# Cherry



## korgrandi (Sep 16, 2010)

I just made a replacement body for a Telecaster out of cherry and am wondering why cherry isn't used in electric guitar building while it is a very popular woodworking wood. It's a little lighter than hard maple while still very heavy, it looks good, it's easily available compared to some of the exotic wood used in guitar building.

I think my guitar (which was a pilot - trying out cherry) looks and sounds great. I'm thinking of using cherry again if I build another one.

But the question is still lurking in the back of my mind... why isn't it used?


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

Not really sure. I would love to hear it to compare. Cherry is used by a few acoustic makers. They tend not to as a bright as say a rosewood etc. But that is a different application. I love cherry and have built a lot of kitchens out of it. With an oil type finish it gets some amazing colours after a few years.


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## korgrandi (Sep 16, 2010)

After I asked the question down I thought one of the reasons might be because the colour takes a few years to settle and guitar builders aren't that patient. But then again you could paint it...
As for hearing it, I can fix that but I have nothing to compare it to, and it sounds pretty dry since I don't have guitar gear, only bass gear. And since it was destined to be MY guitar, it's a weird Tele: 
- has a Seymour Duncan humbucker in the bridge position
- Both knobs are volume; no tone knob

So it would be pretty hard to compare the wood's sound to another Tele


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## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

what's the weight of your body?...before been painted?...


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## korgrandi (Sep 16, 2010)

Didn't weigh it before I assembled it.The finished guitar is heavy: 9 1/2 lbs.


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

korgrandi said:


> Didn't weigh it before I assembled it.The finished guitar is heavy: 9 1/2 lbs.


There is one of your answers why


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Solid cherry is used sometimes in acoustic guitars by small shop builders, and as a laminate by Godin. I've played a few one-off cherry acoustics which were stellar. My experience building things like shelves and floors from cherry is that the colour is stable after it's well aged and dried, which it should be in any event before building. Colour can range from creamy white to dark rusty red in the same board, and grain can range from arrow straight to extremely figured. An experienced builder wouldn't have trouble with splintering, but I've had the odd board that liked to tear a bit.

It can be heavy for a solid body, but with some judicious board selection, extra deep cavity routing, arm and tummy bevels, extra edge radius, the weight can be made acceptable.

I'd love a Thinline in figured cherry someday...sigh.

Peace, Mooh.


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## korgrandi (Sep 16, 2010)

shoretyus said:


> There is one of your answers why


I understand the weight issue, but maple is still used by guitar builders while being a little heavier than cherry.


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## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

korgrandi said:


> I understand the weight issue, but maple is still used by guitar builders while being a little heavier than cherry.


Maple is used in Neck..not on bodies...at least very rarely. For tele for exemple, a 9 1/2 lbs is just crazy..that's more then more LP's..ahaha a nice tele is usually between 6 and 7 pounds tops.


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

Mooh said:


> Colour can range from creamy white to dark rusty red in the same board, and grain can range from arrow straight to extremely figured.
> 
> Peace, Mooh.


Maple might also be used as a cap. The colour variant is a reason that in most furniture applications it is stained cherry to give a consitancy to product.. ie so the headboard will match the dresser for example.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

There are probably a lot of different woods that make excellent instruments, but simply don't have the guaranteed continuous supply or consistent quality that a major manufacturer would require in order for it to be a "standard" construction material. Alternatively, it may also be the case that the preparation of the wood, or its machining, is more demanding or labour intensive in a manner that increases production costs, and would necessarily bump it up to a higher price-point that perhaps the manufacturer does not wish to be in.


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## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

Very True. Take Cherry for exemple, not the kinda of tree you bump into often compared to maple or other hard-wood. So using it on a production line would not work unless in a VERY limited run. Again for Cherry..for a tree to reach a size where bodies could be cut from the trunk, it takes a LONG time to get that big..and they don't grow to be very tall. 



mhammer said:


> There are probably a lot of different woods that make excellent instruments, but simply don't have the guaranteed continuous supply or consistent quality that a major manufacturer would require in order for it to be a "standard" construction material. Alternatively, it may also be the case that the preparation of the wood, or its machining, is more demanding or labour intensive in a manner that increases production costs, and would necessarily bump it up to a higher price-point that perhaps the manufacturer does not wish to be in.


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

al3d said:


> Very True. Take Cherry for exemple, not the kinda of tree you bump into often compared to maple or other hard-wood. So using it on a production line would not work unless in a VERY limited run. Again for Cherry..for a tree to reach a size where bodies could be cut from the trunk, it takes a LONG time to get that big..and they don't grow to be very tall.


The of the stuff I buy is from Pennsylvania . There is stuff local ( cent ON) but it has a habit of growing to about 14" then centre rotting. So there are no real big boards and have a lot of brown stains in it.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Yeah, the last load of cherry I got was all under 6" wide (milled to 5/4), but I got a small floor and some shelves out of it. Lovely stuff, really. It makes for a nice laminate too.

Peace, Mooh.


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## guitarlover (Oct 22, 2010)

just do not think it


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## korgrandi (Sep 16, 2010)

I never thought about supply. The cherry I usually buy is from the US. 
But the cherry I used for my guitar is Quebec cherry, a gift from a friend who was moving and didn't want to move the wood.


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