Members intothevoid Posted October 7, 2013 Members Share Posted October 7, 2013 Just a quickie that I thought of. My very first guitar (a Behringer Strat copy) was made of plywood, which I hear varying reports on the quality of. Anyway one thing I had always noticed was that it was -really- heavy. My mahogany SG is half as heavy for example. Is this normal with plywood? Looks similar to this: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/jwells393/PlywoodBody.jpg It's just a curiosity and I couldn't find anything through google. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lonnie99 Posted October 7, 2013 Members Share Posted October 7, 2013 Yes. Ply is generally heavier. I believe it's the glue myself, but that's certainly not scientific. My only guitar at the moment is an old ply Lotus Strat. Heavy as heck but I love it. Super resonant unplugged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kayd_mon Posted October 7, 2013 Members Share Posted October 7, 2013 Particle board is heavy as hell because of all the glue, if I'm not mistaken. The same must be true for plywood guitars. Solid mahogany guitars can be ridiculously heavy, too - how many pieces are Agile LPs? Those things are generally very heavy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members thewthrman Posted October 7, 2013 Members Share Posted October 7, 2013 I built a guitar body and for my rough draft I made it out of plywood. it was heavy as heck. I ended up routing it out and making it sort of like a wildkat. A hollow body that is routed and not bent wood. I have another old strat copy that is plywood and it is really resonant, too for some reason. it is a saga strat kit from the early 80s or maybe 70s. I don't have prejudice about plywood. the biggest bummer is that the strap button screws pull out too easlily. I used drywall screws to replace them so they wouldn't strip out anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chordite Posted October 10, 2013 Members Share Posted October 10, 2013 Not sure what plywood is used but if I were building one I would use Aicraft or Marine grade ply to 'avoid voids' I reckon the cross graining of ply is what gives it resonance, what ever direction vibrations are moving there is 'longways' grain to carry it. On the glue issue it is Interesting that fiberlass resin xylophones are louder than wooden ones, so maybe resin glue is good stuff accoustically? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Alexilaiho Posted October 10, 2013 Members Share Posted October 10, 2013 The best plywood to use for guitars is spalted burch because of the way it's made, vacuumed together to prevent voids and air pockets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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