The Wood
By John Fisher
"The secret of getting ahead is
getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming
tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one."-Mark
Twain (1835-1910), American writer
THE BACK
I spent very little money on the wood for this project. For the back I used a piece of hard maple floorboard that somebody gave me. This was a flat sawn (not quarter sawn) piece that was about 5" wide and 3/4" thick. I glued 2 together to make the back which was carved to shape. I also used the same wood for the sides that were bent into shape using a homemade bending iron.
THE TOP
I made the top out of similar sized wood as the back. For the top I used quarter sawn Douglas Fir. I had heard some success storied about using Douglas Fir for guitar tops. It is not the traditional wood for guitar tops as Sitka Spruce and other woods are, but I was very pleased at the results of using this wood. It is cheaper and easier to come by then Sitka Spruce. The piece that I got has a very nice fine quarter sawn grain and it seemed very resonant when tapped. The only difference in using this wood as opposed to spruce is that it is slightly heavier then Sitka Spruce so it needs to be carved a wee bit thinner then the Spruce. It also splits a bit easier so you have to be careful. I also used the same wood for a classical guitar that I built with very good results.
THE NECK
I made that neck from flat sawn hard maple
FRET BOARD
Made from "Bocote" which is a wood from Mexico
BRIDGE
Ebony