what woods to use

[Halcyon/Tinker]

I'd listen to Tom, but also suggest walnut as a very affordable and easy to bend/work wood. Sitka is a little tougher than Engelmann which can also be quite soft like cedar. No real reason not to use Engelmann though...

2nd on the Cumpiano, his website has lots of updates as well....

[grim83]

Thanks guys it'll be a little bit before I can even start nmbut whenever I get to it I'll be sure to post something up

[theEdwinson]

Just saw this thread, and want to congratulate you on your idea to build a guitar. Warning, though: It can be addictive, especially if that first one turns out well.
You want to give yourself the best chance of success, and that means, do a lot of research. There are loads of great resources available, online, in books, journals, etc. so read and watch as much as you can.

I'd highly recommend looking at the Luthier's Mercantile website, back to front and back again. You'll see lots of tools, woods, parts, jigs, implements, and kinda get a feel for what's available, and what kind of investment you'll be in for.
Luthier's Mercantile also sells kit guitars, which you can totally customize to your level of skill and your preferences for body styles, woods and so on. You can get serviced kits, where most of the the tricky stuff is done, like side bending, neck joint/ carve, etc. Or you can get an unserviced kit, which is basically a collection of all the woods and parts, and you do a lot more of the woodworking processes.
These kits are not cheap, but that's because they are meant for making guitars equivalent to Martins and Taylors you'd buy at Guitar Center for two or three grand.

And you can also get Robert O'Brien's DVD which coaches you through the whole process of building a kit guitar.
Robert also has a GREAT channel on YouTube called "Luthier Tips du Jour". Dozens of excellent how-to videos on just about every aspect of guitar making. Here's a good starting point:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvd...66jPTJBXMD9QIA
Good luck, and I hope you'll keep us posted on your progress. You have probably already noticed, this forum is a goldmine of information and opinion.
And be good to your girlfriend, so you'll stay in the good graces of her Dad! ;-}
All the Best,
Steve

[Neil Gardiner]

I would' worry too much about the wood. Rosewood and Sitka is a good suggestion. Rosewood bends very nicely. My first guitar I got really nice woods and thought I was building my dream guitar. How did it turn out? Well it's a guitar. I still have it. Sounded pretty good. The neck is too chunky. The body is a little wonky. The finish isn't so good.

Now, a few years on, and about 25 instruments later, I can make a pretty good guitar. My point is that this is a learning step guitar. Have fun and enjoy the journey and don't worry about the destination.

For books I'd recommend Guitarmaking Tradition and Technology (Cumpiano and Natelson)

Also you might want to check out this web site: http://www.luthiersforum.com

[worshipvertical]

I'm going to agree with others. Go with Sitka for the top and either mahogany or EIR for the back and sides. I would recommend starting with a kit for your first one.

[Alan Carruth]

Mahogany can be schizophrenic; some pieces are really easy to bend, but once in a while you'll get one that just won't. I've never had a problem with Indian rosewood, and walnut is a pleasure as well.

I'm a heretic: spruce is spruce. There's so much variation from one piece to another that the species is no more than a rough guideline. In a production setting they go by the average, and their output reflects the average properties, with Red giving more 'headroom' Sitka a bit less, and so on to Engelmann being more 'responsive'. But you can find low density Red spruce that's makes as responsive a guitar as any Engelmann, and Engelmann that's as dense and hard as Red. If you work to the piece, ad a hand maker should, the species is less important.

Don't be beguiled by grading on the top: it's mostly cosmetic. Get something in the middle grade of whatever species you want. Pay more attention to runout (which does not seem to set off many alarms in the grading process if my experience is any indicator) than things like tightness of grain or even color that make a lot of difference in the cost but not the tone.

Take notes. Have fun.

[grim83]

Originally Posted by Alan Carruth

Mahogany can be schizophrenic; some pieces are really easy to bend, but once in a while you'll get one that just won't. I've never had a problem with Indian rosewood, and walnut is a pleasure as well.

I'm a heretic: spruce is spruce. There's so much variation from one piece to another that the species is no more than a rough guideline. In a production setting they go by the average, and their output reflects the average properties, with Red giving more 'headroom' Sitka a bit less, and so on to Engelmann being more 'responsive'. But you can find low density Red spruce that's makes as responsive a guitar as any Engelmann, and Engelmann that's as dense and hard as Red. If you work to the piece, ad a hand maker should, the species is less important.

