Official Luthiers Forum!

As an experiment in the spirit of Benedetto's Pine Archtop and Taylor's pallet
guitars, I recently constructed a solid body electric guitar made entirely out
of a Home Depot 2x10. Everything that is wood is made from that Home
Depot 2.x10 including the fretboard and the truss rod cover. Everything
about the build of the instrument was done as if it was the finest wood
available, so the instrument has semi-hemispherical frets, pearl inlay logo
(in Pine), etc. It sounds suprisingly good and is light as a feather. Check it
out at my website under "What's New" or in the "Gallery".

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Sylvan
http://www.wellsguitars.com

Outstanding!!!

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Jim Howell
Charlotte, NC

Very cool!!!

Long

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"No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man.” -Heraclitus of Ephesus

Sylvan,
You are amazing!

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Dave Bland

remember...

"If it doesn't play in tune...it's just pretty wood"

Now that is truly cool. Beautiful, too.

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Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

Awesome guitar!

I was going to ask how you planned on keeping the neck straight until I saw that you used carbon fiber in the neck. It would be interesting to see how this guitar holds up over time.

Great Job!

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Reguards,

Ken H

Nifty! An excellent experiment and great inspiration. My local HD stocks some nice clear 1x pine, and the Menard's usually has some 1x cherry, maple, oak and sometimes walnut. Kind of makes a guy think he could build a really nice electric for under a hundred bucks, instead of spending it all on one slab of mahogany or swamp ash.

That made my day Sylvan!
Best, Evan

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http://www.NewYorkGuitarRepair.com

Sylvan, cool guitar.
I'm guessing that the fret board is also pine?
Did you try to "harden" it with CA or any other type treatment? How do you suppose that will stand up to wear?

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

Steve -
The pine fretboard was treated with superglue before fretting. I have no idea
how it will hod up over time but that really was not the point. I wanted to
see if it could be done and would it sound and play well. The answer
suprised me - it sounds great (good sustain) and plays just as well as my
other creations. I think that if I stil played out I would play this guitar. So I
am very pleased with this "experiment".

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Sylvan
http://www.wellsguitars.com

That is awesome Sylvan! I really like what you did with a single 2x10 !Even the fretboard. Wow ! Beautiful Work!
You always amaze me.

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Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

Yeah, and cigarette burns (if you played in bars) would match the knot patterns perfectly!   

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

Love it, Sylvan!   

I assume you are aware of Torres' cardboard (sometimes referred to as "papier-mache") guitar. It has been recently restored to playable condition, and used in a recording that accompanies a fantastic book on historical guitars. The book is, most unfortunately, out of print (though I managed to find a copy on an Italian book store's web site - it was published in Italy; cost me over $100, worth every penny!), but a 2 CD version of the music that was recorded on a variety of these old guitars is still available. It's by Stefano Grondona and it's called Lo Cant Dels Aucells. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (even if you think classical guitar music may not be your favorite thing)!!! Anyway, the recording of this cardboard guitar (with spruce top) will blow your mind. It sounds phenomenal!

When will Joe Public ever wake up to the myth of "tone woods"?* I guess there's so much more being said and done to perpetuate the myth than to debunk it, as your experiment has, once again, done so powerfully.

*I don't mean to deny that there are good reasons to make various choices of woods for various purposes in guitar making, but it has been so clearly demonstrated so many times that GREAT instruments can be built from a vast array of "alternative" materials. It's really kind of funny that people still think that it HAS to be BRW, or it HAS to be ebony, mahogany, or maple... or whatever they think or have been told...

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Todd Rose
Ithaca, NY

https://www.dreamingrosesecobnb.com/todds-art-music

https://www.facebook.com/ToddRoseGuitars/

Sylvan,

I’ve had the feeling for some time now, that just about any kind of wood can be used for building
guitars, as long as, (as you say) they are built properly! And, its obvious you have done just that!

I’m assuming that is Southern Yellow Pine? If so, I’m not surprised of it’s sustaining quality.
Though SYP is considered a soft wood, it is very stiff and, very strong! And, I can tell you, that it
only gets stiffer over time. Other than having to maintain the fretboard, (if played a lot) I would
think, that it will hold up quite well.

Outstanding job!

BTW, I love SYP under a clear finish!

Robert

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Everything has beauty, But, not everyone see's it!

Sylvan, that is AWESOME. I love it.

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Mike

"The Dude abides. I don't know about you but I take comfort in that. It's good knowin' he's out there. The Dude. Takin' 'er easy for all us sinners. Shoosh." The Stranger

Thanks Sylvan, inspiring build. Was that white pine, yellow pine or plain ol' brazilian pine?   

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http://www.dickeyguitars.com

Bruce -
That is a plain old Home Depot pine (whatever that is)!

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Sylvan
http://www.wellsguitars.com

Thats awesome - and really looks a treat -
well ppl talk about a entry level guitars, but thats a joy for something made of such poor materials - and just goes to show you, perhaps its more the craft involved, than the materials?!?!?!
Cheers
Charliewood

wow!!! Very cool!
Good job!

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Peter M.
Cornerstone Guitars
http://www.cornerstoneukes.com