Official Luthiers Forum!

Hi guys!

I'm really interested about making a guitar out of bamboo. A saw few electrics made of this and really liked the look. I've also seen this Japanese Luthier who's making all-bamboo guitar. So, a have a few questions about it!

1st - What do you think/know about bamboo as top wood?
2nd - Some of you have more infos on the workabilities of this wood? Density, flexibilty, easy to bend, etc!
3rd - Does anyone of you know where I could find large enough blanks to get out guitars of it, or a way to make them?

Thanks all

Francis

_________________
Francis Richer, Montréal
Les Guitares F&M Guitars

I have bambo floors in my house, vertical, horizontal cut, and another section called strand weaved. If you can picture bambo, I is long and skinny compared to a tree and pretty hollow down the center. It is also very strong and flexible when alive. It is cut into strips to be used for cutting boards, floors, etc. In a three inch wide pieces of bambo there are multiple strips.

I think it would be very hard to use as tops backs or sides because you have have to glue together so many pieces. A binding out of bambo might work very well.

Thats all I got good luck
matt

I have seen/played a Yamaha all bamboo guitar, abotu 7-8 years ago .. it was ok, but wierd to look at as its made up of about 1000 pieces ... you have to laminate to get the widths required, no other way that I know of as the stuff is round and hollow .. or maybe get some flooring pieces and thin it ...

_________________
Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

You can buy bamboo ply and veneers. It is all made of bamboo glued together. It is expensive too. Call the folks at Calibamboo.

Mike

I know this is a real small tree, I was asking to find pre-laminated pieces.

Thanks Mike, i'll check there!

_________________
Francis Richer, Montréal
Les Guitares F&M Guitars

Not to nit-pick, but it is really a grass. Blew me away when I first found that out. LOL

Has anyone tried making sides where the bamboo grain is perpendicular to the sides? um...up/down instead of neck to tail? You could glue/lam to shape or lam then bend...alternating colors too! LOL

Bamboo
I am thinking if you could bend it easily and laminate enough to make sides and a back, it could be interesting. I don't know if I would want it for a top. It is a resonant wood and makes nice sounding flutes. Also it's rapid growth rate ensures it will never be endangered.

I am "Yamaha Junkie" on most forums. I had the Yamaha Bamboo. It was Bamboo B/S/T and neck. It wieghed alot! Probably more the glues than the woods. It looked cool, I called it my Bowling allety guitar. The tone was perfect to use a Slide for Space Movie Soudtracks. Kinda Shrill?

http://www.geocities.jp/bgcdj201/index.html

Check it this guy's work

_________________
Francis Richer, Montréal
Les Guitares F&M Guitars

A buddy just showed me this trick:
http://translate.google.com/translate?h ... 26hs%3Da26

_________________
Don't confront me with my failures--I have not forgotten them.

Ti, nothing wrong with bamboo. If you find a source that will ship plys, let me know. Real aggravating since all they seem to want to do is floors, counters, etc. Soon as you tell the guitars, they act like you do not exist. I did manage to get some samples out of Calibamboo. But nothing large enough to do testing. You have inspired me to go a looking again.

Hey, have any of yoose tried cutting bamboo with a lawnmower? Maybe a grass, but that stuff is mower wrecking grass. Its all cellulose in one form or another.

Mike

Hey! Nice to ear some encouragements! The singer of my band is in japan at this very moment and she will go to talk to this japanese guy, maybe i'll get some issues! (She lived 18 years over there, so, she knows bamboo a lot. It's her that gave me the idea of using it)

And, ok, Bamboo is GRASS. It's not a TREE but considered like WOOD anyways. A forestery ingeneer told me about it.. Bamboo have is own categorie et plant/tree/grass for itself.

_________________
Francis Richer, Montréal
Les Guitares F&M Guitars

Not a bad idea hehe! But from my side I have my personnal translator

_________________
Francis Richer, Montréal
Les Guitares F&M Guitars

I saw a cutting board that might be big enough for a ukulele top if you can re-saw it.

Southern Lumber near me sells planks of glued up bamboo that are about 8" wide by 3/4" thick by 5' tall. They aren't too expensive. I've used the stuff for jewelry boxes before. It's pretty hard on the tools, and splinters easily, but it looks great under finish. I may grab another plank next time I'm over there. If anyone wants me to grab some and ship it to them, PM me. Here's a photo of a box I made using the stuff:



A full plank would resaw pretty easily into a good-looking top and/or back/sides IMO.

Cheers,
Dave F.

_________________
Cambrian Guitars

"There goes Mister Tic-Tac out the back with some bric-brac from the knick-knack rack"

Dave, contact me offline (pm), I would like to get some of that.

Mike

PM sent. Anyone else in?

Cheers,
Dave F.

_________________
Cambrian Guitars

"There goes Mister Tic-Tac out the back with some bric-brac from the knick-knack rack"

You can easily purchase bamboo stair treads and risers. Just google "bamboo stair parts" You can purchase either vertical or flat grain - and in natural or caramelized colors. Resaw the stair tread like you would any other board

_________________
John Ressler

I'd like to! But California is quite far from me... Do you have an idea of how it could cost you to ship it to Montreal?

_________________
Francis Richer, Montréal
Les Guitares F&M Guitars

If you do ship to Montreal, watch out for customs paperwork. Gotta have it. And send as a "gift".

Mike

Well, okay, i'll continue to search around here

_________________
Francis Richer, Montréal
Les Guitares F&M Guitars

You missed my point. So long as customs paperwork is attached you are good to go.

Mike

Oh sorry! My english is bad...!

_________________
Francis Richer, Montréal
Les Guitares F&M Guitars

I just want to point at that it is not actually a wood it is a laminated product that is produced with a resin that holds it all together. Below is a link to a place that has plywood, countertops and lumber made from it. My question is how will the laminations hold up while heat bending?...Mike
http://www.nwbamboo.com/materials.html

Good question. That is why I would like to get some samples. It comes in horizontal (three plys) vertical, and woven strand (5/8x8x72). I want to test resaw all 3. I have a supplier, so we will soon see.

Mike