Don't be beguiled by grading on the top: it's mostly cosmetic. Get something in the middle grade of whatever species you want. Pay more attention to runout (which does not seem to set off many alarms in the grading process if my experience is any indicator) than things like tightness of grain or even color that make a lot of difference in the cost but not the tone.

Take notes. Have fun.

I understand about the variance in spruce, I've played Sitka and engelman top guitars that are all over the map I just find I tend to prefer the engleman on average so figured I'd have better luck with engleman also Sitka tends to be quite a boring looking wood to me even highly figured :shrug: maybe Sitka and sapele would be a better route as I don't tend to care much for rosewood and want something other than hog well see what happens when I actually get to buying lol. Thanks everyone for the advice

[LouieAtienza]

I would add that if you have access to a woodworking shop, you might want to learn how to select lumber at a specialty lumberyard and resaw your own tops, backs, and sides. You can save some cash, and have multiple sets to work with. Sapele is still relatively inexpensive, and pprfectly quartered boards are plentiful. Padauk is also on the low end price-wise, though it can be a little on the brittle side. Walnut and cherry are good choices as well. Sitka spruce is the most plentiful spruce at the lumberyard I frequent.

[OddManOut]

Originally Posted by grim83

I'm thinking about trying to build my first guitar and have been looking at woods to use. What woods would you recommend someone start on I was thinking western red cedar for the top since its soft and cheap but not sure what to use on the sides. Also is there any books you would recommend on the subject. And where are the best places to buy wood from.

Have fun with your building adventure.

[grim83]

Originally Posted by LouieAtienza

I would add that if you have access to a woodworking shop, you might want to learn how to select lumber at a specialty lumberyard and resaw your own tops, backs, and sides. You can save some cash, and have multiple sets to work with. Sapele is still relatively inexpensive, and pprfectly quartered boards are plentiful. Padauk is also on the low end price-wise, though it can be a little on the brittle side. Walnut and cherry are good choices as well. Sitka spruce is the most plentiful spruce at the lumberyard I frequent.

I've been looking but haven't found a good lumber yard here yet if I can find one I would much prefer to do that

[ecguitar44]

Originally Posted by grim83

I've been looking but haven't found a good lumber yard here yet if I can find one I would much prefer to do that

Why would you prefer to resaw your own wood?

[printer2]

Originally Posted by grim83

I've been looking but haven't found a good lumber yard here yet if I can find one I would much prefer to do that

I made my first acoustic using materials you can get at your local big box retailer. My guitar has a pine body, the top is cedar, fir neck, some birch for the headstock, binding and rosette, red oak for the fretboard. Was going to use oak for the bridge but found some purpleheart cheap so went with it. Other than the birch all the materials I can get at Home depot. Alright, I had to go back a number of times until the right wood popped up and search for appropriate pieces.



From the left, a cedar fence board to give up material for a top, a four piece beginnings of a top at the bottom. Beside it a pine back along with pine sides already bent. A pine board along with resawn and surfaced beside the cedar board. Next to that fir and a 1" x 2" spruce strapping to be used as braces, all wood quarter sawn.

Why did I use these rather than wood intended for guitar building, to see what you can make with wood from down the street. Also along with little cost, total guitar cost me under $50, I was not too disappointing by little mistakes made. Heck, I did not know flipping the center board on my top would make it reflect the light differently compared to the sides after the finish was applied. If I started out with a guitar set of wood and ended up with that I probably would be more disappointing. Mind you, if I bought a proper set I may not have had the issue.

If importing wood from the U.S. was not so expensive I might have ordered up a top and sides. A few months ago I was offered two sets of tops and sides for free as long as I covered the shipping. When the kind gentleman found out how much it would ultimately cost me for the free wood we decided it was not worth it. If I lived in the U.S. I would say get a lower grade set and get started. Your first guitar will probably not be perfect, just learn the skills needed to build it.

I need to make a second guitar using what I learned from my first one. The above guitar will be my knock around travel guitar, part of the reason I made a parlor size with a short scale length. Also it is easier finding wood to build with when the guitar is smaller in size. Even with the non-traditional woods it sounds richer than the cheap import dread I have. Mind you the live back probably adds a lot.

[LouieAtienza]

Originally Posted by ecguitar44

Why would you prefer to resaw your own wood?

Because it's way cheaper. You can buy a padauk set for about $60-90. Or you can buy a board at under $10/bf (that's 1' square by 1" thick.) Your final cost is "sweat equiity."