Maher Posted May 15, 2004 Report Share Posted May 15, 2004 Mdf well before i unlesh my self on a nice bit of mahogany for my LP DC, i thought id try my hand at routing/cutting on a cheap piece of wood, also my friend has been playing guitar for a couple of months but cant afford to buy one, so i have a cheap neck at home and thought i would have a go and if comes out playable i would give it to him... so my question is this: what does mdf sound like.....? is it that terrible? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted May 15, 2004 Report Share Posted May 15, 2004 I don't know what it sounds like, but I can tell you that anything that's screwed in will inevitably tear loose and ruin the guitar. It'd be just a matter of time. Of course, not having actually DONE it, that's just a very strong opinion, based on the huge amount of MDF I've been working with lately. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maher Posted May 15, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 15, 2004 thanks for your feedback, i dont think it would really matter about the durability really as its only a cheap guitar for me to practise making and for him to practice playing... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted May 15, 2004 Report Share Posted May 15, 2004 It's definitely worthwhile for YOUR practice; however, what I mean is that even with basic, regular use, it will start to fall apart. I know you're not planning on it as a lifetime guitar, but MDF is quite soft, indeed. The tension on the neck pocket once it's strung would rip it apart instantly, and that's if you could even make a neck pocket to begin with. Just as an example... let's say I took a wood screw and screwed it halfway into the MDF. If I clamped a set of vice grips onto the screw and yanked pretty hard, the threads of the screw would act like a 'file' and I could probably rip it out of the MDF with main force, leaving a stripped hole behind. If you 'score' MDF, you can break it without too much difficulty. All of the screws and routing would make it only barely stronger than stiff cardboard. My suggestion is to get some MDF and start making templates with it. That'll give you a feel for your tools (even though each wood will still feel different) and at the same time provide you with a useful end-product. If you're keen on making a practice guitar for your friend, it shouldn't be TOO expensive to get some sort of inexpensive hardwood either at your local wood source or on eBay. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted May 15, 2004 Report Share Posted May 15, 2004 If you're keen on making a practice guitar for your friend, it shouldn't be TOO expensive to get some sort of inexpensive hardwood at your local wood source . about $20 for enough alder to make a body Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rogviler Posted May 15, 2004 Report Share Posted May 15, 2004 I have a Strat copy that I modified and it was made out of MDF. I think it sounds fine, as good as any other entry-level guitar. The biggest thing is that it was a dream to work on. It shaped well and required no filler. Plus MDF is stable as you can get, as long as you don't get it wet of course. It's not going to crack like a solid wood guitar might, and won't seperate like plywood. Just find the hardest MDF you can and you should be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted May 15, 2004 Report Share Posted May 15, 2004 (edited) I wonder if it was MDF, or HDF (if such a thing exists). MDF is "Medium Density Fibreboard". It doesn't come in varying hardness. While I have no doubt that you've owned a strat made of some sort of particleboard or other 'synthetic' wood, I'd be surprised if it was true MDF. In a recent thread, people were saying that even basswood is pretty soft for many applications. I can say without certainty but with confidence that MDF will be softer than basswood by a considerable amount. On the other hand, I really don't know for sure. For $10-15 more than the cost of the MDF, I'd rather make my guitar out of alder just to be safe. That's just an opinion, and others are welcome to have another perspective. Greg Edited May 15, 2004 by GregP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rogviler Posted May 15, 2004 Report Share Posted May 15, 2004 That could be, I know it was darker than most MDF, almost like tempered Masonite. All I know is, I'd love to make every guitar out of it it I had the chance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rogviler Posted May 15, 2004 Report Share Posted May 15, 2004 After rummaging around, I managed to find a piece that I cut off: Maybe someone here can identify the material? It's very hard, and doesn't flake like normal MDF... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted May 15, 2004 Report Share Posted May 15, 2004 Sorry, you got me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maher Posted May 15, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 15, 2004 hmm doesnt look like MDF... i dunno Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted May 15, 2004 Report Share Posted May 15, 2004 After rummaging around, I managed to find a piece that I cut off: Maybe someone here can identify the material? It's very hard, and doesn't flake like normal MDF... maybe if you took a picture of it in outdoor natural light? