Stinking Heavy Alder - Cap that guy?

Well, my first foray into Tele building, which has been long delayed, is actually getting underway.

I have an alder body blank that is really heavy. Like, extremely heavy. If I wanted to chamber that thing and put a maple cap on it for my first build, am I upping the difficulty level too much for a n00b?

Almost all of my playing is standing up, so I don't want another 14 lb guitar, or whatever the heck my Agile weighs.

You could route a cavity under the pickguard.

Hmm, my telemaster body is supposedly alder, but it is really light. I'm beginning to wonder if it is alder or something else. Not that it matters.

TNO - I'm thinking of a guitar that comes out more like a Fender Select Tele, with the maple cap and no pickguard, rather than a typical tele.

Absolutely you should do it. There's NOTHING worse than a heavy guitar, imho. And, as
to the difficulty, it's really only an extra couple of steps and none of it's Rocket Science.
I, too, have seen some heavy Alder, and if it seems too heavy, it is too heavy.
Now, where's the build thread?

The build thread will start...... Sunday? Tonight? Today is template making. Or at least master template making....

I'm a huge fan of adding lightness to guitars but hogging out some alder and adding maple probably isn't going to accomplish much. How big is the blank? I think you'll be surprised at now much weight you'll take off just cutting it out.

I'm a huge fan of adding lightness to guitars but hogging out some alder and adding maple probably isn't going to accomplish much. How big is the blank? I think you'll be surprised at now much weight you'll take off just cutting it out.

It is a bit big, I think, so i was planning on weighing it after I get it cut down to size. Although if it is too light all of my guitar throwing tricks will need to be re-worked.

I have an alder body blank that is really heavy. Like, extremely heavy. If I wanted to chamber that thing and put a maple cap on it for my first build, am I upping the difficulty level too much for a n00b?


If you make a thinline interior template, use a forstner bit to hog out most of it and then clean it up with a router it will be fairly easy - basically do a thinline without the f-hole or binding. You are probably looking at a couple of hours of work. Jointing the maple top is no harder than jointing a 2" thick body.

If you make a thinline interior template, use a forstner bit to hog out most of it and then clean it up with a router it will be fairly easy - basically do a thinline without the f-hole or binding. You are probably looking at a couple of hours of work. Jointing the maple top is no harder than jointing a 2" thick body.

I wouldn't be able to resist the F-hole; I love Thinlines.

Have you got a picture of this blank?

I guess I'm not totally shocked that an alder blank might be stupidly heavy. It is just that, time and again, alder works out as never ever real light, and usually middling to middlin-heavy. I think Leo liked alder because so little of it had to be thrown in the fire.

If you give me the dimensions of your blank and its weight I can tell you about how much the final body will weigh.

FWIW, I think a capped body might be a bit ambitious as your first project unless you have alot of woodworking experience.

My alder bodies average 4lbs. Weight :razz: till you cut it out of the blank, it might not be so bad.

Well I think you should go for it - if it is going to be too heavy. I had just about zero woodworking experience when I started this guitar building thing (soon to become an addiction) and decided I'd do a thinline as one of my first two (concurrent) builds. As long as you have a thinline template for the routes (and don't really need it as long as you're sensible about where you route), some forstner bits, a router...and plenty of clamps you'll be fine.

All the best and look forward to seeing the progress.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8009/7378551178_8657e5179b.jpg

Well I think you should go for it - if it is going to be too heavy. I had just about zero woodworking experience when I started this guitar building thing (soon to become an addiction) and decided I'd do a thinline as one of my first two (concurrent) builds. As long as you have a thinline template for the routes (and don't really need it as long as you're sensible about where you route), some forstner bits, a router...and plenty of clamps you'll be fine.

All the best and look forward to seeing the progress.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8009/7378551178_8657e5179b.jpg

Now that's nice, I bet you had fun binding the F-hole?

when ya say heavy.. how heavy…. with all this idiocy about lightweight… it's getting so perfectly normal guitars are being called unacceptably heavy…

4 pounds - 5 pounds is normal… that produces a 7 to 8 pound guitar… if that's too heavy… well, wimp… go cry on a bass player's shoulder….

this "light weight shi*" is the new Nitro vs Poly. . . not everyone has a bad back…. so something has to be generating the discussion… It's just another myth...

the notion that light weight is more resonant is bull sh* … some of the most resonant wood in the planet is heaver 'n neutron star material… Rosewood for instance….

the pursuit for a lightweight resonant body has a counterpart, a compromise has to be made…. that compromise is the sustain… so… decide what ya want….

Ron Kirn

when ya say heavy.. how heavy…. with all this idiocy about lightweight… it's getting so perfectly normal guitars are being called unacceptably heavy…

4 pounds - 5 pounds is normal… that produces a 7 to 8 pound guitar… if that's too heavy… well, wimp… go cry on a bass player's shoulder….

this "light weight shi*" is the new Nitro vs Poly. . . not everyone has a bad back…. so something has to be generating the discussion… It's just another myth...

the notion that light weight is more resonant is bull sh* … some of the most resonant wood in the planet is heaver 'n neutron star material… Rosewood for instance….

the pursuit for a lightweight resonant body has a counterpart, a compromise has to be made…. that compromise is the sustain… so… decide what ya want….

Ron Kirn

Great info Ron.

So let me ask you this. What do you look for in a piece of wood in order to make a great sounding guitar (given that body wood is only part of the equation) .