Are there any Pine-bodied guitars?

[Artie]

I'm not sure I've seen or heard of one. It's an inexpensive and plentiful wood. I wonder how it would work and sound?

 

[NecroPolo]

Re: Are there any Pine-bodied guitars?

I am certain that I've seen around some cheepo acoustic with pine tops. Never an electric, though. Maybe it is too soft for that, I don't know.

 

[ehdwuld]

Re: Are there any Pine-bodied guitars?

There are some Tele pine bodies
I have one

 

[ehdwuld]

Re: Are there any Pine-bodied guitars?

https://reverb.com/item/17102410-telecaster-body-usa-unfinished-solid-swamp-ash

https://www.stewmac.com/Materials_a...d/Shaped_Bodies/Golden_Age_Body_for_Tele.html

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Are there any Pine-bodied guitars?

The first of the Teles/Esquires were made from pine.

 

[NegativeEase]

Re: Are there any Pine-bodied guitars?

The other guitarist in my band has a custom SG thats made from pine from a barn -it sounds amazing.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Are there any Pine-bodied guitars?

Yeah, a lot of classic re-creations of Teles use pine. You don't often see it in original designs outside of prototypes, though. Maybe it has to do with the perception of it being a 'cheap' wood.

 

[Masta' C]

Re: Are there any Pine-bodied guitars?

The 3-pickup Fender "Modern Player" Tele from a couple years ago was Pine. Cool guitars, good tone and really reasonably priced.

 

[ErikH]

Re: Are there any Pine-bodied guitars?

My very first guitar I ever build was a pine body SG / Strat looking monstrosity...LOL. I bolted a neck on that was supposed to be set-neck (I was a teenager and didn't know better), slapped a Duncan Distortion in there with a single-volume. It looked like crap but was very light and sounded pretty darn good. A friend of mine in HS who had been playing a long time thought it sounded good. It screamed through is Marshall.

 

[donaldr]

Re: Are there any Pine-bodied guitars?

Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster

 

[Artie]

Re: Are there any Pine-bodied guitars?

Great info guys. Thanks. So, besides just "good tone", how would you describe it? I'm thinking it might be very mellow, and warm. But Teles are traditionally bright and twangy.

 

[GuitarStv]

Re: Are there any Pine-bodied guitars?

I always figured that pine would be risky to use as a guitar because it's such a soft wood. Don't you get issues from that?

 

[ehdwuld]

Re: Are there any Pine-bodied guitars?

I always figured that pine would be risky to use as a guitar because it's such a soft wood. Don't you get issues from that?

On the body it's a lot of wood
And most of the tension is on the neck

It will dent and ding like Basswood

 

[NegativeEase]

Re: Are there any Pine-bodied guitars?

Hey OP. I just talked to the guitar maker in Germany. Im wrong... its not pine -its even softer! -its made of Fir. He said the trick was a Mahogany strip sandwiched between.

It plays and sounds amazing
Here are some pics

 

[Artie]

Re: Are there any Pine-bodied guitars?

It will dent and ding like Basswood

I've got a couple of Basswood guitars, (my JetKing, for example), and I've never dented or dinged any of them. But then again, I don't play out, so I'm sure that's a factor.

Hey OP. I just talked to the guitar maker in Germany. Im wrong... its not pine -its even softer! -its made of Fir. He said the trick was a Mahogany strip sandwiched between.

It plays and sounds amazing.

Those are sweet.

 

[justFred]

Re: Are there any Pine-bodied guitars?

Hey OP. I just talked to the guitar maker in Germany. Im wrong... its not pine -its even softer! -its made of Fir. He said the trick was a Mahogany strip sandwiched between.

It plays and sounds amazing
Here are some pics

View attachment 98828

That is one wicked looking guitar...rare for me to get into the looks of an axe but every so often one like this shows up...beautiful!!!

 

[dystrust]

Re: Are there any Pine-bodied guitars?

I always figured that pine would be risky to use as a guitar because it's such a soft wood. Don't you get issues from that?

I've heard that Fender didn't use pine on the production Esquires and Telecasters because it was too soft and dented very easily.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Are there any Pine-bodied guitars?

I've heard it was because Fender found a whole bunch of cheap ash.

 

[NegativeEase]

Re: Are there any Pine-bodied guitars?

I've heard it was because Fender found a whole bunch of cheap ash.

Makes sense -That was pretty much Leo's MO -He needed inexpensive guitars to pair with his amp in the stores.

Everything about Fender is a compromise in design -it just so happens that with his brilliant pickups and amps -it worked perfectly for Blues, Rock and Country.

but what is seen as ubiquitous and innovative today was really mostly just cost cutting to sell amplifiers.

Things like

Stamped screw on Bridge
Bolt on neck
Maple fretboard
Ash body
No head stock angle -instead string trees.
Topside pickup/pickguard cavity pocket

But his goal was to take all the complex luthier tasks OUT of the guitar making process -which he mostly did

 

[Artie]

Re: Are there any Pine-bodied guitars?

And it worked. Changing pups/wiring in a Strat is a breeze compared to many others.