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Not much money for materials, tools would cost a bit if I needed to buy them. Cedar fence boards, bought three but I did make a couple guitars from them, about $2.50 each.
Off cuts from pine grain separator forms the lumberyard did, $3, plus another $3 for some birch as a rosette.
Head and tail block from oak timbers, free.
Lining from leftover tongue and groove cedar, braces from RC model aircraft spruce, let's say $15.
Free piece of oak pallet used for fretboard.
Laminated fir 1"x 2", piece of purpleheart for the bridge, guessing under $10. Fretwire $2 foot so $6. Tuners , nut saddle, under $10. Glue and can of poly, let's say $15, shop supplies another $15. Still have the same can of poly and made a number of guitars though.
So lets say about $65. Doesn't count the jigs I made but much of that was sitting around, a sheet of MDF to make a couple of radius dishes. Made my own heating blanket (bought a real one since) and used some high temp silicone for that. And other than have a wood bandsaw blade made up for my metal bandsaw to resaw the boards $15, and a bunch of clamps on sale which I can't recall how much I paid for them, (clamps with fir neck scarf being cut)
really cheap entertainment for a few months of entertainment, paid more for a night out. Probably about $100.
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Did you get first quality wood for the amount you spent in those days?
The ebony fingerboard was bought from a gun stock shop for a few dollars, the rosewood was sawn from a plank bought from a hardwood vendor for probably $10, Gotoh tuners ($12 at that time). The red cedar for the top, sides and back was from a single plank..probably $5-6. The neck was Philippine mahogany scrap. I played the guitar for several years and it ended up in the Philippines where it is still viable.
Probably about £250 not including tools about 6/7 years ago. Had all the tools, made a few jigs etc. Salvaged wood like the neck from assorted things eg mahogany from a frame (old), used thin ply for back and sides but did spend on a reasonable soundboard. You forget that all the little bits and pieces add up. Purfling, varnish/fp, fret wire and the rest are small cost items but they do add up. Anyway, it was the start of another journey that is ongoing..........
Sometime around mid eighties I bought a new Martin jumbo dreadnought for less than you now pay for humble material. Pricing is getting more and more weird, if you ask me.
The ebony fingerboard was bought from a gun stock shop for a few dollars, the rosewood was sawn from a plank bought from a hardwood vendor for probably $10, Gotoh tuners ($12 at that time). The red cedar for the top, sides and back was from a single plank..probably $5-6. The neck was Philippine mahogany scrap. I played the guitar for several years and it ended up in the Philippines where it is still viable.
That's awesome you remember all the details, interesting you used cedar for the whole guitar i never heard about that until now, did you get nice wood?
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