Looking for body wings?

bassgod76 · #1 11-09-2011, 10:45 AM

I'm kicking around the idea of doing a neck thru bass with one of those Carvin necks. My question relates to the wings of the body.

I'd like Mahogany wings. Does anyone know or recommend a vendor who sells wings? I've looked at tew Mac and others. I'm just wondering if $80 is a lot to spend for some mahogany.

HaMMerHeD · #2 11-09-2011, 11:05 AM

Exotic Woods :: 2. Instrument Parts & Accessories :: Guitar Wing Sets :: Mahogany, South American :: Mahogany Wing Set

South American Mahogany wing set, $58.95. Shipping would probably bring it to around $70.

Dimensions: 5-1/2" (wide) x 1-3/4" to 2" (thick)
1st Pc. = 21" long
2nd Pc. = 19" long

FBB Custom · #3 11-09-2011, 12:14 PM

Do you need them cut to shape?

Exotic woods boils down to about $19/bf for S4S rectangular blanks (shipping not included). Whether it is worth it or not depends on if you can do the joining and planing yourself.

bassgod76 · #4 11-09-2011, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FBB Custom

Do you need them cut to shape?

Exotic woods boils down to about $19/bf for S4S rectangular blanks (shipping not included). Whether it is worth it or not depends on if you can do the joining and planing yourself.

My dad has a quasi wood shop with planer, so I think I could easily cut and shape myself.

Musiclogic · #5 11-09-2011, 04:08 PM

Then why not just buy the raw lumber and cut the wings you want from Woodworkers source or any other lumber yard that sells the type of Mahogany you want?

bassgod76 · #6 11-09-2011, 04:10 PM

Good idea. How much would something like this cost raw? Is it a lot cheaper?

HaMMerHeD · #7 11-09-2011, 04:41 PM

You'd need about 4 bf of 8/4 mahogany, which would run about $48 from woodworkerssource, plus about $20-ish more for shipping.

If you can get it locally, you'd save some money.

FBB Custom · #8 11-09-2011, 05:25 PM

Woodfinder: Find Sources of Lumber, Veneer and Sawmill Services

FBB Custom · #9 11-09-2011, 05:30 PM

also, african mahogany (khaya) is cheaper. khaya in the $8 range and honduras in the $12 range per bf. If you are choosy and your dealer will cut boards you can get by with 3bf.

bassgod76 · #10 11-09-2011, 05:32 PM

Dumb question. What is bf?

headlikeahole · #11 11-09-2011, 05:41 PM

board feet

HaMMerHeD · #12 11-09-2011, 06:43 PM

Bf, board foot (or board feet) is the unit of measure for lumber. One board foot is loosely defined as 144 cubic inches of wood (the benchmark of 12"x12"x1" is often given). Lumber is sometimes expressed in explicit thicknesses (0.75"), but more often expressed as a fraction. 4/4, pronounced as Four Quarters, is generally betwen 3/4" and 1" thick. 8/4 (Eight Quarters) is generally between 1-1/2" and 2" thick. When calculating board feet, lumber marked as 4/4 is generally assumed to be 1" thick (regardless of actual thickness), and 8/4 lumber is generally assumed to be 2" thick (again, regardless of actual thickness).

So one board foot of 4/4 lumber adds up to about 144 cubic inches, whether it's 12"x12" (12x12x1=144) or 6"x24" (6x24x1=144) or whatever, it's about 144 cubic inches. And one board foot of 8/4 lumber might about 6"x12" (6x12x2=144). It's half as wide, but twice as thick.

For your bass body wings, you'll probably want 8/4 lumber unless you are putting a very thick top on the thing. You basically need two pieces that are about 6" wide and about 20" long (and since it's 8/4, about 2" thick). That's just a touch under 2 bf per side. According to woodworkers source' online calculator (here), two 8/4 pieces of mahogany 6" wide and 20" long is 3.33 board feet.

If you can find a lumberyard that will cut to your specified dimensions, you may save some money by not buying more than you need. If you buy online, you may not have that option. For example, the woodworkers source website shopping cart does not allow fractional quantities, but if you call them, they may be more flexible. So buying online, you may have to order 4 board feet. Buying in person or on the phone, you are more likely to be able to get closer to what you actually need without spending extra.

