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 Post subject: Local Wood Guitars
PostPosted: Mon Dec 01, 2025 6:08 pm 
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Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2013 2:26 pm
Posts: 529
First name: Carl
Last Name: Dickinson
City: Forest Ranch
State: California
Zip/Postal Code: 95942
Country: USA
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
John brought up his intention to build a git out of local woods so I thought I'd post one of a few I've built with wood from my own property here in the Northern California foothills. Have you got some to show?
A Prairie State shape with Black Oak back, sides and neck with Manzanita laminations. Top and bracing is Ponderosa Pine (with a bit of staining). Manzanita is used for all other parts.
Attachment:
Local prairie 1.jpg

The Manzanita bends pretty easily with heat and moisture for binding and purfling.
Attachment:
local prairie 2.jpg

The position markers are the outer sapwood of the Manzanita.
Attachment:
local prairie 3.jpg

Gracie is inspecting it.
Attachment:
local prairie 4.jpg

This pinless bridge is one of my first, they get better. :roll:
Attachment:
local prairie 5.jpg
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local prairie 6.jpg
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These users thanked the author CarlD for the post (total 5): Durero (Wed Dec 24, 2025 8:26 pm) • SteveSmith (Tue Dec 02, 2025 2:37 pm) • rbuddy (Tue Dec 02, 2025 9:05 am) • Chris Pile (Mon Dec 01, 2025 8:05 pm) • Kbore (Mon Dec 01, 2025 7:25 pm)
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 Post subject: Re: Local Wood Guitars
PostPosted: Tue Dec 02, 2025 11:42 am 
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Joined: Fri Jul 10, 2009 4:44 am
Posts: 5648
First name: colin
Last Name: north
Country: Scotland.
Focus: Build
Status: Semi-pro
That's sweet!

_________________
The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.



These users thanked the author Colin North for the post: CarlD (Tue Dec 02, 2025 2:14 pm)
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 Post subject: Re: Local Wood Guitars
PostPosted: Wed Dec 03, 2025 8:03 am 
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Cocobolo
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Joined: Sat Dec 28, 2013 10:06 am
Posts: 259
First name: Mike
Last Name: Spector
City: ORANGE
State: TX
Zip/Postal Code: 77632
Country: USA
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
I made this one from local pine and oak several years after one of the hurricanes blew through here. Yea that's a crayfish on the headstock. I guess this is my "hurricane model", you'll know when you play it, you'll "be pickin up a storm", ha

https://imgur.com/hBaNRZZ



These users thanked the author surveyor for the post: CarlD (Wed Dec 03, 2025 3:38 pm)
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 Post subject: Re: Local Wood Guitars
PostPosted: Wed Dec 03, 2025 3:44 pm 
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Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2013 2:26 pm
Posts: 529
First name: Carl
Last Name: Dickinson
City: Forest Ranch
State: California
Zip/Postal Code: 95942
Country: USA
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
Pine tops can be quite interesting and lots of variation in staining. I've got some Sugar Pine billets drying where the wood is very white but with black and blue staining.


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 Post subject: Re: Local Wood Guitars
PostPosted: Tue Dec 23, 2025 3:38 pm 
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Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2013 2:26 pm
Posts: 529
First name: Carl
Last Name: Dickinson
City: Forest Ranch
State: California
Zip/Postal Code: 95942
Country: USA
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
The latest of my local wood guitars. Another parlor. This one has a top of "landsinker" Redwood which spent 40 years as a bottom board of my hot tub. Back and sides of QS Oak. Neck is Ponderosa Pine. Binding, bridge and neck lamination is Manzanita. Rosette, pegboard face, end graft and routing error inlay :roll: is spalted endgrain Oak. Grover tuners and Shatten soundboard pickup.
Attachment:
parlor ca3.1.jpg
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parlorca3.3.jpg
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parlorca3.6.jpg
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parlorca3.5.jpg
Attachment:
parlorca3.4.jpg
Attachment:
parlorca3.7.jpg
Attachment:
parlorca3.8.jpg


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These users thanked the author CarlD for the post: Durero (Wed Dec 24, 2025 8:27 pm)
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 Post subject: Re: Local Wood Guitars
PostPosted: Fri Dec 26, 2025 6:34 pm 
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Koa
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Joined: Wed Jan 24, 2007 2:45 pm
Posts: 1388
Location: Calgary, Canada
Status: Amateur
That's a beauty. I have a plank of local spalted birch and some white spruce that will become a guitar at some point. :)



These users thanked the author Darrel Friesen for the post: CarlD (Fri Dec 26, 2025 9:22 pm)
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 Post subject: Re: Local Wood Guitars
PostPosted: Mon Feb 02, 2026 3:09 pm 
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Cocobolo
Cocobolo

Joined: Wed Jan 08, 2020 12:28 pm
Posts: 205
First name: Chuck
Last Name: Skarsaune
City: Butler
State: TN
Country: United States
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
Local / non-tropical woods are a big thing for me.

My black locust 000 is sitting behind me here in the office.

I've probably posted a pic before of the maple B&S / pine top I built from woods from our county.

I've been using walnut B&S I've milled for the last two customer guitars.

I'll see if I can dig up some pics.



These users thanked the author Skarsaune for the post (total 2): CarlD (Tue Feb 03, 2026 12:31 pm) • Gary Davis (Tue Feb 03, 2026 10:24 am)
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