How to Build Your Own Guitar : Types of Wood to Use for Building a Guitar

[yugiohfrancis]

fuck expert village i'm building one made of maple

[0670717]

Does all this apply to bass guitars as well? Ash, Alder, Mahogany?

[rnlblue]

how do you make a prs usa made

[Predator2169]

nice wood ;)

[theonepeacemaker]

CUT! you need to rewrite the script for this video!

Types of wood my donkey! You don't even get close to talking about classical guitars, flamenco guitars, which materieal is good for which kind of genre, why plywood is bad. etc.

[acryfromabove]

That.. Is NOT a mahogany neck.. Lol.

[Matta212121]

where would i get bass wood ?

[DanOlooney]

which of the woods are the cherapest price wise?

[RandyFoxKiller]

@DanOlooney basswood

[zantji]

Hey i live in South Africa and i'm 14 but i want to get my own shape guitar but i dont have the time to make it an also i don't have the tools and extras and i want to know if you can make it and what the price will be. Thanx

[greatyetiproductions]

@zantji i can make it

[iandixon123]

Where can u get mahogany me and my dad r makin an awesome guitar that I already drew out but don't no were to get da wood any advice?

[WahooMr]

lol while he is saying that the guitar body is made of basswood the camera zooms in on the neck.

[BnJohansen]

lawl, i would't say that, the neck you show us is mahogany.. maybe some kind of maple or something ? ^^

[motavation69]

I had a bad case of swamp ash once

[edslides1]

there is a wood called 'white mahogany' that is pretty close in its density and tonal characteristics to mahogany. its scientific name is Khaya anthotheca

[Dominyka1231]

Mahogany is almost red!!!

[serhanbg]

how can i block expertvillage videos?

[mickthomsonify]

dude what about quilted and flamed maple? 

[smoothistkid12]

all iwanna do is make a fender that is light weighted and spray paint it but i never knew building one could be so hard!

[padawan007]

we finished my esp george lynch copy its little bit like a kramer also we used ash tree which was 40 years old wood and maple for neck.

[padawan007]

oghhh fuck not expert village damn it

[sequitorre]

@padawan007 Not pretty language.

[harmonicminorshred]

FBI huh?

[GoxGetterxGuy]

@metalica12495

O.o

That will be heavy as hell.

[damnbacon88]

What's your opinion on cocobolo?

[belkeSMASH]

would basswood have the same sustain as mahogany?

[GuillermoSmyser]

I think he has it a bit confused. In order of warm to bright I think it goes: Mahogany, basswood, alder, swamp ash, maple (though maple is usually not used as main body wood but as a neck or put on top of one of the others to slightly change the tone).

[nachothebassplayer]

@GuillermoSmyser yep, ur right

[95WOWJUNKIE]

the mahagony could have been sanded to make it smooth maybe....

[wowspare]

poplar is REALLY underrated

many people tend to think that poplar guitars will sound like a horse puking, cus poplar guitars are always low-end models.

i tried a custom ibanez with a poplar body and it was just farkin' A.... well of course it wasn't just any poplar.... it was very high-grain poplar that spent many years in storage somewhere ageing

[brossej07]

how many people are seriously concerned about weight? (besides ppl with back problems)

[GuillermoSmyser]

@brossej07 For some people it is a concern when playing long sets in live settings.

[brossej07]

@GuillermoSmyser Then get the guitar chambered, hollowed (check warmoth.com if you don't know what I'm talking about) or quit being such a pansy. On average, a les paul ways around 8 lbs. Now take a look at how many people played play long sets with a les paul. They're not that light of a guitar, and yet there's plenty of people who deal with it. If nothing else, suck it up for the sound.

[GuillermoSmyser]

@brossej07

I'm just saying there is an issue for some people. Not me though, I wish my les paul wasn't chambered because I think it adds a quality I don't like to the sound. Yeah it probably sounds better, I agree. But some people can't tell the difference and want a lighter guitar.

Again, I'm agreeing with you but at the same time I'm not ignoring the fact that it's an issue for SOME PEOPLE.

[renegadepoptard]

swamp ass?

[xzibit2313]

maple????? where is that at

[JDog1024]

@xzibit2313 maple isnt usually used as the body wood, just as a top, but it gives a bright tone

[Metallicaforever95]

then what is basswood sound like

what guuitars used for

[JDog1024]

@Metallicaforever95 basswood really has no good tonal qualities

[amplifiedlithium]

@JDog1024

Good basswood does; just like any other wood, the shitty versions may ruin it for some people.

[cruzdrum]

wow mahogonay is defenatly not th most common,maybe in gibsons but anywere else(ind the price range of the people that are prolly warching this) no

[coltenbhell]

thats definately a maple neck bro.

