Reaper Posted December 29, 2003 Report Share Posted December 29, 2003 Why is it that when ever I see a body made, or a body blank, it's two pieces, bookmatched and glued together? I'm not just talking about veneer, but the actual body itself. Is there some advantage to this method, over using a one-piece body? Just curious... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkyboy777 Posted December 29, 2003 Report Share Posted December 29, 2003 I think part of it might be availability. The places that I go for body wood rarely have pieces over 8 inches wide. That's my two cents worth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
syxxstring Posted December 29, 2003 Report Share Posted December 29, 2003 According to some it is also adds strength and stability to a body. Mostly it is because the wood for one piece bodys is harder to find and more expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krizalid Posted December 30, 2003 Report Share Posted December 30, 2003 i just want to ask, if i got some 1 1/2"w by 1 1/2"h and around 5/6 ft long, can i cut it into few pieces and glued them together to make, let say, a 5 piece body and a separate wood for top. is this possible? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbkim Posted December 30, 2003 Report Share Posted December 30, 2003 i just want to ask, if i got some 1 1/2"w by 1 1/2"h and around 5/6 ft long, can i cut it into few pieces and glued them together to make, let say, a 5 piece body and a separate wood for top. is this possible? Take a look at this thread. It's "possible"... but "desirable" is still up in the air . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Page_Master Posted December 30, 2003 Report Share Posted December 30, 2003 i agree with everyone here, it's all about availability. a one piece guitar body blank is about 16" wide. now to harvest a tree to get a piece that big, it has to be about 32" in diameter. now this makes me ask a question because what i said could be wrong, is the centre of one piece guitar body blanks the heartwood of the tree? well from what i have seen it usually isn't so that's why i said the diameter of a tree that would get harvested for a one piece body blank has to be about double that of a body blank width. now it takes 100's of years for a tree to grow to that diametre. and most of the time, any tree that has been harvested at that thickness has to be from a virgin forest. [not a plantation tree] and i say 100's years old because big trees from virgin forests are actually much older than people think. why? in their natural environment they are grown very closely together with other trees, therefore they have to compete for sunlight, so in actual fact the growth rings are much smaller that that of a plantation tree. plantation trees are growin several spaces away from each other so they get maximum sunlight exposure, therefore they grow faster and have thick growth rings. they also get harvested after about 20-60 years old. that's why old trees taken from virgin forest sound the best and are most prized. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesdude Posted December 30, 2003 Report Share Posted December 30, 2003 I'm goin to build my first guitar. What is the best wood to use? Why doesn't anybody use pine? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Rosenberger Posted December 30, 2003 Report Share Posted December 30, 2003 Too Soft and Full of Sap. I say use it to practice on until your skills get where you want them to be, then move on to a better tonewood Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Page_Master Posted December 30, 2003 Report Share Posted December 30, 2003 i am constructing a building practice guitar from pine. it has helped me a great deal because i like do things really fast and sometimes i really stuff things up. it has allowed me to concetrate and be more careful towards my project. [so much for woodwork at school ] "what i know is from the school of trial and error." - Brian. i am serious, it is, i did woodwork at school for one year and i can truly say that i have learnt more things by my self then what i ever did at school. as for choosing tonewood, tell us what music you like, what music you like to play and which artist sound you dig. that's the way i chose my tonewoods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesdude Posted December 30, 2003 Report Share Posted December 30, 2003 My music of choice would be blues, classic fender or gibson sound. Ash or maple would be ideal. Any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitar_ed Posted December 30, 2003 Report Share Posted December 30, 2003 Hey Bluesdude, Having built a couple of guitars, I have a few words of advice. Start at the end. What do you want to end up with. Gibson or Fender sound? That will decide the wood and the pickups you use. It will also help decide your budget. Next, get Melvyn Hiscocks book on building electric guitars. Then, as Scott suggested, use pine for practice Then, read through the various tutorials and postings available thru Project Guitar. And don't forget some of our private web sites, that contain stuff not posted in Project Guitar. You will learn about all kinds of mistakes that can be made while building a guitar. Most importantly: Guitar Ed Knowing what to do is important. Knowing what not to do is more important. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankenstrat Posted December 30, 2003 Report Share Posted December 30, 2003 i got melvyn hiscocks book for xmas, interesting book, i have never built a guitar, but i can't wait to get started. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Litchfield Custom Gutars Posted December 31, 2003 Report Share Posted December 31, 2003 Too Soft and Full of Sap. I say use it to practice on until your skills get where you want them to be, then move on to a better tonewood Um you mean an actual tone wood, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveq Posted December 31, 2003 Report Share Posted December 31, 2003 Everyone talks about the hiscock book but no one seems to mention the Kotch book. I have both and really think it is worth getting both when you are starting out. Combined, both books do not cover everything but it is really great to have an alternative when you need a different technique, picture, explanation, ... Neither of the books cover a "modern" guitar like an Ibanez with a Floyd but they do a great job of explaining the more basic or classic guitars like the Strat / Tele. The lack of info on a Floyd installation really bugged me at first. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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