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What the heck, there might be a few of you that have not seen this on other sites. Started building this for a contest but I realized when my resonator guitar didn't even place in their last contest (it seemed to be an ugly duckling, no sharp corners) I would be working myself up in a frenzy for nothing. Not to say this build is not worth doing but at least I can take a more leisurely pace. Anyway, make an instrument using a 2x4. As luck had it I chanced upon a killer 2x4 a month or two earlier, reasonably straight grain, quartered and only a few small knots.



Did some measurements, sort of figured out how to get the best yeild, cut the stud in tw and started resawing.



So a back and top, sides and a stick for the neck and assorted bits.



Tried to do a cutaway, too thick and I think it was bent too dry.



Went for a non-cutaway, good thing the sides were long.



Joined the sides.



Sides with top and rosette.

Divied up the remaining wood. Scarf joint and stacked heel. Linings, afterward realized I was a couple inches short on my X braces, should have used the length I had available here. Oh well, had a couple of extras laying around.


Needed some kerfs.



Linings in and neck built up.



Back.



Top.



Truss rod and neck slot done as well as bridge. Jatoba for the bridge and fretboard.



Dowel in the heel.



Backlog of bodies to cut the binding channel. Might as well do them while I have it set up.



Only bound three though, walnut for this guitar.



Shaped the headstock.



That's all for now folks.

You can find quartered stock much easier if you sort through the 2x10 and 2x12 bins. The odd time you might find a board that is centre cut from the log. Run out is another matter.

Alex

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

That looks great, what fun!

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

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

That is a most interesting build !!!

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

Yeah, easier to get workable wood from the larger pieces of lumber. The only reason to do it from a 2x4 is to show it is possible. Can't wait to get back to it. It has a very responsive tap tone. Good or bad?

That's a cool build, Fred! Something from literally nothing!

Alex

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

Cool project! Make sure that you bring it with you when you come visit. I'll show you the nearly clear Spruce 2 x 12 x 16' that I scored from HD last fall. Canoe maker's gold. I always scour the spruce racks just in case.

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Expectation is the source of all misery; comparison the thief of joy.
http://redrivercanoe.ca/

I've been watching this over on AGF. It's coming along real nicely.

I could imagine how you felt when you saw that one Doug. Hope your building up a storm canoe wise, also that you are having a mosquito free season so far, been pretty good so far in the city.

I have a few 2x6's and a 2x10 I might build with but this 2x4 probably will satisfy my construction timber fetish. At least for a time. It will be nice having a full size guitar built out of a softwood to see how it behaves. The back is pretty normal in that the tap tone seems to be about double the top. Funny that it is not much different than a hardwood in that respect. After I get the current bunch of guitars built I plan to rig up an experimental guitar or two hopefully to find out how these things tick. (Along with building a couple of amps, maybe practicing some, oh yeah the house renovations.)

The mosquitoes just started coming out last night, but just the odd one so far. Its been pretty dry so I'm enjoying it while it lasts! I have five new canoes on order for this season, and three restorations. I'm in the middle of number four. I did cull some particularly nice cedar out of the rib and planking stock and cut up about 20 tops. I couldn't bear to see so much perfect tone wood not becoming tonewood. Only 6" wide, though, so wings will need to be slip joined for the lower bout. Easy-peasy, but for about $3/ top it was a no brainer! I have no need for them right now, but we all know how WAS goes down.

That big spruce piece, yeah, I was pretty excited! That will be perfect for gunnels. The whole piece cost about $33, if I were to have special ordered a piece like that, say of Sitka, it would have cost about 10X that! No way. I collect 2x4, 2x6, and 2x8 clear spruce when I find it, and stockpile it. Its great for oars and such. My stock is small but growing.

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Expectation is the source of all misery; comparison the thief of joy.
http://redrivercanoe.ca/

Cool Guitar!
It may be a harbinger of things to come. At the rate the old growth forests are disappearing future luthiers may have to scrounge old 2X4's to find good tone wood.

What a great project! I am tired of hearing about Guitars built from Unobtainium wood. I was intrigued by Taylor's pallet wood guitar and to see this I will have to try something like it. But being new to guitar building is the neck being made from pine a good idea? Top sides and back from pine it ought to sound good with a hard finish but the neck seems risky. maybe a little home brew torrefication would be in order.

Torrifying pine would make it more easily to dent, it is easy enough as it is. Pine is strong enough, not much down from Spanish Cedar. If you want to build out of non-luthier wood, some stuff I found at Home Depot.



Made a nylon string guitar, neck out of spruce.



The top and back were baked.



The pine neck will be fine, just needs a truss rod.

Well alright! Moving right along! The black tuners look great on this.

_________________
Expectation is the source of all misery; comparison the thief of joy.
http://redrivercanoe.ca/

Oh I hope you don't think this is the 2x4 guitar.

This is a parlor I built a couple of years ago. I wanted to give baked wood a try and I did it as a minimal build. I did a Spanish heel, no rosette, binding, truss rod, cheap online bridge. Two weeks to build and another week to finish. It was suppose to be a throwaway guitar and turned out being the one I pick up the rare times I need to strum a little. The 2x4 is put aside for the moment, I need to finish a guitar I promised to build for a guy at work. The 2x4 might also be getting the same tuners as the above guitar. Sorry for the confusion.

I just came home from Home Depot, needed some hangar bolts to attach the neck of the little guitar that is vexing me. The one's I have are short because I decided to just but the neck on the body without a mortise and tenon. Because I was there I looked at the stacks of wood for anything interesting, I could use some more brace wood. I happened on this piece of wood in a pile of studs. A large knot at the other end about a foot in but otherwise straight grain all the way through. Very light also. If I didn't already have a guitar made of a 2x4 in the works I might make one out of it. Mind you, with the lighter wood it would be more suitable for a nylon stringed guitar. With some open back tuners it would be feather light. Hmmm...



On the 2x4 guitar, or any on that matter, I am having a tough time getting much done. I have the equivalent of tennis elbow in my thumb joint, hard to hold things or even turning a key in a door. My doctor said to try avoid using this hand (along with physio) for the next month or two. You should have seen me sorting wood with one hand at HD. I have the idea some of my affliction might be due to repetitive motions such as resawing wood, sending it through my drum sander (no feed belt) planing, scraping, sanding... , you get the idea. It sucks getting old.

You did buy it, right?

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Expectation is the source of all misery; comparison the thief of joy.
http://redrivercanoe.ca/

You had to ask?

So I went to HD to get some planks to rip up as stickers, going to stash a bunch of wood in the attic. Old habits die hard, looked through the piles again. This time flat sawn so bracing stock. A 2x8 with six feet where the grain is darn straight and then has some runout, no knots on this one.



Now as bit of a downer, went to physio today and was told I need to wear a brace which keeps my thumb in line with my wrist. Can't use my thumb to grab anything. I joked with the physiotherapist, 'So I have to wear this for, say two, three weeks?' He laughed and said more like two three months. So much for building. I would spend the time practicing playing but I can't hold a pick, can't even position my hand well enough for fingerstyle.

I buy wood like that, too! Perfect for oars...and guitar braces.

I'm always on the prowl. Except that I only really consider the first couple of layers.

Sorry to hear about the thumb brace issue. However, this does open up your visiting schedule! Lorette is really close.

_________________
Expectation is the source of all misery; comparison the thief of joy.
http://redrivercanoe.ca/