FreakyShotGlass Posted April 11, 2009 Report Share Posted April 11, 2009 My first post here, I have made one electric and one acoustic already and I am making a new electric. Timber wise I have chosen to use red ironbark, an australian hardwood which is incredibly hard (2655 on the Jenka scale) and very dense (1120 kg/m³), sure will be a heavy one. I am not sure of the tonal qualities of ironbark but I guess there is one way to find out. So so far my thoughts are: Ironbark neck and body Set neck Ebony fingerboard 25" scale with rose vine inlay, abalone vine with Australian Mulga rosebuds Handmade ebony tailpiece, maybe trem Ebony pickguard with ab purfling Australian blackwood binding But I am stuck on shape, I am tossing up either an SG style smallish DC or a big almost acoustic shaped SC, your input on this is much appreciated. I will post up some pics soon, but not tonight and not tommorrow because I will be too busy at the Dweezil Zappa concert in Newcastle, looking to document this build as fully as I can. Cheers, FSG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chops1983 Posted April 11, 2009 Report Share Posted April 11, 2009 Sounds good FSG. I was thinking about using some ironbark for a fretboard on a guitar. Ill be watching this build to see how it goes. Post up some drawings of the shapes your thinking about so we have a better idea, and its good to see another aussie on here aswell! Chad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dude Posted April 11, 2009 Report Share Posted April 11, 2009 But I am stuck on shape, I am tossing up either an SG style smallish DC or a big almost acoustic shaped SC, your input on this is much appreciated. Personally, I'd avoid the bigger SC shape, just because it'll weigh a ton if its made of hard, dense wood. But hey, if you're into heavy guitars then I'd say go for it. After all, I'm even put off by the weight of an LP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreakyShotGlass Posted April 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 11, 2009 Chops, I thought about using some ironbark as a fingerboard, and maybe later I will make one. I've seen alot of Aussies on here, where do you guys get your supplies? Here are some drawings I did up, I'm still stuck between one of these or a straight LP or SG copy. Tell me what you think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreakyShotGlass Posted April 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2009 Thanks for that MexicanBreed, i must say I am also a big fan of single cuts but everytime I look at an SG it seems to appeal a bit more to me. That is the supplier I have used before, the quality seems to be quite good but I'm not sure of the prices either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chops1983 Posted April 12, 2009 Report Share Posted April 12, 2009 Hey, Yeah i agree with mexican on the middle one aswell. Its like a mellowed out LP. I use aus luthier supplies for anything urgent and i also use another guy off ebay called Rammstein8888 for all my pickups.He is a great bloke and i have never ever had any problems with him. I just got a set of golden age classic buckers off him for cheaper than stewmac! When he bought them the dollar was almost equal, but now its gone back to 60 something cents so he was cheaper. Im really impressed with them too for a cheaper alternative in this economic crisis Rammstein8888 on ebay Ill also do a big order with stewmac but they're abit expensive now once you add freight etc. Goodluck on the decision making! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fraser Posted April 12, 2009 Report Share Posted April 12, 2009 hey FSG, I used a central laminate (approx 10mm wide) in a neck through and the resulting guitar had no top end. no sizzle, snap or highs. Sounded nice for jazz, but still a bit too muddy. In my case, I believe the cause was the ironbark. sorry, But I don't mean to discourage you, but I was really dissapointed with mine after all the effort. I think you could be making your life harder for yourself by using ironbark for neck and body, siply because it is harder to work. Fingerboard could work well as ironbark. Cooktown ironwood, gidgee etc are used for fingerboards..... Would you consider using qld maple if its available, or jarrah or even silky oak? These shouldnt be too hard to come by.... best of luck mate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psw Posted April 12, 2009 Report Share Posted April 12, 2009 Welcome...aussies unite... so...well..I am afraid I'm with fraser on this one...ironbark sounds like a really bad choice for all this...not only hard to work, incredibly heavy, prone to cracking over time...but not the most resonant of timbers. Great if you want hard wearing or you are going to bury the stuff in the ground like redgum...but a whole guitar is asking for a dead tone, hard work and back ache. If you are committed to the stuff for cosmetic reasons, perhaps consider something like a cap only. However, if you must, you could take a leaf out of the blackmchine concept and go ultra thin to get rig of as much weight as possible. Welcome to PG...advice is free pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterbrown Posted April 12, 2009 Report Share Posted April 12, 2009 Hey FreakyShotGlass I personally would avoid the ironbark for anything other than a fretboard purely for the weight factor, and not to mention what it will do to your tools. There are heaps of other timbers available in Aust that will result in a far more playable instrument. I get most of my stuff from Stewmac http://www.stewmac.com. Fretboards I get from Gillet Guitars http://www.guitarwoods.com.au (Sydney Based), however they have lots of other luthier supplies and are very very helpful when it comes to questions. Other Aussie suppliers are Ormsby Guitars http://www.ormsbyguitars.com/parts.html (Perth based) and Australian Luthier Supplies (based in south-east queensland I think?) just to name a few. Look forward to seeing more progress. Cheers, Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreakyShotGlass Posted April 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 13, 2009 Thanks for all the tips, the main reason I'm using the ironbark is mostly to experiment and becasue I have a few tons of it lying around. So I guess I may as well try it and if it doesnt sound any good, no loss to me and I can outlay on something nicer. Shape wise I'm pretty decided on the SG style DC now, especially after a blazing performance by Dweezil at the Civic last night, incredible talent there. Will keep you posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreakyShotGlass Posted April 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 Update, I cut a neck blank today and will shape it tommorow. I was lucky and found a piece of ironbark that was suprisingly responsive, especially compared to the other pieces I had lying around. Pics are on their way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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