Ply bodies??

[StevieM]

What're your thoughts on Plywood guitar bodies?
How 'bout if it's got a natural finish, so the layers can be seen?
It's just that I've got a project in mind, but don't want to spend a shitload of time on it if they're generally considered to be crap!
Cheers.

[Rick]

if you go to a decent woodyard you can ply in all kinds of wood.
like ply oak, ash, beech, cherry etc.
now here's one for you, 25mm ash faced ply, laminated to 25mm mdf!
when you see the kids with the huge speakers in the cars, they always have mdf bodies everywhere because it resonates.

you can put an edge binding on it anyway to hide the gash chowed up edges.

[StevieM]

Not round here you can't, Rick. Can't get bugger all where I live:-(.
Just wanted a general opinion on what people think of 'em,'cos I'd want to try to sell it.
Here's a pic of an Ash body Telecaster I made for a mate. It wouldn't be the Celtic design, but it gives an idea what I'm thinking of doing. There's some close-ups somewhere but I can't find 'em right now. I also did the top of an Acoustic, I might put a pic of that up too.
If you double click on the pic it comes up bigger.

[Rick]

you might struggle to sell em, people will go uuuuurgggg ply!

I used to go to a woodyard in Colne in lancs (about 10 mins from where i come from) it was one of the big firms, like jewsons etc, I forget the name of it now, you might want to just look into one, you never know.

[StevieM]

How about if I called it 'Multi layered sectional timber', or something?:cheeky1:

[Captain Spasm]

Gibson recently issued an SG model, manufactured from multi-LAMINATED, layered timber.

The body is chamfered and the layers ARE visible. Looks quite cool ... but not sure you'll get the same pleasing effect with ply.

[StevieM]

Hmmmm-----If it's good enough for Gibson????
Not keen on the coloured ones, but the Black/Natural I like.

[Rick]

i like the dan armstrong approach!
get some old placcy and melt it down!
then whittle a guitar from it.

old types are the future!
a tyrecaster

[bigdoug]

If you are going to the trouble of making it why make it from shit? hunt about till you find a bit scrap tone wood.

[Lewis]

From a slightly technical point of view there are major differences between ply and laminated woods.

Ply is layered at 90degs for strength and laminated woods are all uniform in the lay up usually.

Also laminated woods have more wood because of thicker layers and less glue and fillers.

I would also like to think decent laminated woods are formed under a much higher pressure than ply.

Anyway why bother the price of a solid lump of ash or mahogany is rather good IMHO.

[StevieM]

You're probably right, I think that one will go the back burner, either untill I get a decent bit of 'multi layer laminate', or can get to making a Maple one.
Mahogany's a bit dark to do that on, it doesn't show up the design so well, and Ash can be a bit tricky 'cos of the grain. Besides, I like the figuring on Ash to show.

I'll try to put a pic up, maybe tomorrow, of the latest Maple one I'm working on.