How would this work?
I'm considering building my first bass (Been playing bass for.. too long, and have very much experience in carpentry and wood working/reno of instruments). I was in Kent (canadian wood store) today, looking at wood. I was going to do Maple, with (decorative) Dark wood (either Bubinga or Purple heart, or something) highlights. Anyways, I know Maple would work fine, but I was also wondering -

if I could get pine wood that was clear enough to laminate and whatnot, how would it sound? I understand that chances are it wouldn't look so good, but I'm just really curious.

How about using it for the neck?

In my view, pine's too soft...

This might be a "bump", or whatever that is, but I forgot to mention.
I go for the lowest, warmest sound possible, with tone rolled off, no treble or mids on my amplifier and full bass, and flat strings on my fretless basses.

This would only be a personal experiment, and I was planning on putting in two "accent lines" (if you will) of a dark, hardwood - if that makes any difference.

The purpose of pine, mainly, is it's low price. If I frig up this body, it would still only have cost me like 40 bucks, tops.

Agreed...Pine is WAYYYYY too soft. If you were using it as a top, you might get away with using it.

How do you think it would sound? from using my "common sense" if Hardwood = bright, softwood = warm... correct?

more like softwood = NO.

Seriously don't do it as a neck anyway, probably would warp pretty drastically.

I wouldn't use it for a neck myself, but I think a pine body would look good. As far as sound, you're probably about to hear from those who believe that wood in a solid body has no effect or so little it doesn't matter. I'd say try it and see if it's not too expensive or time consuming and then you'll be more of an expert on it than most of us.

I wasn't intending to use it for the neck.. probably should've mentioned that. I figured I'd build and setup the body with parts borrowed from one of my other basses, and if it turned out well I'd make a neck from Maple - probably 1 piece.

it's not a soft vs. hard wood that you're thinking of. Some hardwoods have different tones than others. Soft woods simply do not have the structural integrity to handle the stresses put on a stringed instrument.

Soft woods are widely used for acoustic instruments and don't make problems.

Jazz Ad, yes, I have a classical guitar made from pine.

Also, Gretsch had a pine guitar in the 50's, didn't they? and - I have to research this - but I'm almost certain that early Telecasters were made from knotty pine. What is the poundage strain (tension in pounds.. yeah, I made the term up.. big deal) difference between 6 string guitar + heavy gauge strings, and a 4 string bass with light flats?

The resonance of an acoustic is COMPLETELY irrelevant when it comes to solid bodies.

About the tone - Frankenstein never scared me.

Early Telecaster bodies were made from pine. I say go ahead. If it sucks, try something else.

Early Telecaster bodies were made from pine. I say go ahead. If it sucks, try something else.

+10
that's half the reason for pine, if I sneeze and frig it up while cutting, or mis-rout it, throw it out and chip out another 40 bucks for pine, instead of the what, 90-120 for maple.

+10
that's half the reason for pine, if I sneeze and frig it up while cutting, or mis-rout it, throw it out and chip out another 40 bucks for pine, instead of the what, 90-120 for maple.

good wood for your first try, but it dents easily. not really the "prettiest" wood either.

$40 bucks for pine? what are you buying? i have 4 pine practice bodies in the garage that cost less than $50 total. If you are ok with spending $40 for a body blank, surely you can get something like poplar or basswood...?

good wood for your first try, but it dents easily. not really the "prettiest" wood either.

One could say that about alder as well. Our kitchen chairs are alder and have plenty of dents in them. I does look a little nicer than pine IMO but is still a fairly plain looking wood.

$40 bucks for pine? what are you buying? i have 4 pine practice bodies in the garage that cost less than $50 total. If you are ok with spending $40 for a body blank, surely you can get something like poplar or basswood...?

I made that number up, and in hindsight, yeah, hah I was way off.
Plus I am Canadian, so our currencies may differ.. but the pine of which I'm talking is 2x6 bandsawplane clear, the best of the best.

If pine were a viable guitar wood, it would be out there being used. It's pretty good to sit ojn if you're in a batting slump and it's been the rage at Potter.s field for centuries. But pine might make a good 2x4 but not a guitar. Look around.

Well, I consulted this website to get opinions (I was hoping for mixed ones) about pine, and though the vote is negative, I'm definitely going to do it. if it works, I'll post as a "Told'ya so" for me.. if it fails, I'll post as a "told ya' so" for you guys.

but I imagine it will work ;-)

It's fine for a body - I wouldn't recommend it for a neck. Rememebr though, it will ding easily.

