Good Retailers of Luthier Wood in UK

Paulcole

Hi, can anyone recommend some good UK suppliers of tonewood for making electrics guitars? Looking for everything from plain wood through to exotic woods too. 

Many thanks, Paul

octatonic

David Dyke has consistently good stuff.
Also check out UK Exotic Hardwoods.

AustrianJohn

octatonic said:

David Dyke has consistently good stuff.

Another vote for David Dyke. 

Paulcole

Thanks will check them out!!

Jez6345789

Big +10 for Timberline down in Kent
Been buying stuff for years as the projects come up and they are always friendly and helpful and have some nice stuff if you want to have a rummage around the shelves. 

This fancy Koa top fully satisfies my current lust for all things KOA and the fantasy if PRS did juniors project LOL



With a little spirit wipe

Sham61

Wow. That Koa top looks gorgeous.

axisus

David Dyke has a very basic website, no pix. I live too far away to visit.

UK Exotic Hardwoods I like a lot. Not cheap, but he has pix of all the tops etc. 

Jez6345789

Yeah its not even sanded yet, still wondering whether its just a clearcoat or if I need to stain it and pop it even further or try a edge sunburst.  Its so pretty and full on its hard to make a decision on finishing I have the off cuts which I can play with.  But to the original question love rummaging in Timberline

Danielsguitars

Jez6345789 said:

Yeah its not even sanded yet, still wondering whether its just a clearcoat or if I need to stain it and pop it even further or try a edge sunburst.  Its so pretty and full on its hard to make a decision on finishing I have the off cuts which I can play with.  But to the original question love rummaging in Timberline

how much was the koa top, I'd like to use one of them one day, didn't know they did those

GSPBASSES

I use Timberline and David Dyke, I do work for both of them mainly slotting fingerboard's and  kerfed linings. I only live about 20 minutes away from David Dyke, so I tend to use him most of the time. One of the things you have to bear in mind about David Dyke at least 90 percent of his tone wood is for classical instruments and acoustic guitars. This type of customer will travel many hundreds of miles to sort through the wood they  need, as a consequence, David feels there is no need for photos on his website. Because David  turns wood over so quickly, it would be pointless taking photos and put them on the website, as by the time he did  this the wood will be sold. These customers also know if they can't get to David's he will pick them out high quality wood. However , if you need particular wood you can phone David and his men, Andrew will sort wood out for you and send you photos. David obviously does carry large quantities of wood for what we want, he has huge quantities of Honduras mahogany Les Paul body blanks,  plus a vast range of caps to go with them, from plain maple up to the highest quality quilt maple, and everything in between. And of course the man who makes the ultimate 58 Les Paul burst (whose name we must not mention) travels to David Dykes.

axisus

GSPBASSES said:

One of the things you have to bear in mind about David Dyke at least 90 percent of his tone wood is for classical instruments and acoustic guitars. This type of customer will travel many hundreds of miles to sort through the wood they  need, as a consequence, David feels there is no need for photos on his website. Because David  turns wood over so quickly, it would be pointless taking photos and put them on the website, as by the time he did  this the wood will be sold. These customers also know if they can't get to David's he will pick them out high quality wood. However , if you need particular wood you can phone David and his men, Andrew will sort wood out for you and send you photos. David obviously does carry large quantities of wood for what we want, he has huge quantities of Honduras mahogany Les Paul body blanks,  plus a vast range of caps to go with them, from plain maple up to the highest quality quilt maple, and everything in between. And of course the man who makes the ultimate 58 Les Paul burst (whose name we must not mention) travels to David Dykes.

Indeed. I didn't mean to sound negative by saying that DD had no pix - just being factual.

GSPBASSES

axisus said:

GSPBASSES said:

One of the things you have to bear in mind about David Dyke at least 90 percent of his tone wood is for classical instruments and acoustic guitars. This type of customer will travel many hundreds of miles to sort through the wood they  need, as a consequence, David feels there is no need for photos on his website. Because David  turns wood over so quickly, it would be pointless taking photos and put them on the website, as by the time he did  this the wood will be sold. These customers also know if they can't get to David's he will pick them out high quality wood. However , if you need particular wood you can phone David and his men, Andrew will sort wood out for you and send you photos. David obviously does carry large quantities of wood for what we want, he has huge quantities of Honduras mahogany Les Paul body blanks,  plus a vast range of caps to go with them, from plain maple up to the highest quality quilt maple, and everything in between. And of course the man who makes the ultimate 58 Les Paul burst (whose name we must not mention) travels to David Dykes.

Indeed. I didn't mean to sound negative by saying that DD had no pix - just being factual.

I completely agree with you, I've been trying for many years's to get  David to improve his website. But he just says he doesn't need to, and in a way I understand, I've been there on several occasions  when customers who build violins, viola's and double basses are spending five figure sums so why advertise.

Jaycee

I phoned David a few years ago for some blanks, when I gave him my address he said that he was in Wales the following week visiting a friend,........ only a mile from where I live.  He brought a small selection up for me to chose from and a few extra pieces.  Whats the chances of that?? 

Jez6345789

I can't remember the Koa cost, to be honest as I bought a bunch of things that day. I do so few projects over so long that frankly, I buy the stupidly expensive stuff. But they let me rummage through a load of stuff and pick away and as I don't do it for a living I buy wood for the pleasure of having that gorgeous piece and not as I have to sell it on or try and make a profit out of it. Ultimately none of it is that outrageous for what you are getting.  

In the last few years Timberline has upped the game a bit with WYSIWYG web images but for me, The pleasure is getting to sort through 50 Honduras blanks or 20 Koa tops etc. 

axisus

Jez6345789 said:

In the last few years Timberline has upped the game a bit with WYSIWYG web images but for me, The pleasure is getting to sort through 50 Honduras blanks or 20 Koa tops etc. 

Indeed. I would choose that every time if I was 30-40 miles away. Unfortunately it's over 100 miles away - too much hassle!

Danielsguitars

axisus said:

Jez6345789 said:

In the last few years Timberline has upped the game a bit with WYSIWYG web images but for me, The pleasure is getting to sort through 50 Honduras blanks or 20 Koa tops etc. 

Indeed. I would choose that every time if I was 30-40 miles away. Unfortunately it's over 100 miles away - too much hassle!

every time I've been there for mahogany it's always too heavy for my needs, i did get a couple of lovely madagascan rosewood boards from them years ago, made lovely fretboards

AustrianJohn

GSPBASSES said:

I completely agree with you, I've been trying for many years's to get  David to improve his website. But he just says he doesn't need to, and in a why I understand, I've been there on several occasions  when customers who build violins, viola's and double basses are spending five figure sums so why advertise.

I've bought from David a few times. I send him an email with my request, he sends me a load of pictures of candidate bits of wood and I select the winner. Much better than some of the web sites that appear to be better but don't actually send you the bit of wood in the picture that you selected.

Jez6345789

customkits said:

axisus said:

Jez6345789 said:

In the last few years Timberline has upped the game a bit with WYSIWYG web images but for me, The pleasure is getting to sort through 50 Honduras blanks or 20 Koa tops etc. 

Indeed. I would choose that every time if I was 30-40 miles away. Unfortunately it's over 100 miles away - too much hassle!

every time I've been there for mahogany it's always too heavy for my needs, i did get a couple of lovely madagascan rosewood boards from them years ago, made lovely fretboards

That's because I sift through the fifty and pick all the light ones for future projects LOL

To be honest i am sure if you said you were coming they would advise when they have cut a new batch or if you wanted a few they would do what they could to accommodate. 

Danielsguitars

Jez6345789 said:

customkits said:

axisus said:

Jez6345789 said:

In the last few years Timberline has upped the game a bit with WYSIWYG web images but for me, The pleasure is getting to sort through 50 Honduras blanks or 20 Koa tops etc. 

Indeed. I would choose that every time if I was 30-40 miles away. Unfortunately it's over 100 miles away - too much hassle!

every time I've been there for mahogany it's always too heavy for my needs, i did get a couple of lovely madagascan rosewood boards from them years ago, made lovely fretboards

That's because I sift through the fifty and pick all the light ones for future projects LOL

To be honest i am sure if you said you were coming they would advise when they have cut a new batch or if you wanted a few they would do what they could to accommodate. 

They never had a really good selection of mahogany before but that was years ago now, it's why i stick to dykes because he's better for what i want and good prices, i might go back at some point just to see 

How light did your mahogany blanks came out, rough idea of a LP body just cut to shape no routes

Jez6345789

The original board of Honduras I bought with my mate years ago which was enough for about 6 bodies, was like 100 years old and from a liquidation sale, the Koa top junior project is made from that and with the koa top and junior thickness that is weighing in under 6lb with all the parts on the scale but not cut the neck or pickups yet so as a finished guitar it will be super light. 

The recent 4 blanks I bought we estimate they should produce finished Les Pauls around 7-7.5lb without weight relief they where the obvious 4 light one out of 50 or 60 they had cut there was some very distinct difference in the range as we did it by repeatedly comparing one to the other leaving us the 4 lightest. I do think with Honduras it really just depends on what they are ripping up at the time. They have had some massive tree size lumps down there from time to time. 

All that said if Mr Dyke ticks all the boxes you need then he is your guy. I like Timberline as its a great local resource, he is never going to get rich on my personal projects but treats me fairly and I find stuff I like. Doing it for a living is totally different when you need consistent or wood to a reliable weight and quality standard.