Official Luthiers Forum!

For this first build, I bought the soundboard from a good luthier supplier in order to learn what good quality wood looks like

I am now going to buy all the other wood for the guitar

do you think it is just as important for me to buy from my trusted supplier for the remaining guitar wood or do you think it is safe to purchase from cheaper sources such as ebay?

thanks all

FWIW I would only use trusted sources. If it's your first or even fifth guitar then maybe but I wouldn't. If some one here can vouch for an ebay seller then I suppose that would be ok.

Stick with reputable dealers. RC Tonewood and AHIX are OLF sponsors and both sell on Ebay. I have bought, with confidence, from both and am very pleased with all the wood that I received from them. There a quite a few reputable tonewood dealers out there that I have bought from over the years with great results. Pals, Vic.

thanks all, you just made my decision nice and straight forward

I am a reputable dealer, and I sell on ebay.. http://stores.ebay.com/A-Hix-Tonewood-a ... r-Supplies

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Guitar Maker and Purveyor of the World's Finest Tonewoods
http://www.aaronhixguitars.com/
http://stores.ebay.com/A-Hix-Tonewood-a ... r-Supplies

Back and sides are more predictable than soundboards as to their effect on tone . I would want good, big, clear pictures with any defects pointed out (not a deal breaker, but I want to know about them) and assurance it's dead flat.

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Pat

I have always had excellent service and product from OLF sponsors.

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Mike Lindstrom

There is usually a lot of nice stuff in the classifieds.

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

Dude! It doesn't work when you say it yourself. You gotta let us butter up your bottom a bit.



Great. Now I want brownies, and that is bad as I am training for a Spartan Race. Thanks Filippo. How am I going to make it through this:


or this:


with a big, fat brownie belly? That's right Filippo. I'm not going to make it through that stuff. I'll be wallowing in the mud like a big, fat, brownie bellied pig. Thanks.

Oh, buy from our sponsors. Ahix, RC Tonewoods, Allied, Colonial Tonewoods all sell great stuff. I have wood in my stash from each of them. All top notch.

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http://www.CostaGuitars.com
PMoMC

The question, Tony, is not how you will get through it but why would you want to!
Only kidding, good luck! Not my cup of tea, though!

Tony, it is obvious this is your first Spartan Race; that is not mud, it is brownie batter.

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

SCORE!!!!!
It's my first race of any kind, but I felt like I needed a new challenge, and a reason to get into better shape. I'm not a young goat herder any longer!



Because it's there? Nah...see above. And also, why not?

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http://www.CostaGuitars.com
PMoMC

Tony, something tells me you will run that race vicariously through the SYT your pictures are centered on. Most of us old goats couldn't hack it if we wanted too. If you go for it, we'll need pictures!

Buying wood from reputable suppliers is always a good idea. If you are buying wood from people who aren't luthier suppliers then it is up to you to know what makes a board suitable for its intended use. Ebay is a mixed bag with anything you buy.

Reputable suppliers help early on with avoiding dumb mistakes.... As you progress - you will get better at dealing with cranky (AKA Beautiful, curly) materials

Your first builds are more about learning the mechanics of guitar assembly.... For example... You need sides that are cooperative because you haven't got the hang of side bending yet... You need sides and back wood that' easy to work with tools because you haven't got the hang of working woods by hand.....

I would go with stuff that's reasonably easy to work by hand and reasonably easy to build with....
My own list would be:
Straight grain Mahogany, Straight grain Soft Maple, Cherry, Walnut, .... All of these are reasonably inexpensive, fairly straightforward to work, and bend like a dream.... Then, I would add Straight grain IRW, hard maple, and Quartersawn Red oak next.. They are somewhat harder to work - but still bend nicely so long as you don't have too much figure...

If you have no issues with thinning your material, but are worried about bending sides - it's worth it to get some Oak, maple, or cherry thins and practice bending it... It tends to be very easy to bend... and it's pretty cheap compared to "Pretty" exotics...

Thanks

+1 for rc tonewoods, I've received some indian rosewood lately, it's perfect!
And, you can choose your set directly with the pics on the website, so you get what you want.

Have fun in the muck, Tony! Wish I could be there to cheer you on (and see you with brownie batter all over your body).

I have only build a couple guitars and a few ukes (though I've purchased way more wood than that), but I would stick with reputable tonewood dealers as recommended previously. One thing, with a dealer like LMI, where you're not seeing the specific set you're buying, call them and ask them to hand pick something for you if you know some of the characteristics you want. And with dealers like this, they will stand behind their product, and replace something that's not right for you.

Speaking of Arron Hix, I just received a set of pau ferro from him and it is great!!! Very impressive back and side set.

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

Careful with that pao ferro, it's one that quite a few people have reactions to the dust. It's beautiful wood, but I can't use it anymore, I've become too sensitized to sand it, even with gloves. Take precautions, it is a sensitizer!

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A man hears what he wants to hear, and disreguards the rest. Paul Simon

Thank you Rodger, I'll watch for it. so far I've done two and a bunch of bindings with no problem. But I know it can sneak up on you.

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust