Used "wet" wood?

[davemonkey]

No, I'm not using any, nor am I suggesting it. I want to know if anyone has built a bass/guitar/whatever with non-dried wood and what were the results.

I have read several second or third-hand accounts of wood warping, poor tone, cracking, etc... Most of the damage I've read about was on hollow-bodies. But, I'd like to get some first-hand accounts of the woes of wet wood.

So, if you've ever built a solid-body with wet wood (not sufficiently dried for musical instrument use), whether for a practice, template, or an expensive project, what happened?

-Dave

 

[mikeyswood]

Samick did all the time.

 

[davemonkey]

Is that why I'm only vaguely familiar with them? (Korean company, right?)

 

[mikeyswood]

Entry level crap brand. My first fiver was a Samick and it was complete junk. That "instrument" is one of the reasons I started building 16 years ago; so I guess there is a positive side to that story.

 

[Greenman]

This is what the top on my bass used to look like. After about a year the finish went all ripply on me (no pic at the moment). Refinishing would probably cut thru the dye so I'm going to leave it.

 

[mikeyswood]

Oh yeah, you should throw that in the trash. Can I have the ETS?

 

[davemonkey]

That's a beautiful bass there!

So, your problem was more with the finish than with wood wood warp? Or did warping lead to the problems with the finish?

 

[Beej]

I'll have to snap a pic and post it, but one of my acoustics has a finish that's permanently toasted because the wood was not fully dry before the instrument was built. It appears to have a semi-translucent milky-white haze throughout it...

 

[T-Bird]

Hi.

Gibson in the late 80's/early 90's.

Rumour has it that Gibson sold their wood inventory to Japan and had to use unseasoned wood for a while. Whether that's true or not I don't know.
What I do know is that Gibsons from that era tend to show more repairs in that area and also more cracks in the finish in that area.

I've repaired several detached set-in necks from that era.

The shrinking can be measured so it's just not the usual sloppy Gibson workmanship.

Regards
Sam

 

[Greenman]

So, your problem was more with the finish than with wood wood warp? Or did warping lead to the problems with the finish?

Not the best pic but a few places the top is dimensionally smaller. Plus I think my pour filling sucked into the wood as it dried.

 

[Larry Davis]

I'll have to snap a pic and post it, but one of my acoustics has a finish that's permanently toasted because the wood was not fully dry before the instrument was built. It appears to have a semi-translucent milky-white haze throughout it...

That's called blushing and is a result of improper ambient finishing conditions..not wet wood.

 

[davemonkey]

That surprises me about Gibson, but that just shows my inexperience.

Greenman, I see what you're talking about, but that is still a great looking bass!

 

[tdub0199]

Greenman, That is a beautiful bass bro!!!!