Anyone ever use pine in a build?
 

Hi all,

I've been scouring these DIY pages just loving what you all have been doing. I've been dreaming about building my own, but alas, it is something that will have to happen some time down the line. I live in a tiny apartment and have no access to a shop... boo...

A while ago I thought I would have the ability and space to make at least an electric guitar. I really wanted to use local wood in it as a "tribute" to where I live. I live up in the rockies and there is a lot of dead pine out here... what we call "beetle kill". I love the look of beetle kill wood. It takes on some beautiful colors. The stage at our church is constructed out of it and I just love the look of it. A lot of folks out here use it for furniture too.... So, I contacted a local mill and they put a slab together for me out of which I had planned to build a tele (still plan on it... just waiting). In reality, this slab is pretty much from my town, my neck of the woods. Here's a shot of it just waiting to be turned into something (I like the gashes/splits and beat up look on this piece for a solidbody tele actually).

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a51...01/pineb12.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a51...01/pinea12.jpg


I hear pine works really well on solid body guitars like teles. Has anyone ever used pine in an acoustic build? I think it could be neat to have both an electric and an acoustic that talk about where I have lived. I figure I coudl call up the mill again and go down and pick out some wood if it woudl be worth while...

Taylor's Pallet Guitar used pine.

http://www.laguitarsales.com/pages/3...hop_Pallet.htm

cool. Thanks for passing that along. I wonder if pine has been used as a top-wood....

Yes, if its q/s and light enough. Pine is kinda sappy, but it might end up like cedar thickness. I think a pine geetar would be very cool. But go for a cheap Carpathian top for the first run.

I don't know if I'd use pine for the top, I'm not sure that it's strong enough for a top.

there's the Ikea butchers block guitar.....

but it's birch.....

http://www.zacharyguitars.com/070209_60.JPG

THIS is the one I was looking for.....

Ikea table top. apparently you can get three bodies from a $15 table......

http://blog.makezine.com/120300_9.jpg

very cool. I remember seeing those (or very similar) over at TDPRI. This why I went hunting for a slab for a tele project.

Im quite curious about using pine in an acoustic build though... hmmm....

Pine makes great sounding tele's

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y17...h/P1010008.jpg

So, are those sliced off nails embedded in the oak???

Pertty darn nice lookin' also ~

Getting pine with no knots might be a problem. Guess things could be done to seal up the knots so they don't pop out, or laminate them with more than 2 pieces for a back or top. They harvest millions of tons of pines here in East Texas, and nowadays it's hard to find any with tight grain and of a large enough size to be useful for guitars.
Stephen Kinnaird kinda joked about building one in another thread several months ago on here. If he goes anywhere with it, I might ask him to sell me some of the wood so I can try my hand at it.
Like the OP says, it's part of "where you come from" that makes it special.
Intriguing idea.

Corrected it fer ya. ;)

That stuff will look awesome as a Tele! Looks like the scotch barrel guitars. Zpoxy with copier toner or all black will fill in the knotholes and make them bond strong.
Seek out the Fretboard Journal with WILCO on the cover. There are some cool Tele bodies in there.

All depends on the pine. Here in the South, our yellow pine is so hard and heavy that it wouldn't work well for a top. Well, an acoustic top that is.
Whereas the western and northern species might work--I think Bob Benedetto used some in an experiment--but you'd have to choose carefully.
I've been hoping to make a small parlor guitar using southern yellow pine for the back and sides, where it should perform admirably.

As for electrics, why not? Anything will work.

Steve

Benedetto Using "Inferior" Tonewoods
 

Bob Benedetto wrote a fascinating book titled "Making an Archtop Guitar" in which he describes the processes he uses in building his world class archtops. He describes building an archtop using "inferior" tonewoods...in fact, the top is made of construction grade 2" x 10"'s. He says the guitar plays and sounds as good as those made with his best woods.

His point, as made earlier, is that a guitar's design and construction methods matter more in delivering great sound than does beautiful wood selection.

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/g...orTonewood.jpg