The original Warwick Streamer STD. (not Rockbass), which I really liked, was made with Carolena (Pine/Fir). The rockbass version still might be. Although this wood may seem soft, it is similar to Wenge in that it has lighter rays of rather soft wood but rays of very hard, dense wood.

The bass sounded sweet with nice, airy, open highs, and a warm, deep and open low end. The bass had resonance and a growl to remember!:bassist: Open was the sound: not tame, but not too full: complex. It was a complex sound. It is like listening to planar loudspeakers as opposed to cone loudspeakers.

For a body, pine would be absolutely FINE. BUT, In my experience, it is a pain to get a nice, even sanding pattern due to the alternating hardnes of the grain structure, unless you favor that cool, undulating "sandblasted" finish.

For a body: PINE is FINE. you might like it.

Pine for a neck: What the heck???

Do it! Make sure that if you decide to join pine for a body, SCORE IT and clamp it well. use shims.

Pine seems to best take an oil finish; a couple coats of tung oughtta do ya.

The finish on the Warwick didn't hold up well when dinged and separated as a white void layer over the transparent black stain on the pine.

Oil it! it will penetrate the wood and harden it a little.

To make sanding pine easier, hard drying wood petrifier or hardener applied and let dry before sanding should help.

Do it! it is light, resonant, and sounds great.

The only thing I wouldn't do with pine is stain it. I think stain, especially dark colors, looks crappy on pine. IMO.

Heck! Jens Ritter (brilliant) made a bass out of plywood! Well, kinda.

Pickup spacing is where most of the tonal distinction lies.

I've got a bouzouki made out of pine...

Bud LeCompte made a pretty damn nice body out of pine.

I wasn't intending to use it for the neck.. probably should've mentioned that.

...How about using it for the neck?

In the thread titled "Pine wood for bodies or necks?"

Don't mind me; I have nothing to add. just being facetious. :p

Early telecasters were not pine, the prototypes of the esquire which preceded the telecaster were. One of the early improvements Fender made prior to mass production was to build the bodies out of solid ash.

Pine has several limitations that make it less-than-desirable for a body. Making a functional neck out of it is a waste of time. Pine twists and cups over time as it thoroughly dries out. It is flexible when compared to most commonly used hardwoods. Bows, twists, checks, cracks, cupping and crooks are common in commercial pine due to the drying process. Its pitchy and can be riddled with hidden knots. Its soft enough to dent easily.

Yes acoustic tops are sometimes made from pine or other softwoods, that's because their tonal characteristics matter in an acoustic instrument. You won't find many acoustics with a pine neck, sides or bracing though.

Nothing wrong with making a practice body out of it, but for an instrument you want to love and cherish forever, I'd take a pass on the pine. Not to say it absolutely cannot be done, but when there are so many other options available, why bother...

Yes acoustic tops are sometimes made from pine or other softwoods...
For "sometimes" read "more often than not". Ditto double basses and other stringed instruments.

Actually I have a very old piece of salvaged redwood I'm planning to turn into a guitar solid body, which I will cap with a piece of salvaged mahogany I have. Unconventional, yes, but no reason why it shouldn't work.

Go for it!

Adrian

If pine were a viable guitar wood, it would be out there being used. It's pretty good to sit ojn if you're in a batting slump and it's been the rage at Potter.s field for centuries. But pine might make a good 2x4 but not a guitar. Look around.

It actually is, some of the newer squier guitars are made of pine, and they had good reviews.

How would this work?
I'm considering building my first bass (Been playing bass for.. too long, and have very much experience in carpentry and wood working/reno of instruments). I was in Kent (canadian wood store) today, looking at wood. I was going to do Maple, with (decorative) Dark wood (either Bubinga or Purple heart, or something) highlights. Anyways, I know Maple would work fine, but I was also wondering -

if I could get pine wood that was clear enough to laminate and whatnot, how would it sound? I understand that chances are it wouldn't look so good, but I'm just really curious.

How about using it for the neck?

I've made basses that had pine bodies and even a few with pine necks but the necks were quite chunky and were more for experimental purposes than anything else. However if you're looking to use wood that's inexpensive and readily available I can vouch for red oak as a stable neck wood and pine for the body and both are available at most large home improvement stores. I especially love the red oak because of it's rigidity and pronounced grain but it's also pretty darn heavy and not the easiest to work.

