Need a guitar builder

therage! · #1 10-17-2003

Anyone know of any builders where I can provide the wood and they build me a body? I haven't contacted them but I know Warmoth can build one using your own design but I'm wondering if anyone here has done something like this before. I've got access to some really nice Russian olive hardwood that is just gorgeous.

Treeline · #2 10-17-2003

Do a Google search with these phrases:

Guild of American Luthiers

Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans

Musical Instrument Makers' Forum

Good luck. Post a pic of the wood if you can!

therage! · #3 10-17-2003

Quote:

Originally posted by Treeline
Do a Google search with these phrases:

Guild of American Luthiers

Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans

Musical Instrument Makers' Forum

Good luck. Post a pic of the wood if you can!

Thanks for the tips. I had been at Google but had not tried any of those buzzwords.
At the moment I don't have a digital camera but I intend to get one and will post a pic when I can. I've got a piece of this wood that my buddy cut out to a rough guitar shape. Next week we're going to go down and pick up the rest of this tree. The tree was planted by Mormon pioneers in the 1800's but is on land owned by Catholics, who have wanted it removed because the tree had died....so it's got a little history.

Treeline · #4 10-17-2003

An ecumenical axe...

Scottgman · #5 10-17-2003

You might hit up this guy, who is a member of this BBS:

http://www.mayesguitars.com/

AcidRain · #6 10-17-2003

Eddie at www.ekgco.com has an excellent reputation for his work

Light · #7 10-17-2003

Most any reputable repair shop could probably do this, and you are probably going to have better success getting a repair shop to make a body of your design than a builder. I tend to be more interested in making my own body designs than someone else’s, and would tend to hand that off to one of the repair people in my shop.

Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

Scooter B · #8 10-22-2003

I trust this guy completely and it seems he can and is willing to do or try anything.

http://www.honestronsguitars.com/main.htm

The web site is a little cheesy but you can see some of his work and gets stuff mailed in from all over the USA.

He custom built a figured Koa 24 fret ebony fingerboard bass with EMG's and electronics that I love and guarantee's for life.

I am not sure where you are located but he is in Oklahoma City and is very reasonable.

Ozraves or anyone else in Oklahoma City will vouch for him.

Check his website out and let him know what you want...he would be happy to do just the body if that is what you want.

bdbdbuck · #9 10-25-2003

Just a word of caution. If this wood is "off the stump", you may want to let it dry a few years before going through the expense of having this guitar body built, only to find that the thing has warped and checked and cupped like you read about a few months down the road. Even though the tree is dead, there is a very real possibility that the wood is still green enough to cause major problems. Good luck.

bd

therage! · #10 10-25-2003

[QUOTE]Originally posted by bdbdbuck
Just a word of caution. If this wood is "off the stump", you may want to let it dry a few years before going through the expense of having this guitar body built, only to find that the thing has warped and checked and cupped like you read about a few months down the road. Even though the tree is dead, there is a very real possibility that the wood is still green enough to cause major problems. Good luck.

bd [/QUOT

Yeah, I know there are some issues with that. My buddy who has this wood is going to take some of it over to his neighbor and store some in the guys wherehouse. The guy has his own sawmill and has from what I hear a pretty incredible collection of some fine hardwoods. He's an oldtimer and apparently doesn't care about making any money selling wood. I'll bring the points you made up with these guys.

Thanks

juststartingout · #11 10-28-2003

FYI, you want a 6% moisture content to insure it won't warp.

Basement Man · #12 10-28-2003

Quote:
FYI, you want a 6% moisture content to insure it won't warp.

My wife has been telling me that for years.....
Ha Ha Ha

Light · #13 10-28-2003

Quote:

Originally posted by juststartingout
FYI, you want a 6% moisture content to insure it won't warp.

Well, 6% is in the range, but what we actually are shooting for is under 8%. There is another issue though, which is the consistency of the moisture content. When wood is kiln dried, it will come down to the required moisture content, but there will be a significant difference between the moisture content inside the cells and between the cells. This is less pronounced with air dried wood, which is why guitar builders prefer air dried wood. The other issue is the relative moisture content between the wood and the shop. It is important to let the wood become acclimated to the shop, because the time you will get the most change in the wood is while working it. The longer it is in the shop before working, the better. Ideally, I want to have it in the shop for years before I start working on it, though this is not always possible.

Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

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