my guitar

[axo151]

i want to build a guitar this summer, and had some questions on wood selection and such. i know that some woods go together well, and some work better for certain sounds or other. could you just tell me if im headed in the right direction with this guitar.

im hoping to use this guitar for blues and the bluesier side of rock (not upbeat happy blues either). im putting p-90s in it (those really fat single coils). the body is going to be a mockingbird shape. for wood i was thinking an ebony fretboard with maple neck (unfinished), and then i was debating the body wood. possibles are maple, walnut, mahogany, or maybe ash if i want to be boring. what do you think about body wood? i want something dark with good sustain. other than that theres not much else to know. its going to have a string through body, possibly a trem (probably blocked). i was hoping to do some cool stuff with the electronics (phase shifting), but we'll see when i get there. thanks

[jbkim]

Have you seen member Myka Guitars' post?

http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.php?showtopic=7054

This one is a double cutaway with a quilted maple top, Bolivian rosewood neck, Brazillian rosewood fingerboard, and black limba body.

Nice wood choices there if you ask me!

[axo151]

yeah thats a pretty sweet guitar. im not building a guitar per se, but putting one together rather from warmoth parts. i dont have the skills, time, patience, or reason to make anything by hand as well as some of the guitars on here are made. i'm making it because i want another guitar to play that sounds somewhat uniqe. so again, ill just sort of say, im looking for a dark tone with good sustain for minor blues and blues infused rock. its going to have those huge single coils in it which will help. any reccomendations appreciated.

[jbkim]

I believe warmoth offers those woods in their neck/bodies, well maybe not Bolivian rosewood but other rosewoods or Cocobolo. You can read their website for descriptions for the woods... to see what'd impart "a dark tone with good sustain". Good luck and post pics when you're done!

[skibum5545]

walnut and mahogany are notoriously dark, but I think walnut has more sustain. However, that varies from piece to piece, too.

Ebony fretboards go well with walnut-- they fill in the treble that the walnut lacks-- and a maple neck has a good punchy (Warmoth describes it as "percussive") tone. My bass is walnut with a maple/ebony fb neck. It sounds good.

Good luck!

[axo151]

alright, i think ill go with a walnut body, maple neck, ebony fretboard. i like to keep my necks short, so it'll probably be 24 and 3/4 with a 1 5/8 nut width. as i said i was going to put P-90s in it.

i like the feeling of natural wood for my necks, so i wanted to not finish it. i heard that maple gets really dirty though, can i do an oil finish and still have it feel natural?

i think ill put in a non-locking trem, what are your favorites? thanks

[Guitarfrenzy]

Ebony fretboards go well with walnut-- they fill in the treble that the walnut lacks-- and a maple neck has a good punchy (Warmoth describes it as "percussive") tone. My bass is walnut with a maple/ebony fb neck. It sounds good.

Ebony fretboards go good with any guitar you make.. lol.. Sry but it's the best feeling fretboard to play on in my opinion. Nothing against any other types of fretboard wood, but If I had the choice it'd be ebony.

[skibum5545]

i like the feeling of natural wood for my necks, so i wanted to not finish it. i heard that maple gets really dirty though, can i do an oil finish and still have it feel natural?

tung oil will do the job nicely. YOu might need to refinish every once in a while, but for the most part it's as good a finish as nitro (maybe not as stable, but certainly better to play).

[mdw3332]

Have you seen member Myka Guitars' post?

http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.php?showtopic=7054

No, don't you remember, Myka didn't build that - it came from Musician's Friend.