Colorado Beetle-Kill pine

[originalmatthew]

Well, I got sucked in to the pinecaster vortex. I was at the wood store and found this beetle-kill pine. It whispered, "build a pinecaster" over and over till I had to bring some home. It doesn't show well in the pics, but the entire board is birds-eyed like crazy! Ok, so, the grey in the wood is from the beetles that killed the pine tree. It's been kiln dried to 6% and surfaced on 2 sides. I will be using this for the top as it's only 3/4" thick. I can get a nice piece of doug fir for the back thats wide enough to do one piece. I think it's going to be a lot of fun! I haven't decided on hardware yet, maybe black, but I think I see some P-90's in my future.

[sonserve]

Cool. Keep us posted!

[originalmatthew]

Got the top halves glued together today. You guys don't need to see more pictures of clamps. ha ha. I did sand a piece of the scrap and put a coat of oil on it. It's beautiful in person, but I am thinking some kind of color might make the birdseye pop a bit more.

[onenotetom]

Me Likey!!! Black hardware ties into the beetle them plus will look cool and P-90's ohhhhhhhh. Want to know how this one turns out.

[originalmatthew]

Well, I have made some progress with the beetle-kill pine caster. Got the doug fir for the back. Semi-hollow and right now she weighs 3.2 pounds and rings like a bell when tapped. I never did care for traditional, so I designed my own "f" hole, even though it's not an "f".
So far the top is sanded to 220 and the back to 100, and I haven't touched the sides yet. Seeing as it is beetle killed pine, I might have to call this one the VolkswagenCaster

[Tim Armstrong]

Very nice! I like "Volkscaster" (the People's Caster!).

I would note that your pictures are HUGE, though...

Tim

[originalmatthew]

Sorry bout the big pics. will make them smaller in the future. I like volkscaster, by the way.

[hackworth1]

Good looking wood. Very nice work. I like that f-hole. Makes me think of that shack outside La Grange.

[WisconsinStrings]

Sweet! I love the f hole you designed.

[Viqbang]

So good to see that wood put to use...This is one build, in particular, that I find particularly intriguing

[originalmatthew]

I've been chipping away at the beetle kill pine caster. Got the neck built and most of the hardware done. Spared you all more pictures of clamps and glue. Still have no Idea how I am going to finish the body. Thinking a dye job more and more. Ideas on color would be most welcome! The wood has kind of a blueish tint to it already, and the heat treated hardware is blueish too.
The neck is pacific coast flame maple and rosewood, the hardware was all cut and shaped by hand and then heat treated to get the color. Did the same to the neck pickup cover and made a cover for the bridge pup.
Still have a buttload of sanding to do on the body, but that should go ok.

[jkingma]

The body wood looks cool, but I'm not crazy about the pickguard.

How about some "in progress" pics of your neck.

[boris bubbanov]

Very cool!

I like the F hole and the pickguard, and the bridge and control route details.

On that pine: I suggest you do some discreet research on whether the wood will be readily transportable if it was beetle killed and might contain beetle larvae. Historically, authorities have rounded up and destroyed lumber from infested trees, in some instances.

[pchilson]

Wow! Thats a beaut. I don't know how I missed this thread. Great work Matthew.

How bout just a hint of blueish/greenish dye to it?

I'm with Boris, love the F hole and the pg.

I've seen houses paneled in T&G beetle kill pine and it can be quite stunning.

[Stoked]

Great looking build Matt! I think all the components of your design go really nicely together.

[originalmatthew]

Thanks for the comments guys! I have since decided on blue for the body. Did some test scraps and it's going to bring out the birds eye really well.
Boris, you bring up a good point, and I am one step ahead of you. lol I checked with the dept. of forestry and the sawmill that cut the trees before I bought the wood. The forestry department inspects the trees if they are going to be milled into lumber, and oks them or marks them as firewood.

[originalmatthew]

Got some more work done on this beastie. Gave the body a good soaking of Minwax wood hardener mixed with navy aniline dye, let it sit overnight to dry. This morning, I sanded off the excess, mixed some more dye in with Minwax natural, and gave her a good rubbing down. The end and edge grain of the doug fir is CRaaaayyyzeeee! The birds eye on the top just pops. The pics don't do it justice!
Also got the control plate wired up. Pretty straight foreward stuff. 250K pots, .047 tone cap and a .001 treble bleed.
Will be finishing the body off with Waterlox and it will have a lovely sheen to it.

[originalmatthew]

Heres the control plate and a shot of the back. The pic makes the back look blotchy, but it isn't. Must be the lighting. The hole in the back is for a steel "sustain block" thingy.