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So here's my dilemma: I'm planning on building a guitar for a friend. I'd like to start working on it sometime in January or February of next year, and my plan was to have him choose which woods he would like, which I would then purchase and store in my shop until I'm ready to build. I was thinking I'd let him know around Christmas (as a surprise gift), but then I realized that would only give me around 4 weeks to have the wood in my shop acclimating before I started building with it.

Assuming the wood has been properly dried at the time of purchase, do you think that's enough time? Or would I be wiser to let him know now and have the wood acclimate for 5-6 months?

Thanks!

Thin wood like soundboards and B&S reaches equiliblium real fact as long as there is air flow around it. you should be fine as long as you are not buying from a supplier that sells freshly cut wood.

Great! That's what I needed to know. Thanks, Jeff!

Weigh it. As it's losing, or gaining moisture the weight will fluctuate. When the weight stays constant it's ready to build with.

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I'm not sure why you wouldn't just purchase some wood in advance and tell him that those are the woods you're going to use, at least for the top anyway. The best advice anyone can give you regarding wood is to get it, and let it sit and get as old as possible before using it, and that applies to backs and sides as well to a somewhat lesser degree. Most experienced builders will tell you that the older the stuff is, the better it is going to be, so long as the quality is there from the start. All that said, Woody is right about the weight thing, but the changes are pretty subtle.

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

I've built within a week of receiving wood from several of our good suppliers,
and not had any problem. I think if you can give it the 4 weeks in your shop
you'll be fine, unless your shop RH isn't stable.

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Gene

Politicians and diapers must be changed often, and for the same reason- Mark Twain