Ibanez Guitar Tops
We started doing tops a few years ago. Once we added the
new planer,
it is a lot more efficient. We don't stock the wood for the tops, but we do have the wood for the back. Usually Mahogany
or Ash works well. Finding a good top is part of the fun.
eBay is a decent source because you can see the pattern. It will be slightly more than if you look directly at the lumber
sites, but those guys don't seem to want to show pictures.
On the size, ultimately I need 13 (12.5 barely works) x 18.5 (but 19.5 is better). Then .25 to .5 thick. If it is .25, then
I'll just hand roll over the
armrest.
If it's .5 or more, then I can probably do the full armrest without a line showing.
The thickness is after flattening, so I need a bit more than the specs listed.
To get 19.5 x 13, I can use something 6.5 wide, then do a seam. If it was 6.5 x 40, I could piece it together. If it is
thick, like 1 inch, I can use 6.5 x 19 and slice it to .5. The
flame body
was 45 x 7 x 1.5 or something like that. So I cut it to 19 x 6.5, then sliced it into 4 think pieces,
then made two tops. If you find a piece like that and it looks good to me, I might buy back part of it to
make another body for myself. We can chat. I love making a deal. The other half of this one is going on
this project.
If you see something close, and are not sure, just shoot me a couple eBay numbers and I'll double check.
When you buy, I can give you my address to ship right to me if that helps.
Not many factory Ibanez JEM guitar bodies have tops like this, so you can really get something unique.