I'm board. Surf's Up

[fett]

Does anyone know if someone has built a guitar body the same way they make surfboards? Styro form with coats of fiberglass. The body shaping would be easy. And for some of the guys that think the body material doesn't matter, it would be interesting to know what it sounded like.

[Mike]

Hmm, never thought about that, but it would be cool to see what it would sound like. Probably a pile of shit, but try everything once.

[Szostak]

That would be weird... I'd expect active pickups..? :P

[fett]

I don't know. It just should be a fun thing to do for anyone who does boats or boards. God. Just think of all the stuff you could do between the foam and the glass.

[DonP]

Aren't Parker (no relation) Fly guitars built like that?

Hell, guitars used to be hollow I don't see a problem making them out of anything. The most important thing is having a stiff nut-to-bridge construction.

[Newc]

Put in EMGs - you'll get the Metal Tone and only half the calories

Actually I think I saw something online a while back like that - some company was making guitars out of surfboard material.

Doesn't ESPee do that for those Batgirl and other fonky shapes?

[Reverend Timmy]

My cousin has been building surfboards for 20+ years.I will ask him about it.Newc,do you have a shape in mind?...Fett,do you have one?.....

[surfreak]

I've been shaping quite a few surfboards since 1987, and I'd say Clark Foam (RIP) is one of the deadest sounding materials you can think of.
The fiberglass and resin coating won't improve this at all, and Clark Foam is so soft and brittle that it could only work mechanically in a neck-thru guitar made of wood.

I suppose, although I have no direct experience, that the same can be said for sandwiched epoxy (think Surftech or the new Salomon S-Core), whereas hollow carbon fiber guitars are already a reality (Rainsong acoustics and Status electrics), and they don't sound bad at all.

Bottom line, a guitar made like a modern surfboard won't sound good. A surfboard made like a guitar? Well, the great old Duke K. did pretty well on his handmade, 16' long, 120 lbs. koa Olo!

[fett]

There are few members here that think the body material makes no difference when you use pups and amps. So why not make one and see what happens?