I hope that helps...and I hope I'm not way off. I'm an amateur at this, and that is just what I have learned from online research.

bassgod76 · #13 11-09-2011, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HaMMerHeD

Bf, board foot (or board feet) is the unit of measure for lumber. One board foot is defined as 144" cubic inches of wood (the benchmark of 12"x12"x1" is often given). Lumber is sometimes expressed in explicit thicknesses (0.75"), but more often expressed as a fraction. 4/4, pronounced as Four Quarters, is generally betwen 3/4" and 1" thick. 8/4 (Eight Quarters) is generally between 1-1/2" and 2" thick. When calculating board feet, lumber marked as 4/4 is generally assumed to be 1" thick (regardless of actual thickness), and 8/4 lumber is generally assumed to be 2" thick (again, regardless of actual thickness).

So one board foot of 4/4 lumber adds up to about 144 cubic inches, whether it's 12"x12" (12x12x1=144) or 6"x24" (6x24x1=144) or whatever, it's about 144 cubic inches. And one board foot of 8/4 lumber might about 6"x12" (6x12x2=144). It's half as wide, but twice as thick.

For your bass body wings, you'll probably want 8/4 lumber unless you are putting a very thick top on the thing. You basically need two pieces that are about 6" wide and about 20" long (and since it's 8/4, about 2" thick). That's just a touch under 2 bf per side. According to woodworkers source' online calculator (here), two 8/4 pieces of mahogany 6" wide and 20" long is 3.33 board feet.

If you can find a lumberyard that will cut to your specified dimensions, you may save some money by not buying more than you need. If you buy online, you may not have that option. For example, the woodworkers source website shopping cart does not allow fractional quantities, but if you call them, they may be more flexible.

I hope that helps...and I hope I'm not way off. I'm an amateur at this, and that is just what I have learned from online research.

That helps a lot! I may try a local lumber yard, first.
The bass will be solid black, so any decent mahogany will work.

I'm also thinking about trying my hand at adding binding on the body. I have a lot of research to do.

Jason_A · #14 11-10-2011, 06:08 AM

When you say "solid black" do you mean painted black, or stained black? If you are painting the wood you may want to consider something other than genuine Mahogany. There are African "mahoganys" that are similar, but much cheaper. However, the biggest pain might be mahogany's very open grain. Woods like poplar and alder are typically used on painted guitars because they have very closed grain, and don't require heavy filling to get a smooth surface. I'm not sure about your area, but poplar tends to be fairly inexpensive where I am, and is pretty easy to find in 6/4 and 8/4 thicknesses. Buying directly from a saw mill will be cheapest, but you'll need to be able to plane and joint the wood, and you'll also probably have to buy full boards.

bassgod76 · #15 11-10-2011, 07:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jason_A

When you say "solid black" do you mean painted black, or stained black? If you are painting the wood you may want to consider something other than genuine Mahogany. There are African "mahoganys" that are similar, but much cheaper. However, the biggest pain might be mahogany's very open grain. Woods like poplar and alder are typically used on painted guitars because they have very closed grain, and don't require heavy filling to get a smooth surface. I'm not sure about your area, but poplar tends to be fairly inexpensive where I am, and is pretty easy to find in 6/4 and 8/4 thicknesses. Buying directly from a saw mill will be cheapest, but you'll need to be able to plane and joint the wood, and you'll also probably have to buy full boards.

I'm basically trying to re-create this.

It was a set neck with Mahogany body; very similar to Gibson style guitars. I'm changing things up a little by using the Carvin thru neck kit. I was thinking about using Mahogany so it would retain some aspect of the original.

The finish was black, with some sort of painted faux binding.

I will continue to look, but I really appreciate the tips.

I would be open to using Alder.

mikeyswood · #16 11-10-2011, 10:19 AM

Mahogany and Maple are a fantastic combination!

$80 is a fair price. I doubt that I would do it for that low.

bassgod76 · #17 11-15-2012, 08:31 AM

I may use the Carvin alder blank for this project. I think Jason A may be right about the grain issue.

Musiclogic · #18 11-15-2012, 09:46 AM

No, Jason is exactly right about the open grain of Mahogany. But if doing a black paint job, you can use paste filler, epoxy table top finish, even cheap tube of bondo spot putty to fill the grain if you wanted to stay with the original idea. Poplar, alder, basswood, or maple will be much easier to finish. Good luck with it, Always liked the look of that bass.