Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by JUJU on February 28, 2009 at 12:36am

Hello again
Best thing is to try it , nothing ventured nothing gained , no rules just go with what you got , could be the wonder material ??
juju.

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Permalink Reply by Roosterman on February 28, 2009 at 7:15am

I really hope its not! lol I do love proper wood... to find mdf was better in anyway but be soul destroying
Wise words though Juju... I just thought someone might have had a 'tried it, never again' story!
Il crack on with the build then :o)
And I will remember to stop and take the odd pic now and again...

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Permalink Reply by bairfoot cajun on February 28, 2009 at 11:53am

hey randy i have used what is called substrate and it is pvc material that plummers use in kitchens and bathrooms but the pvc i got comes in 4ft by 8 ft sheets 1/4 in. thick. it has good vibration response so with that said i would try any thing different just as an experiment to see how it works. i,m with juju on this nothing ventured nothing gained.this substrate i use is super easy to cut and shape compared to wood so i like working with it. we use it in the boating industry to take the place of wood cause it will never rot like wood does when constantly exposed to water.

RandyRoosterGuitars said:

I really hope its not! lol I do love proper wood... to find mdf was better in anyway but be soul destroying
Wise words though Juju... I just thought someone might have had a 'tried it, never again' story!
Il crack on with the build then :o)
And I will remember to stop and take the odd pic now and again...

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Permalink Reply by Doug Thorsvik on February 28, 2009 at 5:59pm

Randy

I don't know about using it for boxes, but the 1/4" thick stuff works great for fretboards. It's a nice smooth, hard, and consistent surface. It cuts nicely into strips and sands well.

Doug

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Permalink Reply by Roosterman on February 28, 2009 at 11:06pm

Alrighty!! :o) Thanks the the response guys... Im fired up
I never even considered using it for fretboards, but hell, why not?! Its going to be super stable so should be ideal for our wet little corner of the world!

While we are on the subject then, anyone done anything with glass?

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Permalink Reply by Rich on April 3, 2009 at 4:16am

Isn't MDF really heavy as compared to wood?

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Permalink Reply by Roosterman on April 3, 2009 at 5:49am

Trick question there Rich - I guess it depends on the wood! I will be using 9mm (when I get round to it) so its fairly light. Lighter than oak, probably heavier than pine. But either way, the box will be half the size of a standard solid bodied electric so should weigh comparitivly less... though if it WAS heavier, that could imply it may have better tonal qualities? Id rather use wood myself, but Iv got a stack of MDF offcuts so....

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Permalink Reply by big fat tom on April 3, 2009 at 4:42pm

Here in Brazil is almost impossible to obtain a true cigar box at low price, but I can purchase MDF boxes at $5,00 (BRL12,00) or less. I was made an acoustic/electric 6-string from one of these boxes, but the tone of MDF is weird, just like a cardboard box...

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