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I've been looking around for a place to start my Tele project; primarily I've been looking at complete cheap copies, but I also checked eBay for bodies and came across several being offered in quot;Red Pinus.quot; I can't recall ever having sen or heard a guitar made of pine before. Is it possible that this soft, sappy wood could make a decent guitar?

Gee I wouldn't think so, the more common name is Norway Pine, and my take is that if it was good for making guitars, don't you think that major manufactures would be using it? It's a real common wood. But pine is so resinious, I don't think that you could ever get it dried enough to use without warpage. Besides, it would probably sound very dark, and not have any ring to it.

I'm going to to agree with Marvar and say pine is not a good choice for making guitars.Pine is not hard or dense enough to give you sound or tone.

However, remember that the first Telecaster prototype was made of pine.


Originally Posted by The Golden BoyHowever, remember that the first Telecaster prototype was made of pine.

Yes, but also remember that Leo was not a guitar player himself, he was an engineer, and had that sort of mentality,and I don't mean that in a bad way, engineers just usually look at the bottom line.

And even from an engineering standpoint he quickly realized that it was a bad idea

To understate it a bit, STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM PINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I installed a 'bucker in a friend's shop class project, and it was AWFUL. It was so soft I used a screwdriver and my bare hand to widen the single coil slot for the 'bucker.

I don't think pine is strong enough to handle the long term abuse a guitar undergoes, either.

It's too bad. Pine is dirt cheap compared to most other woods.


Originally Posted by JB_From_Hellt was so soft I used a screwdriver and my bare hand to widen the single coil slot for the 'bucker.

ouch..

Maybe I should just buy a chunk of wood (not pine)...I've got a Tele I could use to make a tracing. It's a simple shape; can't be THAT hard to cut. The routing would present more of a problem, though, since I'm inexperienced there.

There are a few online companies that sell blocks of various tone woods for use in guitar crafting. Although, for your first shot at it, it might not be a bad idea to try making it out of pine (not building the whole guitar but just trying to make a body) to see what problems you might run into. That way if you mess something up you didn't just mess up an expensive block of Mahogany or other. Just remember that the pine is softer and easier to work with.


Originally Posted by JacksonMIAThere are a few online companies that sell blocks of various tone woods for use in guitar crafting. Although, for your first shot at it, it might not be a bad idea to try making it out of pine (not building the whole guitar but just trying to make a body) to see what problems you might run into. That way if you mess something up you didn't just mess up an expensive block of Mahogany or other. Just remember that the pine is softer and easier to work with.

Not a bad idea!

From a $$ perspective, I'm having a hard time coming up with any building or piecing options that beat that $109 SX Tele that Rondo has. I haven't played an SX before, but I've read good things and I know that I've been VERY pleased with the Agile LP I bought from them.


Originally Posted by St_GenesiusFrom a $$ perspective, I'm having a hard time coming up with any building or piecing options that beat that $109 SX Tele that Rondo has. I haven't played an SX before, but I've read good things and I know that I've been VERY pleased with the Agile LP I bought from them.

If you're looking to save money, then building a guitar yourself is not the way to go. Do it if you want the experience and sense of accomplishment that comes from building things yourself, but if all you're trying to do is save money, then don't bother.

Maybe a good compromise would be to buy a cheapo guitar that uses real hardwood and mod it to your heart's content.


Originally Posted by ratherdashingIf you're looking to save money, then building a guitar yourself is not the way to go. Do it if you want the experience and sense of accomplishment that comes from building things yourself, but if all you're trying to do is save money, then don't bother.

Maybe a good compromise would be to buy a cheapo guitar that uses real hardwood and mod it to your heart's content.

Excellent advice.

That was the original plan. i just got a little sidetracked with looking at some other options.Originally Posted by ratherdashingMaybe a good compromise would be to buy a cheapo guitar that uses real hardwood and mod it to your heart's content.

Originally Posted by JB_From_HellI installed a 'bucker in a friend's shop class project, and it was AWFUL. It was so soft I used a screwdriver and my bare hand to widen the single coil slot for the 'bucker.

I used a sharpened screwdriver and a hammer to rout out holes in a Gibson EB-0 made of mahogany.

I was 15. It made sense at the time. The bass was a basket case by then anyway...

I'll second the SX Tele as a great starting point for a project.

As a guitar, its put together quite well, and the neck feels good to me. So you're off to a great start, if all you want to do is really add new pups, switch, and pots. The finish is good, more than you should expect from a $109 guitar. I personally chose the sunburst, as the blond version looked a little too yellow for my own tastes when I saw it in the Rondo store.

As far as pupgrades go, even though there's the traditional chrome covered neckpup as stock issue, the body is already routed under the pickguard for a humbucker in the neck, so if that's your fancy, you can add the bucker with the mere purchase of a new pickguard. That was a wonderful surprise, which I soon took advantage of.

The hardware on the SX was decent enough. The tuners work fine, and the bridge adjustments were easy to intonate with accuracy. All the metal parts are clearly lower grade, softer metal than american parts, but for now they work and I didn't see a need to rush out and upgrade them until required. (Those string trees on the headstock seem really soft and will probably be the first things to fail one day). Some folks might want to upgrade the bridge plate and saddles right away, but as I said, they were more than acceptable and the axe feels great.