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Where do you guys get your guitar body wood? Have you tried making an acoustic yet? Also, what are the dimensions for the body blanks? What type of tools do you need to cut a body? Once i get a job, iam going to try to make some guitars of my own. any suggestions for the beginner?

For the wood, we've been using Poplar and we get it at the local lumber yard.

No, we havn't made an acoustic yet. We are interested in that eventually. For now, it's gonna be just solid bodies. We're also interested in making necks, but that is a ways off at this point.

I'll let Aug answer the rest........

so you're basically the poster boy for the company?

God bless us all, every one.

He's Aug's manager. He keeps him out of the gutter. Is poplar like ash? How would you describe it? I need to but some blanks.

Mo Rocca wrote:so you're basically the poster boy for the company?

I guess you can say that. I'm really just too lazy to answer and I have to go to work.

i was thinking of getting something like this:




is your wood cheaper than that?

Mo Rocca wrote:i was thinking of getting something like this:




is your wood cheaper than that?

way cheaper.

1 3/4" x 10" x 20"
1 3/4" x 6" x 20"

glue and clamp them together and you have a guitar body blank for about $20.

aug: tr00 or false: guitar specific stores jack up prices on wood.

also, to be perfectly realistic, you'll need to get these basic tools:

jigsaw/blades (bandsaw would be better)

electric planer (to take the wood from 1 3/4" to 1 1/2")

palm sander

1/2" router with table (the bigger the better...I prefer Freud's FR2000E)

various 2 flute router bits with various guide bearing positions

round over bit

-that stuff should get you started...but, be prepared to spend upwards of $1000 for the starter tools.

Mo Rocca wrote:aug: tr00 or false: guitar specific stores jack up prices on wood.

tr00 *and* false.

Almost no one needs wood at 1 3/4" thick at more than 12", and almost no one cuts wood that thick/wide. Supply and demand. That's why I glue my blanks together.

However, for the "tr00" part, StewMac used to sell the poplar blank (1 piece) for $89...after tax and shipping, you'd end up spending $100+.

Aug wrote:also, to be perfectly realistic, you'll need to get these basic tools:

jigsaw/blades (bandsaw would be better)

electric planer (to take the wood from 1 3/4" to 1 1/2")

palm sander

1/2" router with table (the bigger the better...I prefer Freud's FR2000E)

various 2 flute router bits with various guide bearing positions

round over bit

-that stuff should get you started...but, be prepared to spend upwards of $1000 for the starter tools.

For starters, you necessarily have to have a router table

dodgedartdave wrote:

Aug wrote:also, to be perfectly realistic, you'll need to get these basic tools:

jigsaw/blades (bandsaw would be better)

electric planer (to take the wood from 1 3/4" to 1 1/2")

palm sander

1/2" router with table (the bigger the better...I prefer Freud's FR2000E)

various 2 flute router bits with various guide bearing positions

round over bit

-that stuff should get you started...but, be prepared to spend upwards of $1000 for the starter tools.

For starters, you necessarily have to have a router table

Are you agreeing or disagreeing?

I suppose, someone who is creative enough, *could* make a solid body guitar body using ONLY a router...but, it would be quite a bit of work...especially for the router.

I guess I messed up what I was going to say. I tring to say that it's Not Necessary to have a router table. I've done it before, years ago. I was making a tele body and I just used a 1/4 round bit, clamped the body down and ran it around the edge. You have to be careful cause it's easy to tip over.

dodgedartdave wrote:I guess I messed up what I was going to say. I tring to say that it's Not Necessary to have a router table. I've done it before, years ago. I was making a tele body and I just used a 1/4 round bit, clamped the body down and ran it around the edge. You have to be careful cause it's easy to tip over.

aaaahhh...I think I'd prefer to send him in a direction that will help him to do less work and enable him to build quality bodies. Know what I mean, Vern?

Aug wrote:

dodgedartdave wrote:I guess I messed up what I was going to say. I tring to say that it's Not Necessary to have a router table. I've done it before, years ago. I was making a tele body and I just used a 1/4 round bit, clamped the body down and ran it around the edge. You have to be careful cause it's easy to tip over.

aaaahhh...I think I'd prefer to send him in a direction that will help him to do less work and enable him to build quality bodies. Know what I mean, Vern?

Ya, I do. But also I think that it's important to make do with what ya got. I was making bodies long before I knew what a router table was. I remember the first time I saw a router table, I was like, "You can do that? That's genius!".

Have you done a wiki thread yet about guitar body making from start to finish yet? I Know that you were thinking about that. Maybe you should make an Aug How to Video.

dodgedartdave wrote:

Aug wrote:

dodgedartdave wrote:I guess I messed up what I was going to say. I tring to say that it's Not Necessary to have a router table. I've done it before, years ago. I was making a tele body and I just used a 1/4 round bit, clamped the body down and ran it around the edge. You have to be careful cause it's easy to tip over.

aaaahhh...I think I'd prefer to send him in a direction that will help him to do less work and enable him to build quality bodies. Know what I mean, Vern?

Ya, I do. But also I think that it's important to make do with what ya got. I was making bodies long before I knew what a router table was. I remember the first time I saw a router table, I was like, "You can do that? That's genius!".

Have you done a wiki thread yet about guitar body making from start to finish yet? I Know that you were thinking about that. Maybe you should make an Aug How to Video.

I keep forgetting to do the wiki...maybe on the next build, you could hang out and take tons of pics...

As for the video, I did ask Jake to film it, and he said he would, but he's a busy boy...soon, though.

My wood of choice is alder. It sands like a dream <3 And it smells like popcorn when its burning

roachello wrote:My wood of choice is alder. It sands like a dream <3 And it smells like popcorn when its burning

Sounds delicious. I've never worked with Alder.

I like poplar to work with, smamp ash for looks and mahogany for tone. Maybe I should make a guitar out of all 3. hummmmmm

dodgedartdave wrote:

roachello wrote:My wood of choice is alder. It sands like a dream <3 And it smells like popcorn when its burning

Sounds delicious. I've never worked with Alder.

I like poplar to work with, smamp ash for looks and mahogany for tone. Maybe I should make a guitar out of all 3. hummmmmm

Maybe you should just shut the hell up!



dave: The swinger and the Mustang bodies are DONE!

Aug & Dave ~ I want to order a jazz body that fits a 72 Jazz neck. I can let you know what pick ups and junk I'm gonna use.