- Feb 21, 2003
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cypress body source?
- Thread starter deepestend
- Start date
Cypress lumber is available locally to me though not sure that helps. 
I can often buy Leylandii cypress and Yellow Cedar, which is a cupressus that grows all over the west coast here. Are you specifically looking to buy an off-the-shelf cypress body?
I can often buy Leylandii cypress and Yellow Cedar, which is a cupressus that grows all over the west coast here. Are you specifically looking to buy an off-the-shelf cypress body?
- Feb 21, 2003
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Just curious to see if there were any off the shelf ones out there.
Has anyone tried a cypress body? Experience?
I had a cypress tele a while ago that I really liked.
Has anyone tried a cypress body? Experience?
I had a cypress tele a while ago that I really liked.
It might help to get more specific. Cypress is a common name for several conifers, and also a large family. My guess is, when most US woodworkers say "Cypress" they mean Bald Cypress, which is not a true Cypress (Cupressus).
- Feb 21, 2003
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How do people like the tone of pine? I'm just thinking of putting together a very lightweight, raw P bass.
Unless you're making wind chimes or a xylophone, how the wood sounds doesn't factor in.
What I would be concerned about with pine is how soft it is. Screws can strip out if over tightened, hardware can compress the wood and leave dents when tightened down and it's just generally easy to dent when bumping it on things. Especially all the new, fast growth stuff they pump out for the construction industry.
You can always do a layered body and chamber the wing sections.
I made a body from Radiatia pine from HD and a mango top works fine and sounds fine. I don't seem to have a picture of just the back with a finish.
- Feb 21, 2003
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Of course wood and tone is one of "those" debates. I will say that I have an old G&L that has always sounded zingy and been heavy and I couldn't quite figure out why…recently realized that it was from a run of maple bodies. For that particular bass, you can feel the difference.
I've been sketching an idea for my first project and thinking I'd probably want a maple through-neck with pine wings. The wings would only minimally have to contribute to structure, and can be made out of whatever I have handy, and I happen to have a couple slabs of pine handy.
Maybe I'll take a ball pein hammer and preemptively dent it all over so I won't have to sweat that aspect of care later.
Having a hardwood structure/beam from the tuners to the bridge is ideal (to me). Especially laminated. I see the wings as something to hook the strap to, cut out a knee rest and add a little structure around where you cut out a ton of material in your main beam for a pickup or 2. I feel like you could make body wings out of anything that would adequately serve those 3 purposes.
My only concern (besides aesthetics) would be how the material behaves in service and how it gets along with whatever it's glued to.
I've encountered some really hard and dense SPF and also some stuff you could just about dent/pull apart with your hands.
I am in the middle of taking down about 50 overgrown Leyland Cypress trees. You are more than welcome to come grab a chunk.
I've used Monterey Cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa) for a couple of bodies and was happy with the results. Back in the 1900's and early 20th century there were a lot of them planted in Victoria and Tasmania (Australia) mainly as shelter belts on farms. They grow slowly, but get very large in those cooler states and being planted fairly close together grew tall and pretty strait. The boards I used seemed to be about the same weight and hardness as Alder, for what that's worth.
Right off, I know nothing about species of cypress. I have a local wood supplier that I and other builders have been using for years. They are willing to pull down a bunk of wood and let me sort through it. Years ago I was sorting through a bunk of ash and discovered a few boards of swamp ash mixed in, at this time the term "Swamp Ash" was not prevaliant in the lumber industy (to my knowledge) though some referred to it a southern ash.
I bring this up because I have had the same thing happen with cypress. It seems to me that there are a few different species that end up here just being called Cypress. I currently have a couple of fairly wide 8/4 boards, 10-12' that one would be hard pressed to differentiate from swamp ash. I also have a super lightweight 4/4 board (10') that is 7-8" wide that has incredible figure and grain (flatsawn) that looks more like some type of spruce. It also came out of the cypress section.
I need to learn more about identifying wood species. I have some knowledge (been at this awhile) but to this day I can't tell you what species a live tree is just by looking at it.
I use the lighter weight cypress for solid bodies, the figured board is being used for tops of solid, semi hollow and hollow body instruments.
I bring this up because I have had the same thing happen with cypress. It seems to me that there are a few different species that end up here just being called Cypress. I currently have a couple of fairly wide 8/4 boards, 10-12' that one would be hard pressed to differentiate from swamp ash. I also have a super lightweight 4/4 board (10') that is 7-8" wide that has incredible figure and grain (flatsawn) that looks more like some type of spruce. It also came out of the cypress section.
I need to learn more about identifying wood species. I have some knowledge (been at this awhile) but to this day I can't tell you what species a live tree is just by looking at it.
I use the lighter weight cypress for solid bodies, the figured board is being used for tops of solid, semi hollow and hollow body instruments.
It wasn't from a "run" of maple bodies. Soft maple was one of G&L's primary body woods from approximately 1982 to 1991, primarily used on the SB and SC series, but also used on pro models, here and there.
There are indeed some differences that we can feel between individual basses, but chalking them up to the species of wood used doesn't make any sense, especially with such variance from blank to blank, such a small sample size, and wholly subjective and inconsistent measurement tools (i.e. human judgment). Besides, these differences are easily equalized by electronics. Any of my basses can sound zingy, if that's what I decide I want them to sound like, and take the steps to make them sound that way. And weight is highly variable within a species, much of the time. I have examples of both ash and maple G&Ls of the same body shape that are quite heavy or quite light.
Choose a bass based on looks and weight that you know you like, learn how to use knobs really well, and you'll never be disappointed with looks, feel, or tone. Start generalizing about what such and such a wood looks, sounds, or feels like, and you'll run into disappointment left and right.
I do not know of a body maker that routinely offers Cypress. However, there are probably many out there that will source a blank for you by special request.
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Without going down the tonewood rabbit hole too far, from a construction perspective, the body wood needs to be hard enough to hold screws, stay together with wood glues and not unduly warp in service over time. Lots of softer/lighter woods can work in this regard. Pine, spruce, paulownia, basswood, cypress are all in this realm and will work just fine as proven by many internet examples of guitars built from these woods. If you find something light enough, dry enough (aged) and attractive enough to make a guitar, why not give it a shot?
There are construction methods that can be used to compensate for the weaknesses or concerns. For example, on a neck thru with soft wood wings, you can use dowels to help the wings get a solid join. If you're concerned about the bridge mounting to a soft wood, you can either embed an aluminum or brass plate in the body under the bridge, or can embed a block of hard wood, like maple in order to better hold bridge screws. If the wood is really soft or punky (I build with driftwood quite a bit) it can be firmed up on the surface by applying an epoxy seal coat to help make a good finish.
Lots of options to help reach success.
There are construction methods that can be used to compensate for the weaknesses or concerns. For example, on a neck thru with soft wood wings, you can use dowels to help the wings get a solid join. If you're concerned about the bridge mounting to a soft wood, you can either embed an aluminum or brass plate in the body under the bridge, or can embed a block of hard wood, like maple in order to better hold bridge screws. If the wood is really soft or punky (I build with driftwood quite a bit) it can be firmed up on the surface by applying an epoxy seal coat to help make a good finish.
Lots of options to help reach success.
I agree that a hardwood structure from one end to the other is a good idea. Lamination helps fight the tendency of wood to warp; though roasting probably does that better. If the grain is completely straight on all the pieces, lamination does not help with stiffness. If the grain isn't completely straight on the pieces, it actually reduces stiffness (severing fibers when cutting up the pieces has its cost). It also adds damping, which in musical instruments is generally a negative - why you pay more for a solid top on an acoustic.
