Why build a plywood guitar? Well, there are several reasons I decided to undertake this project:
- It’s a great way to test out new tools, methods, and materials in the workshop
- To find out how good a guitar can sound with inexpensive material
- Because I’ve never seen one
With the proper motivation in place, I selected my materials:
- One 8 x 10 sheet of shop sanded 1/4″ plywood from Home Depot for the top, back, and sides
- One 4×4 pine fence post for the neck
The first real challenge was reducing the 1/4″ plywood to three millimeters without the aid of a drum sander, surface planer, or jointer. Instead I used a hand planer, a belt sander, and elbow grease. But this turned out extraordinarily well…just get rid of two plies, and you have a top and sides.
The next big challenge, which did not turn out so well, was my plan to use a 4’x4′ fence post for the neck. Just as I got down to the nitty gritty, a knot chunked out while I was shaping the neck. I had to then melt the glue on the fingerboard and start over. Second time around it was mahogany, a tried and true standby.
The rest was pretty smooth sailing, and the Spampinato Barnyard Salvage Special is now for sale at Victor Guitar.
In the end, this was a very worthwhile project: the guitar sounds great, the new building techniques and tools were a success, and there’s a very unique guitar joining the world of lutherie!