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maher Posted May 15, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 15, 2004 about MDF being to softy; my first guitar was a Encore guitar, the body is VERy VERY soft way much more softer than MDF i can dent it easilty with my finger nail, but that never feel apart, i done all the demolition on that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyB7539 Posted May 15, 2004 Report Share Posted May 15, 2004 First off, buying a sheet of MDF to build a guitar is a waste of money. A 4x8 sheet of cabinet grade MDF, not the crap you get at the local Home Depot, will run you about 25 bucks if you are lucky. HDF (High Density Fiberboard...yes it IS real) will run you about $40. You definitely could get decent REAL wood for a lot less and not have as much time prepping the wood in order to get it prepared to use. I mean you are going to have to laminate at least 2 pieces of 3/4" and a single piece of 1/4" to be able to roughly have a thick enough piece to even use. Also the picture that he was showing could possibly be MDF, just a really bad grade. I had some of that stuff show up from the local wood shop to my shop the other day and I refused it. They wasn't about to charge me $25 bucks for a piece of wood like that. IN short, MDF=no real wood=yes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Litchfield Custom Gutars Posted May 16, 2004 Report Share Posted May 16, 2004 MDF can be used for a body. Like wes said, alder is cheaper and it is lighter. Lindert made giutars out of MDF. I'll get a pic of mine and put it up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maher Posted May 16, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2004 MDF can be used for a body. Like wes said, alder is cheaper and it is lighter. Lindert made giutars out of MDF. I'll get a pic of mine and put it up that would be cool if you can, how does it play? i already have mdf at home laying about so ill go ahead and cut a couple of bodys just to practice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Litchfield Custom Gutars Posted May 17, 2004 Report Share Posted May 17, 2004 It plays nice. The neck is 12 V half round, and plays quite nice. It weighs a bit, but sounds great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DannoG Posted May 17, 2004 Report Share Posted May 17, 2004 Aside from the issue of MDF being usable for a guitar body, I would advise you to use something closer to a hardwood just for the experience. When you route, sand, carve and shape the MDF it won't behave like the mahogany you plan to use later. I think you should find a local source for wood and get whichever of the following is available in the size you'll want at a good price: Alder, Poplar or Basswood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asm Posted May 17, 2004 Report Share Posted May 17, 2004 i say just read up more, practice more on scrap wood, and then do a good job on the first one. and use nice wood. i wouldnt put any time in making a mdf guitar. but thats just me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fizzy_elephant Posted May 17, 2004 Report Share Posted May 17, 2004 my "budget" MDF bass... It works and has been for about 3 years now with no ripping, tearing or other fault. However, it is a budget build, cheap as can be done. It works, and is playable, but i wouldnt so much advise an MDF body. Its that and the pickup that i'd like to change the most for a next project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krazyderek Posted May 17, 2004 Report Share Posted May 17, 2004 i'm with wes, alder or basswood will give you a better experience on how to work with body woods, they're very light and inexpensive, especially if you have a local source for them. MDF may pamper you a bit to much, make things to easy, and not really helping develop the skills needed to work with stronger, harder, warpier, grainy woods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmo Posted May 17, 2004 Report Share Posted May 17, 2004 After rummaging around, I managed to find a piece that I cut off: Maybe someone here can identify the material? It's very hard, and doesn't flake like normal MDF... In Portugal I think that the "wood composite" is called Aparite, and is made of Glue and small wood "scratch" and wood dust. It can be seen on several closets and similars. I´ve seen some realy dense and hard and others realy bad and easely breackable... I think I had a guitar made of that, once... but then again, the photo isn't quite clear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeB Posted May 17, 2004 Report Share Posted May 17, 2004 yeh, i would have said it was chipboard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Litchfield Custom Gutars Posted May 17, 2004 Report Share Posted May 17, 2004 As was said, using real wood that is just as inexpensive is a better idea. Here's a pic of the Lindert: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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