Has There Ever Been A 1 Piece Guitar?

[Mitch]

I mean a guitar where the whole of the body and neck are from 1 piece of wood. I dont mean through neck. Pics please if you do know of any.

Thanks

[mammoth guitars]

Rushmore does it, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7npsfVGoDnI

[Bmth Builder]

Its not strictly one peice

I dont think any one has ever/will ever make a guitar from one peice of wood INCLUDING the fretboard, inserting the truss rod would be quite an experience.

[komodo]

Its not strictly one peice

I dont think any one has ever/will ever make a guitar from one peice of wood INCLUDING the fretboard, inserting the truss rod would be quite an experience.

I saw a cocobolo guitar done this way once. Cannot remember where it was but it was quite nice.

My recent mini guitar for my son was all one piece (body and neck), only because it was very small and I thought it was the easier way to go.

[Metalhead28]

You know....I've got some mahogany that big enough to do that with.......hmmmmmm

Edited February 12, 2009 by Metalhead28

[avengers63]

I dont think any one has ever/will ever make a guitar from one peice of wood INCLUDING the fretboard, inserting the truss rod would be quite an experience.

Not really. It's done all the time on maple/maple necks with the f/b incorporated. Ever notice the skunk stripe in the back of the neck?

[low end fuzz]

there is/was a DIY guitar website where one of the projects was a fretless bass made out of 1 slab of mahogony; he said he just wanted to try it;

i will look for that.

[foil1more]

Yes it has been done. I have a huge book The Illustrated Directory of Guitars by Nick Freeth. Tom Anfield carved a full size strat style guitar out of bubinga. It's all one piece except for the ebony fretboard and an ebony accent on the headstock. It also says working with bubinga for 3 months gave Anfield a a chest infection from breathing in the dust.

[reantel]

[ae3]

1 piece guitars are very wasteful, not exactly "environmentally friendly".

Also, because you can only have one wood, certain frequencies will dominate the tone, which is undesirable for most.

That being said, Reantal, that picture you posted is awesome, I'm pretty sure the top neck has ghost piezo bridge saddles.

It's very Japanese ESP-ish.

[reantel]

Yeah. I came across it on EdRoman.com

I can't remember the story behind it, but i think it was a tribute to Yngwie Malmsteen.

But then it was stolen and no one knows where it is. But its cool.

it was $30,000.00

http://www.edroman.com/featured/expensiveguitars.htm

[Narcissism]

Would sawing the guitar in half the long way, and then inserting the truss rod, then gluing it back together be considered a 1 piece?

[AccidentalChef]

I played a guitar that was pretty close to one piece a bit over a decade ago. I can't remember who built it (guitar shop owner fell in love with it at NAMM that year and bought their display on the spot), but I remember it sounding beautiful. That guitar was one piece of mahogany, with a maple top and a separate fretboard. I don't remember what the fretboard was now, but I'm quite sure it wasn't mahogany. Ever since, I've wanted to play another one like it.

It could be very wasteful to make a one piece guitar, but I think you could also do a good job of it with proper planning. The leftover wood from each side of the neck would be wide enough to make wings for a neck through, as long as you were careful to preserve the pieces. It doesn't seem to be a completely unreasonable project, though I certainly don't plan on taking it on for my first build. I'd hate to slip with some random tool and wreck such a big piece of wood.

[Sardine]

I am currently working on a bass on which the back and neck are made from one solid piece of teak. It does have a top laminate and fingerboard though. There was not much waste wood because the shape is Steinberger-esque, with a very small body.

Low end fuzz, this may be the bass you were referring to. Mahogany Fretless

[Woodenspoke]

I saw a big hunk of honduras the other day $1200. One Guitar maybe two.

Unless you are droping huge trees in your back yard, not really cost effective and not worth any more than any other guitar unless you and your guitars are special.