As for the tone of pine and red oak... nobody, not John Q. Public or snobby know-it-all musician was able to tell that the basses were constructed out of cheap lumber.

In the thread titled "Pine wood for bodies or necks?"

Don't mind me; I have nothing to add. just being facetious. :p

Yes, I know I stumble on words a lot.
I was just curious about the neck part, wasn't planning on doing it.

For "sometimes" read "more often than not". Ditto double basses and other stringed instruments. In a word, no. You're thinking of spruce, pine is not the same thing...

For what it's worth, I'll throw in my little bit of trivia.

Rick Kelly, a luthier in New York, has made and continues to make Telecaster styled guitars out of pine. Making a body out of pine is noting new; many, many guitar makers have used pine or similar woods with great success (Parker Fly, anyone? Body of spruce, not much different.).

But Kelly's twist is to make a neck completely out of pine, with no truss rod. They don't warp, they don't twist, they don't check, and the myriad of players using them can attest to the fact that they sound fantastic.

Also, acoustics have used coniferous woods for tops, backs, sides, bracing, and necks for centuries. Concert classical guitars to this day almost always have a neck of Spanish cedar.

I recently made a Tele with a very light body wood, actually a type related to balsawood I think, and it sounds great. What's more, it's loud enough acoustically to be easily played unplugged.

So if you want to make a pine body, don't let me stop you. Heck, my next project is a guitar with a pine neck and an oil can for a body! :)

Cheers,
Rob

In a word, no. You're thinking of spruce, pine is not the same thing...

You said "Pine and other softwoods...". Spruce is a softwood. And you are right, pine is not the same thing. But it's not that far from it either. Straight, quartered, clear pine is just as fine a wood as spruce, spruce just tends to be a bit stiffer for it's weight.

Jeebus, yes I did, when referring to solidbody guitars. Of course acoustics are made from softwoods, they have been for centuries. Pine and spruce are not the same, they are both softwoods yes, but they aren't the same. I also did not say it could not be done, I just said why bother? If you guys want to make a guitar, bass, car or telephone out of pine, then go for it. The OP wanted opinions, and he got them.

I'm done with this thread. As they say, "arguing on the internet is like competing in the special olympics. Even if you win, you're still retarded"...




EDIT: Had a hard day and it came out in this post. I'm leaving it as is to remind myself not to take things so seriously, but my apologies to anyone I offended...

Tber Budman used pine once on a bass... it was only a piece of a sandwiched body. You must be able to find the thread published about 3 or 4 years ago I guess. I guess that you should give it a try... if it doesnt work, make a body out of ash, walnut or whatever and thats it, even more you would be able to make a test between the bass with both bodies.

I'm done with this thread. As they say, "arguing on the internet is like competing in the special olympics. Even if you win, you're still retarded"...
Is that what they call in the trade "a flounce", chaps? :rollno:

my friends dad has alot of pine and one day last summer we thought lets make a guitar out of it (just a 6 string guitar because its his wood he said) we used spare parts from different starter guitars we bought off of kijiji and from friends. the conclusion was a strat that had a a sound that was more telecaster-y. yes the wood is really soft but it worked out. i would describe the tone really twangy yet really bassy.

... Heck, my next project is a guitar with a pine neck and an oil can for a body! :) ...

Don't mean to sound sappy but I bet it's going to be a pretty slick project. ;)

Don't mean to sound sappy but I bet it's going to be a pretty slick project. ;)

It'll be great for slide blues!:D

Chandler Guitars made a telecaster out of balsa wood for Joe Perry of Aerosmith..

http://www.zacharyguitars.com/071199pics.htm pine.. i don't agree with the smarmy statements made, but it is made of pine..

http://www.zacharyguitars.com/120300pics.htm --he makes guitars out of Ikea tables, too..

http://retrorenovation.com/2008/08/23/gretsch-knotty-pine-round-up-guitar/ -gretch..

http://www.lslinstruments.com/PineSunburstfull.html

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/bass-place/150903-couple-ron-kirn-digger-pine-51-p-bass-guitars.html



there's no doubt that you can make a bass out of pine.. you should look for specific species of pine that is much harder than the soft southern yellow pine that most people think of when you say "pine"...