In my younger days (ahem!) I did some experimentation designing transistor pre-amps that could be fitted inside guitar bodies. This was before any such things became commercially available. I remember the solid mahogany guitar bodies were really difficult to gouge out cavities to take electronics and particularly batteries. I have no experience with basswood - how does it compare to mahogany for woodworking?

Even Les Paul customs were made with Mahogany so its a good wood but not fun as Bos says to start cutting out as its like shredding celery.. If its a beater guitar, I'd choose one that plays nice and stays in tunes. Even buy a used one for that matter. Why buy new for a beater guitar. Being said, electrics and the wood they are made out of is way less a concern for sound in comparison to an acoustic.

any guitar in that price range is a crap shoot. Play it before you have to live with it.

Boswell, post: 457825, member: 29034 wrote: In my younger days (ahem!) I did some experimentation designing transistor pre-amps that could be fitted inside guitar bodies. This was before any such things became commercially available. I remember the solid mahogany guitar bodies were really difficult to gouge out cavities to take electronics and particularly batteries. I have no experience with basswood - how does it compare to mahogany for woodworking?

perhaps i can carry the torch of innovation... i lack technical prowess, but bleed imagination. good call on mahogany as car as wood working. i haven't done any sort of work on guitars, or fine woodworking to speak of, so wouldn't know the difference. i know its a lighter weight wood, and i did chip my Hammer trying to pry the back cover off when i first got it. it seems to have the consistency of pine from my extremely limited experience. my buddy owns a guitar shop, and is a 20+ year luthier, i will have to give him a ring and see what he says.

audiokid, post: 457834, member: 1 wrote: Even Les Paul customs were made with Mahogany so its a good wood but not fun as Bos says to start cutting out as its like shredding celery.. If its a beater guitar, I'd choose one that plays nice and stays in tunes. Even buy a used one for that matter. Why buy new for a beater guitar. Being said, electrics and the wood they are made out of is way less a concern for sound in comparison to an acoustic.

true story. tuners are the first thing i swap in on budget guitars, and even expensive ones. to me its about feel. even tonewoods are graded by appearance, so there's no guarantees even with expensive guitars, as far as the feel and tone. you get better hardware. ive played 300$ strats at the store, and the sound flew off the thing, where the American one's weren't even close.

2 reasons for new- i want something (quasi) repeatable as im scoping out entry level guitars for my (charity) foundation. idea being i find a decent beginner guitar, and swap in good tuners, trem, straplocks, pickups, and a good cord, myself as part of my personal contribution. ive never like the fact that people learning have to put up with BS a a seasoned vet could barely work around. i think its a deterrent.

the hardest part of the equation so far is finding a decent amp within a reasonable price range. im aiming at the $5-600 price point and two give away's a year to start out. i may end up just including an ipad, or laptop with an amp sim and daw instead of an amp. its probably more kid friendly anyway.

reason 2, is my back injury has left me housebound for the time being, due to an embarrassing and messy new symptom thats creeped up. so i will just take advantage of the return policy if the guitar sucks. i may not get the option to find the magic one, but at least i wont have to keep a lemon. i feel experienced enough to tell. lol besides, if in like it too much, i wont wanna cut it open to install a trackball for wireless daw control.

new vs used- i have had horrible experiences with used gear. and good experiences new. financially, a 30% loss balances my 30% profit (when applicable) leaving me right where i need to be, @ Zero. no taxes paid. no benefits cut. My business model is based on asset management and acquisition, and cash flow. Think real estate business. due to my disability insurance, and American taxes (theft?) i cant afford to make much of a profit. that can change when i go incorporated, but regardless, im generally sticking with a Non-Profit business model because the tax benefits outweigh anything i would ever be able to earn with a traditional profit incentive model. right now, none of it is official, its just me buying stuff/getting gifts, but im practicing the methods, and paperwork, in anticipation of an official launch in 2020.

