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Hi guys. I was wondering if any of you have ever used formica to build your bodies? My wife bought a handmade guitar that is made out of formica for me and it sounds great to me. The fellow that made this guitar has been repairing for ever and recently started building in the last few years. This guitar is braced like a regular ss and has an adjustable neck. I have been learning guitar from him for quite a while and even get a few building teachings here and there. The formica is a lot cheaper than good quality tonewood, and should be quite helpful for beginners trying to learn or for those of you trying out a new design. Go to the local cabinet shop and get the top, bottom, and sides for $20. If I figure out how to post pics and sound I will. Just thought I'd share that tid bit and see what you guys thought. Would it be worth trying to save a few dollars building something like that before investing a butt load in nice quailty tonewood or do you think the tones would be totally different?

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Thanks To All:
Lee
Sikeston,Mo.

I've used Formica brand HPL for laminated tops and backs on solid body guitars off and on since 1995, and also for fingerboards. Martin licensed a patent on what you propose and has made skajillions of HPL acoustics...which sound surprisingly good...since about 2001 or so. Bear in mind that if Martin had to license the patent, there may be issues...

You can build a guitar like object out of most anything, including a cigar box, masonite, particle board, and yes, formica.

but why would you want to?

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Reguards,

Ken H

but why would you want to? [/quote]

Well, the cost could be an issue for some and if they sound decent it could be better than spending butt loads on nice wood for the beginner trying to learn and for those who want to try something different your not to sure of.

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Thanks To All:
Lee
Sikeston,Mo.

That's very interesting for sure, though I'd never do it as it just looks and sounds cheap to me. Reminds me of "wood paneling" for the walls in the 70's-80's.

Cost should not be much of a factor when thinking about building a guitar from scratch. There are tools, and consumables that will cost at least as much as a decent set of mahogany from grizzly ($36) and a AA sitka top ($15-20) so for about $60 you can have good wood that will produce a better sounding guitar than the formica will and honestly for about $200 you could have everything you need from Grizzly for a decent solid wood guitar, tuners, truss rod, neck, fretboard, bridge etc... Just throwing that out there.

I just kind of think if you're going to invest the time it takes to learn how to build a guitar and to build it, at least invest a little bit on decent quality materials.

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"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

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Lower grade spruce soundboard from LMI - $15. Lower grade sapele mahogany back/sides - $30. All perfectly usable tonewood and great prices if you're interested in experimenting and practicing. Surely also a lot easier to work with given the wealth of knowledge that exists out there for these traditional woods.

A set of normal guitar strings will set you back around $10. That to me puts wanting to spend $20 on a guitar body into perspective.

Of course by all means if you're looking to experiment with different materials then go for it, but it doesn't seem to be the way to go if you're just looking to save money.

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Richard
http://www.guitarmaker.com

Lee, check this site for a photo journal of building a uke from Formica.
http://www.leroybeal.net/oddsandends/allthingsuke.html

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A higher purpose for wood.
Rich Smith
Issaquah, WA

Very good points. But does the cheaper grades of wood produce quality tones? I'm very new to this and from playing experience, I have played the cheap made guitars that are made from the low grade woods and they work, but this particular guitar I'm speaking of surpasses any of the low grade guitars I have played. Now this particular guitar I'm speaking of does not compare to the better made guitars that I have which 1 is a quite old Takamine (25yro) rosewood, and a maple Takamine, so I do believe that quality wood does make a difference. But if the lower grade wood will produce quality I would rather go that way. I'm just under the impression that the cheaper made guitars just don't produce due to the cheaper wood or is it because they're slapped together in a factory with no care? Thanks for the input guys.

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Thanks To All:
Lee
Sikeston,Mo.

It's not only the top or back and side wood that produce the tone, rather it's the entire system. Reminds me of the pallet wood guitar Bob Taylor built. It sounded fine as a guitar made from pallet wood. Learn to build the system and than you'll be able to hear the difference between a AA sitka top and a master grade top, maybe!

The thing is those low grade guitars your talking about are slapped together in a factory in China or Tiwain with not much care in the tone that they produce. If it sound's like a guitar to them and they can built it in under 5 hours they'll be succesful (I really don't know if they take 5 hours or not, might be less). A low grade guitar doesn't have much to do with the material used. Heck some of the material they use is down right great but it's just not built for tone, it's built for production.

quality is certainly a relative term. I'm sure there are guys here who would be able to make a better sounding guitar out of particle board and soapstone when compared to other's who use the highest quality and priced tone woods out there. It's not about the wood, it's about who's building with the wood.

But.... yes the woods previously mentioned (lower valued woods) will produce a quality tone if the system is built well.

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"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

Thanks Rod for the advice and knowledge. So I'm taking it then , there is not much of a difference in the way the wood will sound if made right. Only difference will be in the looks of the wood. I do believe I'll check into cheaper grades to start out with. Sounds like the better direction to take.

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Thanks To All:
Lee
Sikeston,Mo.

How many of you have actually played any of the Martins made out of HPL? Either the HPL topped ones or the spruce topped ones? For the price, they're pretty damned good...and you ought to see how they make em!

I agree, Ken, except if it were the old boomerang pattern!

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Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

Lee, another consideration is the woods that Rod and Dave White spoke of will not only be fairly inexpensive but could prove easier to work with than formica. Also if you are considering getting into this as a hobby...wood might be the better way to go to learn your chops.

Rick I have played the laminate Martin you mentioned. A friend has one. It has a spruce top from a tree with a really wild growth pattern, tons of run out with synthetic sides and back. The neck looks like it was laminated together from a zillion thin pieces of wood. He uses it for camping and travelling. It played and sounded just fine to me.

Lee, which ever way you decide to go. Have fun and enjoy!

Humm???? (we need a scratching my head emoticon) the thought process of using Formica as a learning wood for newbie has some advantages and flaws. Some have pointed out the advantages so I will mention a flaw in terms as a learning material.

It has such vastly different working properties than natural tonewood that working with it would seem to me to teach very little if any thing about dealing with the workability of natural tonewoods from dimensioning/ shaping to gluing and finishing all process would be different in one way or an other.

As I see it the "lower grade" tonewoods are graded lower mostly because of cosmetic flaws and defects. The mahogany is still mahogany but may be cheaper because of a few mineral stains. The lower grade spruce often has less lines per inch than the high grade. Have you ever seen some of the coveted prewar Martins? Some are very wide grained. Much of the grading/pricing comes down to aesthetics.