Wood Choice - Questions for first build - Crimson Guitar 5 day Course

Jalapeno

I'd recommend the assembly GTC one as an introduction - you do fret levelling & crowning, make a bone nut from scratch, neck alignment & full setup.  Minimal woodworking.

axisus

Maybe it's just me, but I can't see the point of an assembly course. Easy to do yourself, especially with so much online info these days. 

I bought the Mark Bailey Udemy course years ago and found it extremely good for building my first guitar from scratch. If I lived nearer and had the spare dosh I'd love to have done his residential course.

downbytheriver

I did a Crimson course when Christopher was still there - I learnt a massive amount, including to stick to my own guns design-wise. Led me to spending a massive amount on sheds, tools and wood - really pleased with what I’m now producing. Not sure what it would be like without Christopher as I found some attitudes less than endearing. 

prowla

If I were doing one, I'd be looking t the Shuker one.

https://shukerguitars.co.uk/luthiery-courses/

Cheesyfeet

downbytheriver said:

I did a Crimson course when Christopher was still there - I learnt a massive amount, including to stick to my own guns design-wise. Led me to spending a massive amount on sheds, tools and wood - really pleased with what I’m now producing. Not sure what it would be like without Christopher as I found some attitudes less than endearing. 

I went last October after Christopher had left - I found everyone most welcoming and helpful.  There was a couple of times when I was waiting for instruction on what to do next, but wasn't for long.  I did a 6 day course which is an hour longer M-F and 6th day on the Saturday, which turned out to be plenty of time for me to create an LP-alike with a carved top.

PolarityMan

How long does it usually take crimson to rreply? I dropped them a mail last night and havent heard back yet.

PolarityMan

So I had emailed the shop rather than the office email but Rikki from Crimson has got back to me and I'm now booked in for October on the 5 day course!

I'll prob be posting some questions on specs over the coming months but current thinking is still tele with humbuckers. 

davros

If you need somewhere to stay that's good value and with good food, can recommend the Poachers Inn

PolarityMan

davros said:

If you need somewhere to stay that's good value and with good food, can recommend the Poachers Inn

Cheers will give that a google

PolarityMan

SO I'm editing the title of this thread to keep my...deciding what to build questions in one place.

Soooo first up. Wood choice.

I gather tele's are normally made out of ash but my both my favourite guitars from my current collection tone wise is made out of mahogany, as is the joe duplantier sig tele.  

My primary goal is nice grunt for metal riffing but if I could keep a touch of tele twang (maybe coil tap) that would be a bonus. 

WezV

Ash or alder are most common, but mahogany works fine for teles too.    I would say to watch the weight though.  Easier to find alder in the reasonable ball park, swamp ash will cost more and be more difficult to finish.  Mahogany is more likely to be weighty if purchased blind

PolarityMan

WezV said:

Ash or alder are most common, but mahogany works fine for teles too.    I would say to watch the weight though.  Easier to find alder in the reasonable ball park, swamp ash will cost more and be more difficult to finish.  Mahogany is more likely to be weighty if purchased blind

I think crimson supply the wood and you buy it off them, having said that I don't mind it being a bit heavy. My LP has a fiar heft and I can play that standing for 3/4 hours without a problem. I think it's more what will sound best and maybe some consideration with the one I'm least likely to fuck up

Richardrichard

Depends on what finish you want on it. Ash will be a PITA to grain fill and cover in lacquer, alder/basswood much better for that. Mahogany somewhere in the middle. If an oiled natural finish, reverse that order of preference.

WezV

PolarityMan said:

WezV said:

Ash or alder are most common, but mahogany works fine for teles too.    I would say to watch the weight though.  Easier to find alder in the reasonable ball park, swamp ash will cost more and be more difficult to finish.  Mahogany is more likely to be weighty if purchased blind

I think crimson supply the wood and you buy it off them, having said that I don't mind it being a bit heavy. My LP has a fiar heft and I can play that standing for 3/4 hours without a problem. I think it's more what will sound best and maybe some consideration with the one I'm least likely to fuck up

It's not gard yo make a tele that's a comparable weight to a heavier LP.    If you are getting the wood from them, see if they will let you pick the blank from their stock and go for the one that looks and feels right

davros

You can take your own wood to Crimson, or buy it from them. I used a Mahogany blank from them on my course. I don't recall it being too heavy but I chambered my build!

I'm currently building a mahogany LP junior with Tele pickups, so will compare that to my alder tele and let you know!

In terms of finish, your only real choices will be 'flash coat', a 2 pack satin finish, unless you decide to finish it at home. Colour will be added with stain. So, maybe consider that in your wood choice. If you use ash, you probably won't get time to grain fill it, so the finish will not be totally smooth. I like the look myself. Same with mahogany, the finish will sink into the grain.

PolarityMan

Well I dont have to get it from them. I can bring my own but Im not sure I know enough about what to look for to make it worthwhile sourcing it seprately. 

@Richardrichard makes a good point about finish. Not sure what the scope of the course will cover in that regard but my ideal would be some sort of  (maybe green and black) sunburst but looking at the timetable it may be that all they can fit is an oiled finish. 

davros

They won't let you do an oil finish (it will take days), bit they will spray it for you in their booth. When I was there, they bursted some people's builds with stain and an airbrush, then clear coated over that.

WezV

PolarityMan said:

Well I dont have to get it from them. I can bring my own but Im not sure I know enough about what to look for to make it worthwhile sourcing 

I would just pick from what they have there... but see the wood selection bit as an important first lesson.  Given the choice of a few Blanks of any type of wood, some will look better, some will be too heavy.  Forget about species a bit and just chose what feels and looks right to you.  

If you're looking at a burst finish though, consider which wood will look best with that.   A sprayed green finish might look fine on mahogany, but a stained one might not be as vibrant.  Similar with alder if its red alder.


It will be hard to go wrong on tele 

crunchman

I used wood Crimson supplied when I went.  The ash was very dense though.  If I hadn't chambered it, the guitar would have been very heavy.  I think it's English ash rather than lightweight US swamp ash.

I would probably play it safe and take some wood with me.  I think David Dyke has a good reputation on here as a wood supplier.

davros

Crimson just posted a student build on Instagram, it's tele-ish with a black to green burst