Official Luthiers Forum!

Hey everyone,

I'm new to the forum. I have been looking around for about an hour and really like the guitars I've seen and everyone seems as helpful as possible. I've repaired some guitars in the past but am new to complete builds.

I was wondering what are some good places to buy good affordable Basswood, Ash and Alder blanks?

Sam

Ebay probably. You can find cheap body blanks. The only thing is you don't know the quality til it gets there.

If you want reliably top notch quality, lmii.com is a good source, but you'll pay more and they might not have basswood.

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http://www.tinyhouseandland.com

Don't forget to check with the sponsors here. I know some of them sell body blanks.

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Jim Hansen

If you know what you're looking for, find a local hardwood store and make your own body blanks. You'll save a lot of money that way.

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David Morris

Thanks for the advice guys. the body I'm working on right now I got the blank from ebay, and the price wasn't bad I just don't like paying almost as much for shipping as I do for an item ha. I will call around to stores in my area, that sounds like it could be the best way for me.

yup, local lumber yards are good.

most carpenters/builders don't seem to want quilt and high figure, so you can often snap up body blanks for regular prices, (i dunno, say £30?) where the same figure from a luthier supplies could be several hundred.

be prepared for an afternoon's sorting though!

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My soundclick xx luthier blog xx luthier soundclick

searching for the wood in the lumber yard is a lot of fun - enjoy -

where are you located ? I am sure many members can point you to local wood yards or exotic wood yards - we have several in the Baltimore/Washington area.

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It's this new idea from recent decades that everyone gets a participation award. - MUX

Lumber yards traditionally only cary rough wood products like 2x4s and rough framing ply, although some do cary hardwood. You want to look for hardwood dealers. They normally cary the maples, mahogany's, and other woods found in a guitar. I got a piece of 8/4 african mahogany 16 feet long and 16 inches wide for $95 at a local hardwood dealer. most sites will want at least $100 for A body blank. you will need the tools to turn a rough piece of wood into a body blank if you want to go this rout, but if you have the tools its saves a ton of money.

I am located in Northern Indiana.

There is a door and plywood manufacturer near me that frequently has a nice selection of curly maple. Their customers are mostly cabinet makers and don't want figured wood, so they unload it pretty cheap. You may be able to find something similar.