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Mike

Jay, if you want good, inexpensive cedar, drop Jason Voth a PM, he can't be beat (price that is) and his stuff is top shelf.

Isn't Zellers moto "where the lowest wage is the law, everyday"?

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Home store cedar, in my experience, isn't dry. You can get some really nice wood if you take the time to sort through it, but you'll need to also take the time and proper care to dry it before use. I found an 8/4, quartersawn 6"X8' cedar board at my local Menard's one time. I excitedly grabbed it to check out my good fortune, and my hands came away visibly wet! CarltonM38827.6306597222

Stupid question of the day involves using the cost savings of narrow wood if there is any savings. I know of using multi piece backs (5 pieces is the most I have ever heard of) but can you use more than 2 pieces on a top? Would a multi piece top be strong enough or allow enough vibration? Just a thought I had while reading this post.

Philip

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If you think my playing is bad you should hear me sing!
Practice breeds confidence and confidence breeds competence. Unfortunately, I'm stuck in practice.

[QUOTE=konacat] can you use more than 2 pieces on a top? Would a multi piece top be strong enough or allow enough vibration?[/QUOTE]
Yes to both. Better to have, say, four pieces of good wood than two pieces of junk. A multi-piece top has the potential to sound very good, all things being equal.

[QUOTE=konacat]Would a multi piece top be strong enough or allow enough vibration?[/QUOTE]

It certainly would be strong enough - a good glue joint with a modern white or yellow glue is stronger than the surrounding wood. As to allowing enough vibration, I imagine that's just a matter of how thing you end up making the plate. Though I could imagine the glue lines having some impact on vibrations, I just don't know what impact or how much.

Well, I found Jay's questions to be right up my alley. When I started building, I ordered tonewood from LMI and Allied, but figured there had to be a cheaper way for a newbie, and I found it. So, instead of spending the big bucks on thin slices of expensive tonewood, I bought my wood at a couple of local hardwood vendors. One of them would even resaw it for me for cheap. I used the money I saved to -- of course -- buy tools!

So, using the above resources, here's a typical breakdown for a few guitars I built:

Top (cedar or redwood) $5
Back & Sides (various) $5 to $20
neck + heel & tail blocks (mahogany) $15
fingerboard (ebony from Grant) $15
top bracing (from billet that's enough for 4 guitars) $2
back bracing (offcuts) $0
Bridge, headplate, binding, purfling (offcuts) $0
kerfing/linings/tentellones (offcuts) $0
Rosette (LMI) $15
Fret wire (bought a 100 ft roll) ~$2
Tuners (Schaller) $45
Shellac/alcohol maybe $2
Titebond glue $3

(The above typical guitar is a classical, so no trussrod is required.)

Prices ranged from about $94 to $109.

Best,

Michael

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I have an D style acoustic body here that someone made from a piece of cherry that was re-sawn from a flatsawn board. The top, braces, and kerfing is a bookmatched 4 pc #2 common pine ,also resawed. It has been intact in a dry room for 5-6 years.
Don't overlook Ebay for tuners. You can get some decent used ones for cheap as well as some foreign imports for very little cash. 30-40 dollars for tuners is 1/3 your budget.
Marty Marty M.38828.6929976852

I wouldn't skimp on tuners when you can get Gotohs for under 30 dollars, honestly. The likelihood of the cheaper machines crapping out on you, and the replacement costs involved, make it a lose-lose proposition.

The key is to buy inexpensive stuff, not cheap stuff.

From Thesaurus.com:

Main Entry:   inexpensive
Part of Speech:   adjective
Definition:   cheap
Synonyms:   bargain, budget, buy, cheap, cheapie, cost nothing, cut-rate, dirt-cheap, dog cheap, economical, el cheapo, half-price, low, low-cost, low-priced, marked down, modest, nominal, popular, popularly priced, real buy, real steal, reasonable, reduced, steal, thrifty, uncostly, undear

I see you agree with me Mattia :-).

I guess I'm thinking something like Mitey Mite... cast tuners, but a notch lower than Gotoh. You can find these on Ebay for 15 dollars or so. When the budget allows then you can get something top notch if it is even necessary.
Marty

[QUOTE=Mattia Valente] Huh. I was sure I answered the 'where you get dem things so cheap then?' question, but apparently not: hardwoods from Spain (Madinter or Maderas Barber), tops from Italy (Rivolta...although Madinter have lovely, lovely WRC). Doesn't help people on the other side of the atlantic, but it's worth pointing out there are some great suppliers on this side as well.[/QUOTE] Actually, my last wood purchase was from Rivolta. 10 spruce tops, best grade, cost about $48US per top after you include shipping. Compare that to the 100+ that stateside suppliers will charge for a single top before shipping. As long as you can afford to buy in bulk, and are willing to throw the dice (a lot easier to reject and return stuff when ording from the states), it's a great option.

Heck, buy 10 sets, put 9 of them on ebay, and use the profits to buy the rest of your guitar components. You could even afford to splash out on a rosette. :)

p.s. I'm not sure why people are talking about the costs of binding. You cut the bindings off the sides before you thin them. Free. Depending on your skills, you could also make purfling from the side cutoffs and neck cutoffs. You can make a rosette from the back cutoffs. So that gives you a rosette, binding, and purfling, all free.

Of course we are magically assuming a binding cutter is available to you for free, so I'm not sure I get the point of this exercise.

[QUOTE=rlabbe] p.s. I'm not sure why people are talking about the costs
of binding. You cut the bindings off the sides before you thin them. Free.
Depending on your skills, you could also make purfling from the side
cutoffs and neck cutoffs. You can make a rosette from the back cutoffs.
So that gives you a rosette, binding, and purfling, all free.[/QUOTE]

I read that and then today in the shop I got out a un-thinned practice side
I have and cut four nice pieces of binding. I also cut a piece off one of a
thinner practice side, bent it, and used it for a rosette. Don't need no
stinkin' purfling, so I think I'm all set! I think I might dye or stain the
binding to make it a little distinguished from the back and sides. Good
idea Roger!

Jay