How Do They Do It?

[angussg]

On a guitar with a carved figure top is that a veneer, or is the entire guitar made out of that wood. Would the veneer be applied after the carve?

[Kenny]

there are a few different options

you can either put a thick figured cap on the body and carve that, or carve the body and vacuum a veneer on.

[ihocky2]

Option #1 from Kenny is actually easier. Just more expensive sometimes. Veneering over the carve takes some practice and experience.

[angussg]

What is the minimum thickness for a top? Also could you put the top on and then carve?

[RAI6]

Since you're building the guitar, you can do whatever you want.

Make it as thick/thin as you want....

[angussg]

Well it has to be a certain thickness if your carving the top though

[Metalhead28]

Well, you can also carve it to any depth you want, so that determines the thickness of top you would need.

That said, most people would probably agree that a 1/2" top is about the minimum for a carve.

[ihocky2]

1/2" is about standard for carved tops similar to a PRS or a Les Paul. But a shallower carve means you can use less material. If you are using binding to hide the joint, you can go thinner still. Technically for a carve top you need enough material that you don't risk blowing through to the base wood. If you only need 1/4" or 3/8" to meet that criteria, then your fine. You'll just have a thicker base wood is all.

[angussg]

What im looking to make is something like the prs satana model. It looks like its more than a half inch. Does anybody know about how thick its top is and if a half inch is not enough?

The wood that I can buy is either 1" thick, 9/16", or 1/2"

-Thanks

Edited June 23, 2009 by angussg

[angussg]

Also If anybody happens to have the santana model guitar and could provide dimensions that would be great