audiokid, post: 457835, member: 1 wrote: any guitar in that price range is a crap shoot. Play it before you have to live with it.

i agree wholeheartedly. especially for guitars, and acoustic instruments. in any price range for that matter.

that black basswood Jasckson is the one my gut keeps directing me at, ill probably start with that one unless i find good reason otherwise. the trem is the only part i dont like. id prefer a fixed, or full floyd. but modding is what this is partly about right? ill probably invest in a nice chisel, and sharpening stone, instead of a router and guide. cant be thaaaaaat different from a a door hinge mortise right? riiiiight. lol

Right near the end of my chopping chunks out of guitar bodies (we're talking early '60s here) I found a relatively local wordworking shop that had a vertical end mill. That one machine transformed the process - it could remove up to about 3/4 body thickness material of almost any area and shape. It helped that the shop owner was a hobby guitarist and had an interest in what a crazy teenager was up to.

Boswell, post: 457863, member: 29034 wrote: Right near the end of my chopping chunks out of guitar bodies (we're talking early '60s here) I found a relatively local wordworking shop that had a vertical end mill. That one machine transformed the process - it could remove up to about 3/4 body thickness material of almost any area and shape. It helped that the shop owner was a hobby guitarist and had an interest in what a crazy teenager was up to.

thats really cool. i had a CNC machine in mind for a guitar i want to make for my cousin, my friend has access to one. He's a huge fan of the "Preditor" movies series, and collects the action figures. i wanted to make him a themed guitar aptly named "the Pred-i-tar", with some complex 3d CAD nods to the movie. Perhaps ill search ask around to find a vertical end mill around my area, it might save me some headaches and nicks and cuts.

thanks Boz.

kmetal, post: 457889, member: 37533 wrote: thats really cool. i had a CNC machine in mind for a guitar i want to make for my cousin, my friend has access to one. He's a huge fan of the "Preditor" movies series, and collects the action figures. i wanted to make him a themed guitar aptly named "the Pred-i-tar", with some complex 3d CAD nods to the movie. Perhaps ill search ask around to find a vertical end mill around my area, it might save me some headaches and nicks and cuts.

Things have changed a bit in the machine tool market in the last 50 years or so. CNC is now popular and reasonably affordable, but the lowest-cost mills are the manual feed ones (e.g. the Clarke CMD10). If you have access to a mill, you could offer to bring your own router bits, since the fluting is different from that on metalworking mills.

'">Here is a YT crash-course video on end milling in metal on a CNC machine, but the section from about 1:42 - 2:02 is also relevant to making pockets in wood.

fantastic. that Clarke CMD10 would make a great addition to my tool collection. i have a small (10x12) garden shed i was going to use as a woodshop here while im at a rental property. Between my high end (makita) miter saw, and a micro milling machine, i'd have some major bases covered, it seems for basic fabrication. having the ability to mill metal would sure come in handy for custom knobs, and electronics based projects. The YT vid inspired some ideas, like a glow in the dark edge binding for the "pred-i-tar". I didnt know micro mills even existed!! Thanks again.

Ive had a Squire basswood guitar . The basswood was so damn soft , too soft IMHo . I wouldn't trust that the neck /body joint
would be secure enough over time . As for tone , I suspect without the heavy nitro finish , it would be void ...lol
The strings twanged and it had no balls in my opinion. ( talking about a clean tone here ),

Smashh, post: 457950, member: 45856 wrote: Ive had a Squire basswood guitar . The basswood was so damn soft , too soft IMHo . I wouldn't trust that the neck /body joint
would be secure enough over time . As for tone , I suspect without the heavy nitro finish , it would be void ...lol
The strings twanged and it had no balls in my opinion. ( talking about a clean tone here ),

good to know. a squier/strat without spank is no bueno. Crossed that one off the list. I noticed that the most expensive (3Kish) Jackson soloist is made of Alder, like a strat. its interesting because thats the only model in the line made of alder. it must be something about the note definition available. Thanks man.