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Where to buy wood!?
- Thread starter amg3l
- Start date
I don't know if you're right or wrong about your lack of local sources, and sometimes the results from this are themselves delusional, but always try
Woodfinder: Find Sources of Lumber, Veneer and Sawmill Services
Before assuming you don't have any.
Woodfinder: Find Sources of Lumber, Veneer and Sawmill Services
Before assuming you don't have any.
The bodies on my two daily players were made from 2x4's I picked up off the ground at a construction site. Yeah - I jointed, planed, glued up etc until I had a nice slab. I bought a used neck.
If there is a Menards close by they also sell walnut(at least by me in Michigan) Home Depot only carries oak and maple.
I think wood availability at HD or Lowes is regional. I keep hearing people claim they’ve bought maple neck blanks there but the ones here and east Idaho have oak, walnut and cherry, no maple.
@amg3l whats your location? Someone here might be close and could clue you in to a local supplier. I remember when we lived in Nampa Idaho by chance I found a great place to buy hardwoods. It was basically a guy with a big shed but he had some places he brought in domestic and a few exotic hardwoods from. You would never know he was there if someone didn’t tell you about it though.
@amg3l whats your location? Someone here might be close and could clue you in to a local supplier. I remember when we lived in Nampa Idaho by chance I found a great place to buy hardwoods. It was basically a guy with a big shed but he had some places he brought in domestic and a few exotic hardwoods from. You would never know he was there if someone didn’t tell you about it though.
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What did your dad and uncle do about instrument quality lumber? They may already have solved this puzzle.
Do you have access to a jointer and a planer? If so, then you can build your body out of multiple pieces. If not, then you may need to purchase a body blank and a neck blank.
I look forward to seeing your thread in the Summer Build Off.
Do you have access to a jointer and a planer? If so, then you can build your body out of multiple pieces. If not, then you may need to purchase a body blank and a neck blank.
I look forward to seeing your thread in the Summer Build Off.
Try Peterman Lumber in Fontana. They have a will-call center where anyone can come in and purchase lumber from many different species.
Architectural Hardwood Lumber, Mouldings & Plywood San Bernardino CA at Peterman Lumber
If yer in the market for exotics or 'instrument-grade' figured woods, I recommend COOK ( Exotic Woods & Hardwoods of the World | Cook Woods ) ... have bought boatloads of their stuff over the years and never been disappointed
I'll need 2 go to Home Depot tomorrow but I will keep u all updated. Im thinking about making it fretless what wood would you recommend for the fretboard. Walnut also? Maple? or should I get something like ebony or pau ferro online. Should I get a 2x6 around 20-24 inches long? And then what would I use for the kneck that they woult typically sell at homedept/lowes? I've researched this before but I would just like second opinion.
Home Depot and other big box stores are jsut about the worst places to buy lumber and they won't carry anything you would want to use for an instrument because the moisture content of their wood isn't low enough (should be around 6%). This means that you'll cut it one day and it won't be in the same shape tomorrow. I know your typical relative humidity is lower than it is here in the Midwest, but it still matters.
At retail, your best bet for anything approaching 'exotic' is woodworking stores like Rockler or WoodCraft, but if you check with some of the arborists in your area, you may find that they cut down trees for residents and cities that would be useful.
BTW- Black Walnut is one of the most expensive domestic hardwoods in the US, but you can also look on Facebook Marketplace or Craig's list in the Materials area- reclaimed lumber is fairly common and if it's old, it's dry.
For the fretboard, you want something that's hard- unfortunately, Ebony tends to be brittle and isn't necessarily easy to work with. It'snot always jet black- you'll often find it with lighter-colored streaks, which is the sapwood and you'll find that with all darker woods.
I would also consider the weight of the instrument- Maple, Walnut and many other species are heavier than the typical woods used.
Do a google search for each wood specie that you're considering- most are known by other names and sometimes, a name is used because the selling price is high than a name that's not as well-known. An example is Pau Ferro, which is also known as Bolivian Rosewood, Santos Rosewood and Morado.
Pau Ferro | The Wood Database - Lumber Identification (Hardwood)
I have gotten wood everywhere from my back yard, to big box store, to ebay. If you are going to build instruments you will have to take up another hobby. Collecting wood.
for your first build i would highly suggest something cheap and easy to work. poplar may or may not be pretty but i think it would fit the bill. good practice finishing a solid color too. walk before you run little homie
Online is expensive, try to buy local. In that regard, it depends on where you are or what's in your area.
In L.A. alone I know three good lumber yards, 10 to 20 minutes away, that specialize in selling high quality hardwood lumber, not even talking Home Depot or Lowes. If I were willing to drive about 1 hour east of here, the lumber yard Fender Custom Shop sources from would be an option.
In L.A. alone I know three good lumber yards, 10 to 20 minutes away, that specialize in selling high quality hardwood lumber, not even talking Home Depot or Lowes. If I were willing to drive about 1 hour east of here, the lumber yard Fender Custom Shop sources from would be an option.
At 14 years old, I’ll just assume you don’t have devades of woodworking experience under your belt.
Home Depot sells wood meant for construction. 2x4 or 2x6 pieces and 8’ in length. You can’t buy a body blank from them. They wood is often warped.
