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This suggestion is for saving money on wood. I have looked around the net at various wood suppliers who offer material for electrics and I have found the prices prohibitively expensive. I understand why on account someone has done the work already of hand selecting. But, if you know what you are looking for you can visit the various cabinet shops around the area. I have worked in numerous small 4 to 5 man shops and larger and all of them will allow people to come in off the street and purchase a small amount of wood, even allowing the customer to hand select, and charging very reasonable compensation. It is very possible that what you need could be considered scrap clutter and you can get it for free. I've seen it happen many times. 4/4 and 5/4 will be most commonly found and 8/4 is fairly common, too.
With a little patience and vigilance one can save quite a bit on that solid body or neck. Check the same shops every few weeks and/or develop friendships with the managers or shop foremen, letting them know what you need, and they will think of you when they see it.
Also, many shops will offer services such as thicknessing by planner and/or sander.

Even better is to find a Hardwood supplier in your area that specializes in high quality hardwoods for cabinet shops and furniture makers. Try looking in your Yellow Pages under "Hardwoods". We have several in Houston that sell lots of domestic and imported hardwoods in unsurfaced sizes of 4/4, 5/4, 6/4 and sometimes even 8/4. These places often carry high quality plywoods like Baltic Birch too at wholesale prices.

or find a major shopfitter that only tenders for jobs over £2,000,000.

SERIOUS hotels, bank chains etc.

then go scrounging.

that's what I do!!

All my walnut & cherry comes from their dumpster.

I have three church pews waiting to be sawn up too.......

I've used a EIR coffee table for bridges.......

and my main electric used to be the mahogany bar top in the social club attached to my local power station!!

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You could always use plywood. It's fairly cheap, and as long as you use a primer before paint, it comes out fine. Epiphone uses plywood for the less expensive models. I'm building two SG's a Les Paul, and a Strat out of plywood, having already finished one SG and having it turn out great. I spent some of the money I saved buying Plywood by paying for some quality maple for the neck. The plywood works great for budget builds.

Just wondering has anyone built an electric body out of MDF. Wonder if any major manufacturers are doing this on cheap guitars?

Around here, plywood ain't really cheap. My local hardwood places do khaya and sipo mahogany, ash, poplar pretty cheap, less than ply. Cost of wood for a body and a neck would be maybe 30-40 bucks, tops.

I think maybe they mean home building grade plywood which is pretty cheap in the U.S. I agree that the hardwood grades can be more expensive then real wood sometime.

I haven't built out of MDF, but I've rigged up a dano copy out of pine and masonite.
LOL you should see the PVC sewer pipe bass I'm workin on.(well,when its finished you will)

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Anything too stupid to be said is sung. -Voltaire

I bought all my wood for my current built, 3600mm x 150mm x 20mm (more or less) Maple plank, 930mm x 310mm x 45mm African Mahogany block and a Imbuia piece, not sure of the dimensions, all for about $50US from a timber merchant.

I found a guy in my town that cuts wood and trucks it for a living. He's getting pretty old now but he cut a bunch of ash and I'll be able to make an entire body for only $9.00. He's even letting me mill it so I can cut it however I want. I will still have a lot more work than going to buy the finished lumber from a cabinet shop but for now where I wont be building as a full time occupation its worth my while.

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" Blues is a low down achin chill, if you ain't never had it, I hope you never will."

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Hello All

Christo i am also in South Africa and live in Delmas and have cnc facilities at my woodworking factory, if you need any.

I started building guitars back in the UK where i was brought up and know have the urge to start again, i have a few projects that where started about ten years ago here in SA so i will post and pics of the final guitars when they are finished.

Jeremy