Members voneville Posted October 13, 2006 Members Share Posted October 13, 2006 I have an antique mahogany headboard from the 50's or 60's for a twin bed that I've been dragging around for about 10 years. I don't think I'll ever use it as a headboard again, so I've been thinking about using it to build a guitar. It's thin though, so I would have to sandwhich it and laminate it (3 ply). Is it worth doing? Will that have an adverse effect on the tonal properties? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chicken Monkey Posted October 13, 2006 Members Share Posted October 13, 2006 You could probably sell it and buy some solid mahogany much more easily. After you bust it up, plane off the finish, and glue it up, you'd have the equivalent of hardwood plywood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bowlingshirt Posted October 13, 2006 Members Share Posted October 13, 2006 You would be better off buying a body blank if you're going to do your own build BUT If this is your first build and you are wanting to get some experience without investing the money, re-using the headboard may not be a bad idea. If this is the case, just try to keep it simple and learn as you go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members chump5150 Posted October 13, 2006 Members Share Posted October 13, 2006 If you end up using the headboard and the guitar's going to be 3-ply, you might want to consider using a different, lighter-colored wood for the middle ply... and doing a trans finish to accentuate the contrast. It could look cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members NITEFLY182 Posted October 13, 2006 Members Share Posted October 13, 2006 I would sell it. A body blank from a supplier should only be about $40-50 bucks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members chump5150 Posted October 13, 2006 Members Share Posted October 13, 2006 Originally posted by NITEFLY182 I would sell it. A body blank from a supplier should only be about $40-50 bucks True, but that body blank won't come with the mojo from a headboard that's at least 50 years old. Who knows how many cherries were popped right next to that headboard? And on a more serious note, there's a good chance the headboard could be Honduran mahogany given its age. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members succubus Posted October 13, 2006 Members Share Posted October 13, 2006 Just nail some wire to it. If you tune it right it'll sound good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members NITEFLY182 Posted October 14, 2006 Members Share Posted October 14, 2006 Originally posted by chump5150 True, but that body blank won't come with the mojo from a headboard that's at least 50 years old. Who knows how many cherries were popped right next to that headboard? And on a more serious note, there's a good chance the headboard could be Honduran mahogany given its age. The bottom line is that it will be a glued together body made from a bunch of pieces of headboard. Any benefit you could get from it being honduran mahogany will be defeated by all the glue and separate pieces of wood that wont resonate equally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members chump5150 Posted October 14, 2006 Members Share Posted October 14, 2006 Originally posted by NITEFLY182 The bottom line is that it will be a glued together body made from a bunch of pieces of headboard. Any benefit you could get from it being honduran mahogany will be defeated by all the glue and separate pieces of wood that wont resonate equally. Do you realize what you're saying? By that logic, PRS and other high-end guitar manufacturers should stop producing guitars with mahogany backs and thick maple tops because they're glued together and don't resonate equally... And here I was, under the delusion that they were doing that to make sweet-looking guitars that combine the tonal qualities of mahogany and maple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarcapo Posted October 15, 2006 Members Share Posted October 15, 2006 I'd be surprized if that headboard was a single piece of solid mahogany. Even in the 50's they laminated a lot of big mahogany pieces. If it IS solid mahogany, it's probably worth 500 bucks as a headboard. Much less than that if you hack it up. Sell the headboard on EBAY. Buy a nice one-piece mahogany body of your choosing from Warmoth. Spend the remaining balance on lap dances at your local strip club. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarcapo Posted October 15, 2006 Members Share Posted October 15, 2006 Speaking of one-piece mahogany guitar bodies, the 60's,salvaging old wood,andEbay...look what I just paid around a hundred bucks for. No Bridge holes! I think I'm going to make a BARITONE Corvette Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members exafro Posted October 16, 2006 Members Share Posted October 16, 2006 Originally posted by chump5150 Do you realize what you're saying? By that logic, PRS and other high-end guitar manufacturers should stop producing guitars with mahogany backs and thick maple tops because they're glued together and don't resonate equally... And here I was, under the delusion that they were doing that to make sweet-looking guitars that combine the tonal qualities of mahogany and maple. Glue doesn't resonate like wood. The more you add, the more resonance you lose. Will it make a huge difference? Probably not, but I would sandwich a different wood in the middle and chamber the body to make it lighter as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members daveski Posted October 16, 2006 Members Share Posted October 16, 2006 Originally posted by guitarcapo I'd be surprized if that headboard was a single piece of solid mahogany. Even in the 50's they laminated a lot of big mahogany pieces. If it IS solid mahogany, it's probably worth 500 bucks as a headboard. Much less than that if you hack it up. Sell the headboard on EBAY.Buy a nice one-piece mahogany body of your choosing from Warmoth. Spend the remaining balance on lap dances at your local strip club. Not only did they laminate mahogany, they also laiminated other cheaper hardwoods and put a mahogany veneer over them, so the insides may not even be mahogany. Check the bottom edges closely to see if it is a veneer top/back, sometimes they would finish the top/sides with hardwood to cover the edges. I spend most of the money on lap-dances, and just get a pre-routed body somewhere. Making tight/accurate/square routs for neck pockets, etc, isn't a job for an amateur. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members chump5150 Posted October 16, 2006 Members Share Posted October 16, 2006 Originally posted by exafro Glue doesn't resonate like wood. The more you add, the more resonance you lose. Will it make a huge difference? Probably not, but I would sandwich a different wood in the middle and chamber the body to make it lighter as well. [/QUOT I know glue won't resonate like wood. I also suggested in an earlier post that he use a different wood for the middle ply, so I agree with you there. Mahogany tends to be heavy, but it doesn't necessarily have to be that way, as owners of some vintage Gibsons know. And the lighter mahogany resonates better. I've never played a vintage Gibson, but I own a Talman style Ibanez PGM900 that's a non-chambered solid-body mahogany guitar... The body is so light it's actually a little neck heavy, the whole guitar weighs just over 6 pounds, and resonates and sustains extremely well. With all that said, I seriously doubt the old headboard will be a choice piece of resonating wood. But with all the speculation about the headboard's construction in this thread, now I'm curious to see what this thing actually looks like. Where has the original poster disappeared to? Post a couple of pics, voneville! Let us know what you end up doing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Doctorx Posted October 17, 2006 Members Share Posted October 17, 2006 I say go ahead and do it. Don't listen to the negativatists. A guitar built from a piece of wood like that would have great mojo, and give you a good story to tell. If you want inspiration and proof that such a thing can be done, just look at Brian May's Red Special, built out of a 100 year old fireplace mantel and motorcycle parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members chump5150 Posted October 17, 2006 Members Share Posted October 17, 2006 Originally posted by Doctorx I say go ahead and do it. Don't listen to the negativatists. A guitar built from a piece of wood like that would have great mojo, and give you a good story to tell. If you want inspiration and proof that such a thing can be done, just look at Brian May's Red Special, built out of a 100 year old fireplace mantel and motorcycle parts. Finally another poster who believes in mojo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.