Is there a lightweight body wood that is more durable than pine?

I am thinking of building a Cabronita but I am not sure I want a pine body because I am concerned about how easily is might get damaged/dinged, etc. I want to use a lightweight resonant wood. What are my options? How does spruce compare to pine?

Well theres Basswood, which is very light but also more prone to dings than pine.

Poplar might be a little more ding resistant.

If you're concerned about dings, binding the edges will help. Thats what I will be doing with my next pine body, anyway.

Smuggler's body - in choice swamp ash or alder.

I liked this article, from another thread, though it's about acoustics

http://www.guitarnation.com/articles/calkin.htm

Hmm. I live in Philly, where the streets are reportedly arranged by hardness of wood, so.. from softest to hardest: Cedar (South Street), Pine, Cypress, Spruce, Walnut, Chestnut, Market (jk) .. Cherry, Poplar :smile:

Spruce is just about the most dentable wood out there. That being said, one of the most awesome Teles I've ever played was a chambered spruce tele. Weighed about four and a half pounds.

Swamp ash - aka Ash with really wide grain patterns from really wet environments - is the best I can think of.

Paulwonia

Use a close straight grained pine and use a thin CA adhesive as a sealer. It will harden the surface no end and grain fill also.

Basswood, while light like pine, is somewhat more durable. I don't drop guitars or slam into stuff so all basswood stuff has been fine by me. I have seen some cheap imports in the old days made of pine and they too were OK so long as you didn't abuse your guitar.

If you want a road warrior tele, and subjected to unexpected dings and stuff, stick to the original alder or ash.

Paulwonia

That dents very easily .In fact only the thick poly coat holds it together .As its so resonant a thick poly coat probably gives it a bit more depth and improves the tone .Love the stuff:lol:

I'd go hand selected poplar (some of it is really heavy :wink:) or, if you can get it, aspen. Other than shelving aspen isn't good for much else, but it is tough and light. I'd restrict it to bodies only. Oh yeh, you'll need to paint both of these, not much in the way of grain beauty with these two :lol:



Dave

What are you guys/gals doing with guitar bodies to dent them so much? :)

I know a strad is delicate, as are even cheap violins, but don't hear about people denting any of them.

I really like butternut, if you can find it. It is also referred to as white walnut. I am working a one with a spalted maple top that will end up sub 4 lbs. It is dentable though, lacquer or poly finish is a must. I have heard good things about sugar pine as well, but I never used it.

With softwoods it's the light areas of the grain that are soft - if you find a piece with tight grain it is actually pretty hard - no harder than Alder though. And the tight grained stuff is not light. The D-Fir that I used on my last build was heavier than Northern Ash.

Outside of finding a piece of "Swamp" Ash - cambering Alder, Walnut or maybe Mahogany/Khaya may work out best.

My last build was alder, I hand picked it from a large stash and I was specifically going for light weight. The total guitar weight is 5.8 lbs. You can find really light alder if you look, and I think it's slightly more dent resistant than pine.

I liked this article, from another thread, though it's about acoustics

http://www.guitarnation.com/articles/calkin.htm


Great article. Thanks for sharing.

Basswood, while light like pine, is somewhat more durable. I don't drop guitars or slam into stuff so all basswood stuff has been fine by me.

I'll consider it. I am gentle on my guitars as well I just don't want it to look like crap after one year.

I'd go hand selected poplar (some of it is really heavy :wink:) or, if you can get it, aspen.

You know, I really hate working with poplar. I know alot of people like it but I hate its fibrous quality which leaves fuzzy cuts. Am I the only one with a dislike of poplar?

The D-Fir that I used on my last build was heavier than Northern Ash.

I was also considering douglas fir. Home Depot is selling douglas fir 4 x 4's that look pretty nice. They do seem a touch heavy. Is it a good wood for guitar bodies? It's pretty.

I think Parker Guitars made a spruce Fly some years ago; maybe you could research that and see if there are any owner comments anywhere?

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I was also considering douglas fir. Home Depot is selling douglas fir 4 x 4's that look pretty nice. They do seem a touch heavy. Is it a good wood for guitar bodies? It's pretty.

Ya, D-Fir can be viewed as a Pine that is a little more available, but is also a little heavier. Some Spruces are best WRT stiffness/weight. I'm not sure if I would say that D-Fir is a great guitar body wood, but with so much of it out there everyone runs into a great board once in a while (super tight grain, interesting colors/grain...) and it makes a great pinecaster. I think the most interesting softwoods are WR Cedar and Spruces - but they are on the soft side - WR Cedar is right on the edge of unusable - but with the right techniques softwoods will work well; they just take a lot more taming than Walnut, Alder, Poplar, Ash.....

If you have access to a hardwood dealer, then spend some time in their warehouse. Look in the yellow pages, and ask around. If you can find a wholesaler that sells to the public, then spend your time there rather than Home Depot.

Every species of wood varies in weight and hardness. If you spend some time looking, you will find light weight pieces of Alder, Fir, Walnut, and maybe even Ash. I take this approach. I walk into the warehouse and ask "Who wants to be a guitar today"? I make that my mindset, and then go about finding the lightest most resonant piece of wood that I can find. Sometimes it will surprise you. Yesterday I came home with a piece of 8/4 flamed Peruvian Walnut that will yield a sub five pound tele, and it rings like a bell.