me know where and I'm sure myself or some others can help you find what you want. Otherwise check Gilmer woods as a possible supply. A little pricey but quality wood.

BTW: Welcome the PG

link

mk

[fryovanni]

If you have a need for a project you want to start really soon. Buy a blank from a good dealer, so you know it is dry and stable. Whatever you do don't go lookin for a "bargain" if you need it right now.

Now for future builds start stocking this stuff up (especially structural wood). Vinny has a great post about checking around at local cabnet shops, check it out. Look for wood working shows that may be coming to an area close to you. Often times you will be able to find fair deals, and meet dealers face to face. Look for local mills that specialize in urban recovery, or people with mills (buying direct from a mill is the best you will do in terms of price per. bd, ft. but you need to stock up a little when you buy from them. When you sourse woods like this, know what you are looking for, and plan on storing it for a year or two to make sure it has dried well(give yourself plenty of aged stock to select from in the future). It is VERY rare for me to use wood that I have not had for at least two years (and was reasonably dry when I purchased it). Some people see this as wood aquisition syndrome(WAS) or overbuying. I don't agree. Buying stock so that you have a ready supply of wood that you know is stable is part of building to me, this is the best way to get reasonably priced wood that is high grade, and not be forced to purchase what is available right before each build. I would point out that buying wood that is available locally or at a show saves you the cost of shipping. Shipping for very light wood will run ruffly $2 lb. ft., heavy woods(say cocobolo) will be three times that per. bd. ft., so select,buy and drive it away (best way to go).

Peace,Rich

[Mattia]

I don't make 1-piece acoustic necks; either a glued on heel, or laminated from several pieces (often with a constrasting strip down the middle), pretty much always with a scarfed headstock for strength. Cheaper, more efficient use of wood, easier to find suitable pieces.

Also, I'm totally with Rich on the buying more wood than you need for the immediate future front. The freshest wood I've built with lately is at least 2 years old, most of it quite a bit older. I date stamp everything I buy with the date I buy it, and only buy dry wood to begin with (theoretically ready to build with), and move on from there. I still do a fair bit of mailorder shopping for wood (low dollar, low availability of some of the fancier stuff locally), but only when it's really worth the effort, like.

[Dave I]

So for somebody new to this, do you still recommend just dealing locally, or going through somebody who has experience testing the tap tone for resonance and other qualities ideal for instruments? My worry is that I will make an awesome looking guitar that sounds dull and lifeless, or just not very good. I would assume that is less of a concern with electrics, but good pickups will still pick up the sound of the vibrating wood to SOME extent.

So when do you go from relying on somebody like Marc from Gilmer Wood, or trusting in wood from StewMac or Warmoth (if ever), and just getting it locally based on what looks nice and seems to have a decent ring to it when you tap it?

-Cheers

[crash6882]

Thanks guys for the info, I live in Massachusetts, not too many dealers here. I was trying to go with one solid peice of wood because I figured it would be stronger.

[Mattia]

Fact: 99.9% of solidbody electric dealers, and 90% of acoustic wood dealers have never tapped any of the wood they're selling you to determine its 'tone'. What they do is sell you well dried material that's free of defaults, ie, top 10% of the quality spectrum of the wood of your choice. 'Decent ring when you tap it' is as good as it's going to get. Even soundboard wood is sold based on cosmetics rather than stiffness or weight, although most good dealers will select from their piles *based on what you tell them you want*, as not everyone's idea of 'perfect tonewood' is the same.

Go to a yard, and go tap boards of wood (hold at some point along the length, one corner on the floor, shift around so you're not holding an antinode). Some will resonate better than others, sometimes because there's a flaw or crack that's invisible (or visible), sometimes because, well, some wood is a bit dead sounding. You'll be gaining experience, and getting equally nice wood, really. The only risk is that in buying rough timber, without experience, you may not notice certain flaws quite so quickly. Thing is, there's only one way to learn: Just Do It. Make sure it doesn't sound like wet cardboard when tapped (although....swamp ash can, and will often still make a great guitar), build a relationship with your local wood yard, and cut your material costs by about 50% (perhaps slightly optimistic estimate, but applicable to common woods) by buying full boards.

[fryovanni]

So for somebody new to this, do you still recommend just dealing locally, or going through somebody who has experience testing the tap tone for resonance and other qualities ideal for instruments? My worry is that I will make an awesome looking guitar that sounds dull and lifeless, or just not very good. I would assume that is less of a concern with electrics, but good pickups will still pick up the sound of the vibrating wood to SOME extent.

So when do you go from relying on somebody like Marc from Gilmer Wood, or trusting in wood from StewMac or Warmoth (if ever), and just getting it locally based on what looks nice and seems to have a decent ring to it when you tap it?

-Cheers

For someone new to building, buy from a decent dealer. There is nothing wrong with buying from a good dealer anytime really. One of the very first things you should be learning about though is what to look for in wood, how to handle it, properties and so forth. If you learn then you will do just fine buying and selecting wood for yourself. There is no great mystery to selecting wood, if you learn about the material you are working with. One HUGE factor in selecting good wood, is trying to make sure it is well dried and stable. If you find a trustworthy source like Gilmer you can be assured they will do a good job of selecting. You SHOULD still allow for a good period of aclimation, because Gilmers warehouse here in Portland may be very similar for me (because I live a few miles from them) but may have very different conditions from where you live. This is where buying in advance solves many problems and allows you to personally verify the wood is adequitly stabalized.

When do you know enough to select your own material? Hopefully before you start trying to work with wood. Just about every "build your own guitar" book will have a reasonably good section on wood. You can dig deeply into the subject with the wood handbook (US dept of agriculture and forestry dept. publication). Tap tuning, or using tapping during building is not the same as tapping a piece of wood to get a general idea as whether a wood is resonant (most dry wood is fairly resonant, and if you use basic rules for grain orientation and structure, as well as select woods frequently used for instrument construction. you will do fine).

Peace,Rich

Peace,Rich