[DarkWolfAirsofters]

lol swamp ash. it sounds like swamp ass

[piercedsquid]

The color of that neck is a bit light for mahogany. I think he picked up a random neck and called it mahogany, hoping no one would know the difference

[fridgeslayer94]

looks like maple

[primusfeces]

@piercedsquid yeah it kind of looked like maple to me. i dunno though. maybe it is mahogany.

[brossej07]

@piercedsquid yup definately not mahogany!

[ischlopischlo]

I'm looking for some kind of concrete comparison of the tone of different woods for an electric guitar. I'm quite sceptic to the common idea that the wood in an electric guitar is extremely important. The only frequencies transferred to the amp comes from the stringvibrations relative to the pickup. The wood probably effects that vibration, but I wonder by how much.

[dappawap]

The reflections from the wood sum with the waveform of the string vibration; so yes it does make a difference. But one wood will not always sound the same. There are other variables such as the pick ups and their locations and the type of bridge used.

[Metallicaforever95]

what wood would somebody prefer over the other alder or mahogany

which is a better wood

[cruzdrum]

depends alder is used in alot of fenders,mahogony is used in gibsons

[0hypnotoad0]

There's hundreds of woods that you could use on a guitar. Here's some off the top of my head.

- Ash- Alder- Arbutus (aka, pacific madrone burl)- Rosewood- Pau Ferro- Padauk- Mahogany- Maple- Poplar- Purpleheart- Zebrawood- Ironwood- Bubinga- Bloodwood- Pearwood- Walnut- Pine- Cedar (for caps)- Spruce (for caps)- Ebony- Kauri

Pretty much any wood is tonewood, most have unique properties. It just depends on what sound you like.

[skinny3600]

Where do you stand on using Peach tree timber?

[PineappleBobTheGreat]

awrite thanx. what is a good wood for a bass guitar?

[PineappleBobTheGreat]

@amosschorr93 is plywood any good for making guitars?

[GuitarWhisperer]

BRRRRRTTTTT!!!

[isaiahthomas45678]

the problem with bass wood is that its to soft and it'd get beat up a lot faster, so i would go with not to hard but not to soft wood

[GuitarWhisperer]

I STILL think the dude TOTALLY FARTED at 1:47, a BIG one by the looks of it!

[GuitarWhisperer]

Genuine mahogany is hard to get, and is extremely expensive due to CITES restrictions on trade. The most common wood guitars are made out of today, and for the past ten years, is really called Nato. It looks kinda like mahogany, so a lot of companies call it mahogany, when really it's nothing like real mahogany. You'll see it in drum kits and guitars billed as "phillipine mahogany", or sometimes just "mahogany". It's a ploy.

[GuitarWhisperer]

Watch his face at 1:47, I think the dude totally farted!

[ht448]

i left a comment a week agon you dint awnser and by the way could you look at my project vis so far and give me some tips? and could you make a vidio abut the brige like how far away it has to be from the nut? plz get back to me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ht448]

i dont relly know you guys names for stuff in amrica but over here in austalia is bass wood just custom wood? cut to and size or shape?

[GuitarWhisperer]

basswood is a species. It's basically the lightest, cheapest, softest wood that you can make a guitar out of that is still strong enough to make one. Pretty horrible, actually, one step up from Balsa! easy to work though. It's pronounced bass like the fish, rhymes

with ass, not bass like bass guitar, which rhymes with space!

[trousien]

basswood is crap imho it is prone to get dented by your pick and the sound is neutral not as unique as all the other woods

[trousien]

oh yeah i forgot to tell you guys don't listen to expert village if you want to build a guitar these guys are retards... if alder is ugly then why would people bother putting finishes on em.. rather than painting em solid

[AutumnArson]

My uncle got some Brazilian Tiger Wood for me to build his guitar. is that any good for guitars?

[LordEricShunthethird]

no tiger wood is only good for golfing

[a0e0roberts]

I got a chunk of that Tiger Wood and turned drumsticks, and they were drop dead gorgeous. I couldn't say what the sound quality would be like on an electric, but I will warn you that it doesn't glue up well as there's a lot of natural oils in it. That would be a critical fault in an acoustic, but I don't think it would be a show stopper where you don't have all the liners, bracing, etc that needs gluing. Just wipe any surface that needs glueing with mineral spirits and you're good to go.

[GuitarWhisperer]

Brazillian Tigerwood is also called Goncalo Alves, and is extremely hard and SLICK! If you glue something to it using wood glue, it'll peel RIGHT OFF!!! I have some Snakewood for a bass guitar fretboard that I'm afraid to use because it's the same way.