If you bought 2x6, you’d have to cut, then plane the edges 100% straight, then glue and clamp, then probably plane the whole thing front and back to get a smooth surface. Then use a scroll saw and cut out your body. Then use a router to cut out the neck pocket, control cavity, and pickup cavities. Then other wood shaping tools to round the corners, etc. and yeah, a 2x6 will make a thin body. You might pick up a 1/4” sheet to cut to make a veneer to glue to the top and/or back.
The much easier way is to buy a body blank online. Cuts out a lot of steps. You’ll still need to do a ton of work.
I’d be real tempted to buy a premade neck. I’m not even sure what’s all involved to make one from scratch, with a truss rod, etc.
My understanding is many guitar builders have speciality jigs they have likely made themselves in order to hold the wood and complete all the steps needed. For someone with experience plus all the tools and the bass specific jigs, building a bass from scratch might be… well, I’d not say easy, but a hobby to put s lot of time in to. For the rest of us with a hack saw, a dremel, and a drill, building a bass from scratch might be a frustrating waste of time.
I’d buy a body blank - heck, Carvin used to sell a body blank with the neck pocket already cut out! Then buy a neck. Then do all the work needed to turn it in to a bass - which is still a lot of work.
Home Depot sells wood meant for construction. 2x4 or 2x6 pieces and 8’ in length. You can’t buy a body blank from them. They wood is often warped.
If you bought 2x6, you’d have to cut, then plane the edges 100% straight, then glue and clamp, then probably plane the whole thing front and back to get a smooth surface. Then use a scroll saw and cut out your body. Then use a router to cut out the neck pocket, control cavity, and pickup cavities. Then other wood shaping tools to round the corners, etc. and yeah, a 2x6 will make a thin body. You might pick up a 1/4” sheet to cut to make a veneer to glue to the top and/or back.
The much easier way is to buy a body blank online. Cuts out a lot of steps. You’ll still need to do a ton of work.
I’d be real tempted to buy a premade neck. I’m not even sure what’s all involved to make one from scratch, with a truss rod, etc.
My understanding is many guitar builders have speciality jigs they have likely made themselves in order to hold the wood and complete all the steps needed. For someone with experience plus all the tools and the bass specific jigs, building a bass from scratch might be… well, I’d not say easy, but a hobby to put s lot of time in to. For the rest of us with a hack saw, a dremel, and a drill, building a bass from scratch might be a frustrating waste of time.
I’d buy a body blank - heck, Carvin used to sell a body blank with the neck pocket already cut out! Then buy a neck. Then do all the work needed to turn it in to a bass - which is still a lot of work.
If you are confident in your ability to joint and plane then just about anything you find can be made to work.
If you would like those done for you the book-matched walnut blanks look pretty reasonable priced to me - plus the convenience of delivery to your door.
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Whatever you choose - we would all love to see your build documented here!
If you would like those done for you the book-matched walnut blanks look pretty reasonable priced to me - plus the convenience of delivery to your door.
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Whatever you choose - we would all love to see your build documented here!
Hemet/San Jacinto area in the IE. The only wood at my home depot is oak, maple and poplar. And its pretty expensive too.
I feel like this just takes out the fun.. Idk I want to know that made it myself out of nothing. My dad has a lot of tools and I have almost 2 months to do this I think ill just go all out and get something of better quality or at least not from HD because like you said it is Always warped. I just need something to do over the summer so I don't go crazy being alone all day at home.
Thank you all for these websites too I'll check them all out.
My long time friend/bass tech cut tops off Les Pauls and redid them with highly figured book matched maple. He got most of his blanks off eBay. That was over 15 years ago so I have no idea about the current state of wood sales on eBay, but back then killer deals on all manner of nice looking wood were the rule rather than the exception.
Definitely make a body from scratch for the experience, especially if you have experienced folks around to help.Hemet/San Jacinto area in the IE. The only wood at my home depot is oak, maple and poplar. And its pretty expensive too.
I feel like this just takes out the fun.. Idk I want to know that made it myself out of nothing. My dad has a lot of tools and I have almost 2 months to do this I think ill just go all out and get something of better quality or at least not from HD because like you said it is Always warped. I just need something to do over the summer so I don't go crazy being alone all day at home.
Thank you all for these websites too I'll check them all out.
From Home Depot, the maple can make the neck and the poplar can be used for the body. If you buy 3/4" thick poplar project boards, you can glue them together to make yourself a 1.5" thick body blank. Poplar is a great wood for this. 
Then I'd suggest ordering a nice fingerboard from LMII (Luthier's Mercantile International) and start a thread. The gang here will help you out. D
Hemet/San Jacinto area in the IE. The only wood at my home depot is oak, maple and poplar. And its pretty expensive too.
I feel like this just takes out the fun.. Idk I want to know that made it myself out of nothing. My dad has a lot of tools and I have almost 2 months to do this I think ill just go all out and get something of better quality or at least not from HD because like you said it is Always warped. I just need something to do over the summer so I don't go crazy being alone all day at home.
Thank you all for these websites too I'll check them all out.
Yeah, exotic wood zone is fine. The other thing you might want to look into, especially if you’re building a copy or version of something existing, is templates. There’s several places to get them from online including eBay. Templates can also be made from drawings. If you decide to buy templates the first thing I’d recommend is get some 3/4” or 1” MDF and copy the templates which will probably be 1/4” and keep the originals as masters.
