Why Not Oak

Hemisaurus · March 18, 2012, 07:29:14 PM

Why don't we use oak for solidbody basses? Or, I'm thinking of saving a bit of my barn and making it into a bass.

Corey Y · March 18, 2012, 07:38:44 PM

Alder is a lot easier to machine than oak. Oak also has a very open grain, which personally I don't think looks very good stained. A lot of people associate it with furniture and flooring at this point, since that's primarily what it gets used for. Swamp ash has very open grain as well and it gets used a lot, but from my experience oak is usually a lot heavier than swamp ash. If you were just going to paint it there's a lot lighter, easier to work with and reasonably durable woods you could use besides oak. So I don't think it's a matter of what's so bad about oak, so much as what works better in a lot of situations about other woods.

Jake · March 18, 2012, 07:52:23 PM

Not oak, per se, but this guy makes guitars out of old barn wood. Makes for some really interesting guitars.

http://crestonguitars.com/guitars/old_wood

VOLVO))) · March 18, 2012, 07:55:57 PM

Oak is very dense, and incredibly strong. It's just very fractious, it breaks in grain. There's nothing to say you cant use it, just expect to pay for it in weight.

It'd sustain for days.

It's also expensive because of the extra tooling it takes to cut it properly, and if it's laurel oak, it takes years to dry o
properly.

Alder is shit wood to me... light and.... meh. It's like poplar.

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Corey Y · March 18, 2012, 08:11:14 PM

Alder isn't really anything like poplar. Poplar is lighter and softer, tears up when machining really easily, and it's got really inconsistent coloring. Lots of brown and green streaks. Alder has a fairly nice grain, pretty coloring and it machines easily. Assuming you get a good piece to work with of course. These days most wood is crap in general. Terrible selection and never dried properly, but that's another subject...that I actually really don't care about anymore anyway

I have stacks of wood in our warehouse at work from 10+ ago when we still had a full production mill and woodworking shop. Pine, fir, alder, maple, mahogany, walnut, red and white oak, poplar, jatoba. Any of it would make a nice guitar or bass if you picked the right pieces, but some would be a lot more or less work to get there.

Hemisaurus · March 18, 2012, 08:18:49 PM

Quote from: Jake on March 18, 2012, 07:52:23 PM
Not oak, per se, but this guy makes guitars out of old barn wood. Makes for some really interesting guitars.

http://crestonguitars.com/guitars/old_wood

Well, I'm told the barn has oak beams, I guess I just need to find a chunk that looks like it could be used, or maybe two chunks and have Uncle Dave join them.

VOLVO))) · March 18, 2012, 08:22:05 PM

Maple/mahogany/walnut... mmmmmm.

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bitter · March 18, 2012, 08:27:58 PM

Is walnut more dense than mahogany?

Jake · March 18, 2012, 08:28:43 PM

I met a guy once who said he had a bass made out of hickory and it was 40lbs. He also said it was once John Entwistle's, so it may have been all bullshit.

Mr. Foxen · March 18, 2012, 09:20:41 PM

Other thing about oak is it tends to corrode metal in contact with it, so your screws and such into it will rot and snap off eventually. Stainless steel might be OK.

bass sic · March 18, 2012, 11:12:19 PM

Is mahogany ever used in a bass body? The properties are right for a les Paul, but I don't think I've ever seen a bass made with it. Which makes me want to do it.

Mr. Foxen · March 18, 2012, 11:20:16 PM

Pretty sure there are a fair few mahogany bodied basses about, les paul bass for a start, and the Epi SG one. My Wishbass has mahogany i the neck.

SpaceTrucker · March 18, 2012, 11:30:38 PM

Quote from: SunnO))) on March 18, 2012, 07:55:57 PM
Oak is very dense, and incredibly strong. It's just very fractious, it breaks in grain. There's nothing to say you cant use it, just expect to pay for it in weight.

It'd sustain for days.

It's also expensive because of the extra tooling it takes to cut it properly, and if it's laurel oak, it takes years to dry o
properly.

Alder is shit wood to me... light and.... meh. It's like poplar.

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Bam! ever try to hammer a nail into oak? all you get it bent nails and busted fingers.

oh shit, ain't gonna be the new earth album "Bent nails and busted fingers"

SpaceTrucker · March 18, 2012, 11:38:11 PM

Quote from: Jake on March 18, 2012, 08:28:43 PM
I met a guy once who said he had a bass made out of hickory and it was 40lbs. He also said it was once John Entwistle's, so it may have been all bullshit.

Unless it has 4 inches of clearance from the nut to the first fret and is home made. he's a lying sack of shit.

dunwichamps · March 19, 2012, 12:36:36 AM

TJ and I are contemplating a joint venture, pine/oak 2x12 cabinets white oak is plentiful here and so we could get rough cut fairly cheap and make nice cabs, i do electrical he does wood work

mutantcolors · March 19, 2012, 01:48:45 AM

I own a solid oak 4x12. It weighs 102 lbs loaded with 4 g12h30s

bitter · March 19, 2012, 02:06:57 AM

Thunor approves of Oak Cabs... Just sayin'

Hemisaurus · March 19, 2012, 02:22:43 AM

Quote from: bass sic on March 18, 2012, 11:12:19 PM
Is mahogany ever used in a bass body? The properties are right for a les Paul, but I don't think I've ever seen a bass made with it. Which makes me want to do it.

Agathis is a type of mahogany, BC Rich uses it and the early Epi Goth T'Bird basses were made from it.

I,Galactus · March 19, 2012, 08:54:56 AM

Quote from: Hemisaurus on March 19, 2012, 02:22:43 AM
Quote from: bass sic on March 18, 2012, 11:12:19 PM
Is mahogany ever used in a bass body? The properties are right for a les Paul, but I don't think I've ever seen a bass made with it. Which makes me want to do it.
Agathis is a type of mahogany, BC Rich uses it and the early Epi Goth T'Bird basses were made from it.

Ibanez Prestige = Mahogany galore.

Hemisaurus · March 19, 2012, 09:20:48 AM

Maybe we should make a list of woods inappropriate to guitars, for anyone who cares to go against the grain

Willow, Balsa, OSB.

They make cricket bats out of willow I believe. Atlantic crossing rafts out of balsa, and houses out of OSB.

mutantcolors · March 19, 2012, 11:51:00 AM

Quote from: bitter on March 19, 2012, 02:06:57 AM
Thunor approves of Oak Cabs... Just sayin'

Finger jointed solid oak baby. Actually, the Leslie is solid oak as well iff'n I aint wrong.

Someone else's, better image, same model.

RacerX · March 19, 2012, 12:44:19 PM

Quote from: Jake on March 18, 2012, 07:52:23 PM
Not oak, per se, but this guy makes guitars out of old barn wood. Makes for some really interesting guitars.

http://crestonguitars.com/guitars/old_wood

I'm not usually much for "relicing," but that neck cries out for at least some orangey stain and a cigarette burn on the headstock.

EDIT: Pickup covers, too.

bitter · March 19, 2012, 03:13:03 PM

Whoa, those legend cabs and shells sure are handsome. I like the old mesa style wicker grills.

The Riffer · March 19, 2012, 05:08:45 PM

Mahogany Top/Maple back.

blackkrosses · March 19, 2012, 08:24:16 PM

I got an oak neck with a maple board for the guitar I'm building. Not as heavy as I imagined it would be. They's right about the wide open grain. Like grabbin' a gnarly shalaylee.

I heard Brian May's guitar was custom built by he and his pop from an old oak mantle.