[THRobinson]

Had a couple wood related questions....

1) Where do you guys get thin veneers here in Ontario? I have a Cort that I stripped down, was hoping to put a nice veneer on top, so would have to be thin, then do a trans-black burst. Looked around and either too thick, pricey or too far away. Saw some on eBay that looked dried and cracking and not sure how they'd survive postage.

2) Local guy selling some live-edge wood, kiln-dried... had some thick enough for guitars. Had maple and cherry, but said if wanting thick wood (1.75" - 2") he had some spalted Elm and some walnut. I'm looking to grab the spalted Elm because photos looked really nice. Are these woods used for guitars? Did a google search and didn't see much... not a common wood for it I suppose but, looked nice. If really thick I'd like to try a Les Paul, but if 1.75" maybe a Strat or a Tele... or if enough wood all 3.

 

[mawmow]

?? You took off the veneer top ?

If you want to get the guitar better, why not try a solid wood top ?
You would have to brace it, be it ladder type, some "X" type or the new "V" (I think would better be named type "A") Taylor type.
Ladder type sounds nearby veneer, while X more resonant.

Spruce (sitka) is the commonest wood used for guitar tops.

 

[THRobinson]

No.... Guitar was dinged badly and glitter black. I sanded the black off off the top. Once I got the black paint off you can sort of see the grain underneath and it looked a bit red so I thought it was that Philippine mahogany which they sometimes use on their guitars. The poly layer was almost an eighth of an inch thick and took 2 hours with 60grit and an orbital sander to remove. Between the wood and poly was a thin reddish layer, no idea what, but very thin, and once sanded it looks like basswood underneath.

Had i known i'd have just sanded the paint off and repainted as planned. Now debating to rebuild up the poly on the top, or spends hours sanding the back and sides to wood.

If the latter...i wanted to glue a veneer on top and stain the back and sides black to help hide the fact.

Also, an electric guitar not acoustic. Wont need bracing.

 

[THRobinson]

Well, looked at the wood. Small sawmill guy has as a hobby. Have some pretty good stuff there. Ended up buying a 1 and 3/4 in plank of solid Walnut big enough for almost 3 guitars for $45 kiln-dried. I also bought a sheet almost as thick long enough for three guitars but not quite wide enough of spalted elm. For an extra $10 he's cutting it up the middle to make two sheets and then planning the ends so I can book match them. So $55 for that.

Will use it for arch tops and mahogany backs. Recently discovered a guitar that i like caalled a Springer Seriph, thaat i am eager to make.

The walnut, i may do either 2 telecaster or 1 tele and a really nice strat body.

Guy also said his day job is working with wood and actually making veneer. He says they mostly deal with long strips and the square pieces usually get thrown out. So he's going to look into grabbing a piece for me for that Cort electric guitar that I have.

 

[thebluesbutcher]

No.... Guitar was dinged badly and glitter black. I sanded the black off off the top. Once I got the black paint off you can sort of see the grain underneath and it looked a bit red so I thought it was that Philippine mahogany which they sometimes use on their guitars. The poly layer was almost an eighth of an inch thick and took 2 hours with 60grit and an orbital sander to remove. Between the wood and poly was a thin reddish layer, no idea what, but very thin, and once sanded it looks like basswood underneath.
Thanks for writing this. I am refinishing with paint: learned how to paint over stain... not that hard.
Can You Paint Over Stain? "It's not THAT Complicated" | Brad the...
There is also a post there just for Canadian painters!
Had i known i'd have just sanded the paint off and repainted as planned. Now debating to rebuild up the poly on the top, or spends hours sanding the back and sides to wood.

If the latter...i wanted to glue a veneer on top and stain the back and sides black to help hide the fact.

Also, an electric guitar not acoustic. Wont need bracing.

Thanks for writing this. I am refinishing with paint: learned how to paint over stain... not that hard.
There is also a post there just for Canadian painters!

 

[knight_yyz]

Exotic Woods Burlington

 

[alwaysflat]

I have a feeling the red you encountered is a stained/tinted sealer. I had an older Epi LP headstock repair expose this under the black poly on the neck. Under a high intensity light you can see the red through the black. Kind of a warm glow. Same as the back of the body. Flash photo's can reveal repairs under a decent colour matched repair. I don't know but it may be unique base for specific bursts like tobacco.

 

[JHarasym]

Local guy selling some live-edge wood, kiln-dried... had some thick enough for guitars.

Could you post contact info for the guy selling the wood?

 

[greco]

Could you post contact info for the guy selling the wood?

Are you starting a new (guitar) 'project'?

 

[JHarasym]

Are you starting a new (guitar) 'project'?

Perhaps that wouldn't make sense at this point...?

 

[THRobinson]

Geez, this is a few months old... have to re-read it.

I found a guy off Facebook, was in Lucan, ON... small hobby mill type deal, got the slab of Walnut from him, and had a slab of Spalted Elm that fell through. Was going to get it cut up the middle so it could be bookmatched but the guy he deals with said no because Elm too hard and will kill the blade.

Then off Facebook, found a guy about 45min North, also small hobby deal but much bigger inventory. Got a big slab of 2" thick Ash with a nice but subtle grain to it. Should be big enough for 2-3 bodies. Plan for it is to have it planed down to 1.75" for a Strat. Has a very slight curve. The other half I'll likely have just 1 side planed because I want to do a curved top similar to a Seraph guitar.

The walnut will likely be a pair of Tele's.

But... garage needs finished first. About 100-110yrs old and looks like an episode of Hoarders. Been slowly rebuilding it when not too hot outside. Hoping get it done on the outside enough that I can start these guitar projects during the winter.

So far this year though I got the Frankenstein built, the two guitars from the '60s look almost new and going up for sale this week, my Squire project is done (minus some buggy wiring). Was going to finish the Washburn (probably the easiest of the projects that keeps getting back-burnered) but my nephew handed me his acoustic to fix, and if I was to guess, I think he or his friend stepped on the neck. Which is why I logged in today to start a new thread.