[abcccccdd]

what wood would be best for a telecaster, i would mainly use it for blues, hard rock soloing

[thebettyfier]

i would say alder

[abcccccdd]

ok thanks

[GuitarWhisperer]

Definitely swamp ash. The first telecasters made in the 50's were swamp ash, the tone on those guitars is legendary. It's also lighter than alder, and a LOT lighter than northern ash!

[BiGZiSBEASTLY]

lol at 1:47 (his face)

[GuitarWhisperer]

I think he farted!

[gibsonguitardude12]

How much does mahogany cost?

[weimer495]

uh hahah he said wood

[imdashit5]

lol. Swamp ash

[90210fosho]

hahaha yeah i laughed at that part to.

[RNRDOLL]

swamp ass

[LordVordnorf]

Would an electric guitar be any good if the body was plywood. I was just wondering as that's what I was planning to make my first guitar out of.

[mikkemato]

plywood is used mainly on cheap guitars... the sound and the durability will depend on what kind of plywood is used(how thin plys are used, what wood is it made of etc). Most people think that all plywood guitars are crap, but they CAN sound good... i would still suggest some more used wood... (although.. i have seen a cherry plywood bass that sounded very good, but i dunno if cherry plywood would sound good on a guitar..Plywood is kinda risky when talking about tone.)

[LordVordnorf]

Right thanks man.

[redoubt9000]

it would make for good practice I would think, but thats about it :P

[tonytoes3895]

no plywood!!!!!!!!!

[slipknotrokin]

maple neck. seriously you want maple its a bit pricey but worth every penny.

and body probaly ash, alder or bass wood

[pietastgood]

Hey I was woundering if you could show how to wire

[wisesatyr72]

Hi, would basswood sound good for a telecaster guitar?

[KreatorOfDeath1985]

alot of lows warm tone weakened highs

[sfx1999]

I've heard poplar is nice for guitar bodies. The only problem is it doesn't stain nicely, so you would probably want to paint it.

[SYFANT]

i heard that too. its also super easy to obtain at lumber places. and home depot

[ZWILD1]

@sfx1999 Poplar is a soft wood. Screws would pull out easily (i.e., the bridge, the pickups, strap buttons and bolt-on necks), obtaining guitar width lumber would be nearly impossible, it tends to crack as it dries and is not very dimensionally stable. It might work in thin plys as the top of an acoustic guitar but would be terrible for a solid-body electric. It's cheap for a reason.

[Son2G]

btw... thepaashaas... you're dumb like no one... i guess that guy knows a bit more about wood than you...

[thepaashaas]

True, there is lite mahogany, but the neck is a standard from DR.PARTS they don't actually sell mahogany necks. Then again, what do i know, i'm only a exclusive guitar builder, and a welder and i'm not a wood expert, sorry for the confusement

[29396]

lol he kinda looks like eric clapton

[Son2G]

yeah... somethin between eric clapton and george lucas... lmao... :D :D :D cool guy anyways...

[guitardork1]

Not all mahogany is dark, Dumbass.

[geoff1121]

@guitardork1 hes just trying to help, give him some slack

[tools2100]

@guitardork1 dude shut the hell yup ur lucky hes showing us this

[thepaashaas]

that neck is not mahogony, my guitar is mahogany, and it's dark wood, that neck is made out of maple, so called 'expert'

[gibshall]

dude........your an idiot

staining makes mahogany dark

mahogany looks like that in its natural state

[MilitantOldLady]

Mahagony has many different species of tree...including Aghatis...hell, the Mahagony tree itself has like 6 sub species which are all different colour

so he wasnt that wrong

[tragictravistie]

he forgot to mention the midrange quirks of swamp ash

[mouly0]

Pope

[loveformetal1]

Building a guitar is an amazing experience. I would suggest to anybody who both enjoys making music and working with wood to give it a go. The craftsmanship that building an acoustic demands surpasses any old common bookshelf.

Join a nice shop class at your local Community college and give it a try! Very fun.

Ukulele's are fun too!

[PanterA014]

lol samw with deans most hamers. gibsons andf some esp's lol the "good" guitars have mahogany necks

[elsnubbo]

How is that neck mahogany?.. looks like maple. Also, most guitars are not mahogany.. most strats are alder, teles are ash, les pauls (gibsons in general) are mahogany..

[fbiguitarz]

I meant most guitars to include acoustic. I agree that most bolt-ons are of other woods. This neck is mahogany, it just looks light w/o finish.

[cgcgames]

well all i can say is that you are an expert and you have helped me decide what to do when im going to make my guitar (im 14 years old and im going t make a flying v)