More wood questions

[Juan Tumani]

Last weekend I bought a bunch of wood from a retiring Luthier. He is in relatively poor health and though he was there he had a close friend handle as much as possible.

I didn't ask the Luthier a ton questions because he was looking a little overwhelmed (completely understandable in the situation).

Anyway, I grabbed this Les Paul style body thinking it would be perfect for an idea I already had. I think this is Korina/White Limba but have never owned a guitar with that wood before.

So in addition to confirming what kind of wood this is I wonder if it's strong/stable enough for a bolt on neck if I didn't want a ton of wood behind the neck.

I want to make a new body for this guitar.

I really like the neck and the control layout but the "Resonwood" body is both heavy as well as a poor fit around the neck pocket. I also prefer thinner bodied guitars.

The current body has about 0.84", could I maybe get away with about a 1/4" less?

 

[Bobby Mahogany]

That would become a rabbit hole for me.

That body is much too nice!
I would want the best for that body and certainly not a Sonex Maple neck!
If that Korina body is anywhere near Flying V tone,
I'd go with a Mahogany set neck for starters.
Then I would get ruined finishing it.

Your mileage might vary.

 

[Juan Tumani]

That would become a rabbit hole for me.

That body is much too nice!
I would want the best for that body and certainly not a Sonex Maple neck!
If that Korina body is anywhere near Flying V tone,
I'd go with a Mahogany set neck for starters.
Then I would get ruined finishing it.

Your mileage might vary.

Lol, I bought a lot of wood. Can make many Les Pauls if I wish. I like this Sonex neck but it needs a new body.

Probably enough for 8-ish Les Pauls with nice tops.

This Korina body is sort of the "Odd man out" as it's not something I likely would've sought out and something needs to be used for this Sonex.

 

[Juan Tumani]

In truth, I don't even have an appropriate workspace yet, I'm hoping to be able to set something up in my basement this year.

What have been doing so far is hauling all my tools out to the driveway but since I don't have a door from the basement to the driveway, I need to haul it all upstairs, through the house and across the yard. Needless to say, I have a lot of stuff I started and never finished. Now I've added to the pile. Lol.

 

[Juan Tumani]

That would become a rabbit hole for me.

That body is much too nice!
I would want the best for that body and certainly not a Sonex Maple neck!
If that Korina body is anywhere near Flying V tone,
I'd go with a Mahogany set neck for starters.
Then I would get ruined finishing it.

Your mileage might vary.

I have this body I grabbed from another builder who gave up on it.

It's an obvious choice for my Sonex plan (especially since it was always meant to be a bolt on) except that it is also very heavy and I don't want the toggle to be in the usual Les Paul place.

If I re-used the Sonex pickguard I could chamber it, fill in the back and paint black.

 

[BDW60]

Tha

Last weekend I bought a bunch of wood from a retiring Luthier. He is in relatively poor health and though he was there he had a close friend handle as much as possible.

I didn't ask the Luthier a ton questions because he was looking a little overwhelmed (completely understandable in the situation).

Anyway, I grabbed this Les Paul style body thinking it would be perfect for an idea I already had. I think this is Korina/White Limba but have never owned a guitar with that wood before.
View attachment 678530 View attachment 678531 View attachment 678532

So in addition to confirming what kind of wood this is I wonder if it's strong/stable enough for a bolt on neck if I didn't want a ton of wood behind the neck.

I want to make a new body for this guitar.
View attachment 678534
I really like the neck and the control layout but the "Resonwood" body is both heavy as well as a poor fit around the neck pocket. I also prefer thinner bodied guitars.

The current body has about 0.84", could I maybe get away with about a 1/4" less?

That Korina body is speaking. It is saying ”please make me into an LP Junior.“

 

[Juan Tumani]

Tha

That Korina body is speaking. It is saying ”please make me into an LP Junior.“

Got that base covered.

 

[CB91710]

I wouldn't want to go much thinner than a Fender... total 1.75" thick and the neck pocket is 5/8", so the base of the neck pocket is 1-1/8" thick.
If you're saying the Sonex is only 0.84 under the neck, no way I'd go less than that on the new body.
If you're saying that the new body is already 0.84, that's too thin to be a candidate for a bolt-on.

Remember, the difference between a set neck and a bolt on is on a bolt-on, all of the string tension is transferred to the body in a bending moment applying tension to the "tongue" of the body. There is no strength added by the sides of the neck pocket as there is with a set neck.
And even then, remember how unstable the old 1st generation SG design was?

 

[Juan Tumani]

I wouldn't want to go much thinner than a Fender... total 1.75" thick and the neck pocket is 5/8", so the base of the neck pocket is 1-1/8" thick.
If you're saying the Sonex is only 0.84 under the neck, no way I'd go less than that on the new body.
If you're saying that the new body is already 0.84, that's too thin to be a candidate for a bolt-on.

Remember, the difference between a set neck and a bolt on is on a bolt-on, all of the string tension is transferred to the body in a bending moment applying tension to the "tongue" of the body. There is no strength added by the sides of the neck pocket as there is with a set neck.
And even then, remember how unstable the old 1st generation SG design was?

Yes. The Sonex has .84" under the neck. There's plenty on the Korina body to do the same (1-3/4"). I know these Sonex models are not very sought after but I like the neck profile. That and the control layout are pretty much all I like. I figure it's either sell it or make a new body to use the neck with.

 

[CB91710]

You could probably get away with it if you don't go any thinner, but that's still 1/4" thinner than a Fender.
I might consider removing the finish from the Sonex neck in the pocket area and supplementing the screws as a glue-in.
A bit of a clusterfuck, but it would add the shear stability to the sides of the pocket.

Personally, I'd go with the LPJR idea.

 

[LtDave32]

Tha

That Korina body is speaking. It is saying ”please make me into an LP Junior.“

This. All damn day.

Don't waste that rare and beautiful piece of clear, clean white limba.

I have a source for korina necks.

 

[Juan Tumani]

Ok ok. Four against one! You guys win!!!

It would be damned sexy.

 

[BDW60]

It’s a victory for all of Junior-dom!