Why isn't oak used more for guitars ??

[far0n]

As a resident of Kilburn (home of the mouseman, Robert Thomson) I frequently pass the massive piles of oak sitting outisde, seasoning ready to be made into furniture. Then I started thinking, you never really see guitars made from oak !! Is it too heavy ? Rubbish tone wood ? Difficult to work with ? As usual, all opinions and thoughts welcome

[Dood]

I guess it's because it's really heavy! - I guess you could make a nice top slice for a guitar though?

[gub]

I love oak but it does tend to be on the heavy side.

[3below]

Remembering a woodwork lesson - showing my age here - before design technology resistant materials
- you will also need to use brass screws to anchor anything. Oak releases tannic acid which causes blue / black stains when it reacts with steel. My house has 300+ year old oak beams, they are hard as iron. Later pickup routes and alterations might be difficult. Oak also develops shakes, splits and is dense. However it does have nice grain and takes very pretty stains and colours. Finishing is easy, wax, wax, wax.

[Bloodaxe]

Pretty much all of the above, plus it takes ages to season properly. If it isn't (i.e. it's a bit 'green') oak can, and will, move how & where it wants - not ideal in a musical instrument.

High-grade stainless or brass fittings are compulsory as it'll utterly destroy mild steel over time & have the plating off screws just for something to do.

Vicious stuff.

[Prosebass]

Oak is great to work with , very similar to ash as regards weight and tone.
Don't get confused with Green Oak for building which has high tannin levels as opposed to kiln dried which has very little.
I have topped quite a few bass bodies with 15mm - 20mm Oak , used it in laminated necks and even as a board on a 3 octave fretless.

[Roland Rock]

Oak is very similar to ash in terms of weight. There are plenty of heavier woods used for basses, such as bubinga, walnut, mahogany etc. I've often wondered about why it's not used for instruments - perhaps something to do with resonance? (not much call for resonance knowledge in the furniture making trade )

Regarding tannins, yes, you will get the black staining, but only when it comes into contact with moisture too. From my experience, you can use steel screws for indoor oak furniture with no problems, but outdoors, best go for brass. Perhaps a particularly sweaty player might have problems

Oak can be really beautiful, especially the quarter sawn stuff with its medulliary rays.

Edited June 2, 2011 by Roland Rock

[RhysP]

My Chapman Stick was made of oak.

That was interesting wasn't it?

[stoker]

didn't brian may use some oak in his red special?

[Happy Jack]

[dmccombe7]

[quote name='RhysP' post='1255416' date='Jun 3 2011, 01:28 PM']My Chapman Stick was made of oak.

That was interesting wasn't it? [/quote]




Dave

[ShergoldSnickers]

My mate's infamous 'Table Bass'



Made from an oak table, the sides hollowed out to save weight. There's even a fork hidden in it somewhere should anyone go delving inside, just to emphasise the domestic origins.

[wez]

So what sort of sound do get from an oak body?

[Happy Jack]

Sort of acorn-y.

[Dad3353]

[quote name='wez' post='1257255' date='Jun 5 2011, 01:30 PM']So what sort of sound do get from an oak body?[/quote]
Oak-ay

[skej21]

[quote name='wez' post='1257255' date='Jun 5 2011, 12:30 PM']So what sort of sound do get from an oak body?[/quote]

A-corny sound

Edit: Damn. HJ beat me too it!

Edited June 5, 2011 by skej21

[dmccombe7]

oakily doakily

very wooden sound
usually played by cabinet ministers

"Knot" forgetting the gold "leaf" fittings to match.

Dave

Edited June 5, 2011 by dmccombe7

[Vibrating G String]

Oak has been used for many decades, sometimes renamed ash since most players buy based on names and reputation and not the way a guitar plays or feels. This renaming is very common in the wood trade, so many things get renamed mahogany or rosewood without being a true Swietenia or Dalbergia.

Fodera and MTD made some oak necks and they were bordering on being trendy for a while. Apparently in most rainforests less than 10% of the wood is exportable because it is unknown and unmarketable regardless of it's timber qualities. Some South American luthiers are using woods with names we've never heard before with great success. And if you look at other instruments besides guitars you will see many more species being used.

You have to keep in mind that what we consider blessed tonewoods today like rosewood and alder and ash were once cheap replacements for real tonewoods like ebony and mahogany. Oak can be used instead of other dense very hard woods with no discernible tonal difference.

[pnefc42]

[quote name='stoker' post='1255457' date='Jun 3 2011, 02:03 PM']didn't brian may use some oak in his red special?[/quote]

Yep, quite right. The main centre section of the RS is indeed oak (2 seperate pieces) onto which the tremolo, bridge, pickups and neck are mounted. The oak centre section was then complimented by blockboard wings (hollowed out with acoustic sound chambers) before the whole thing was covered with mahogany veneer - unique design giving a unigue tone!

Cheers
Dave

[Roland Rock]

[quote name='Vibrating G String' post='1257990' date='Jun 6 2011, 01:33 AM']Oak has been used for many decades, sometimes renamed ash since most players buy based on names and reputation and not the way a guitar plays or feels. This renaming is very common in the wood trade, so many things get renamed mahogany or rosewood without being a true Swietenia or Dalbergia.[/quote]

I understand what you mean about the rosewood, as there are many "rosewoods" that are not the real thing. In the UK at least, I've never come across oak being renamed ash or vice versa, and these are materials I buy and work with all the time, and if I ordered oak and got ash, they'd hear about it pretty quickly!

Edited June 6, 2011 by Roland Rock