Black Walnut Log: Guitar Tone Wood

Many of my readers know that I am getting ready to build a guitar. This is where I will start. It is a piece of an American Walnut, also known as Black Walnut log. It measures about 14″ to 19″ in diameter and is about 30″ long. A very cool thing about this log is that it is over 50 years old, which means it has done the bulk of drying. Before you can actually use the wood, and after it has been cut into planks, it must dry to a moisture level of 10% or less. After 50 years I expect it to be very dry.

The dark beautiful color of Walnut is very alluring to most people, whether using an oil based finish or a nice clear finish the beauty of the grain and coloring is magnetizing. This is an open grained wood. Walnut is a fairly heavy weight wood compared to Alder wood, with a warm to bright sound that sounds excellent through the whole range of tones. Bass guitars are often made of Walnut.

I choose the Walnut because of the beauty of the wood. The article on a Hand Built Walnut Stratocaster built by my buddy Allan has the standard Stratocaster pickguard setup, which covers a good portion of the wood. My choice is to use the Lollar P-90’s, which I will buy locally from Acme Guitar Works. Coincidentally they are located about 15 miles from me in Vero Beach, Florida. A very Cool company, check them out and call George at 1-772-770-1919 for some good advise and interesting BSing…

Anyway, by using the P-90’s I will not use a pick-guard, therefore leaving the entire front of the guitar free of anything to block the beauty of the wood. I will more than likely coat it in a clear finish of which type has yet to be determined.

I can’t say much more about my build a guitar project yet. Although, it will have a reverse headstock ala Jimi Hendrix made out of AAA Flamed Maple with a soft V neck. First I have to find a sawmill or cabinet maker who can cut this into rough boards, which is proving to be hard to find. If you know anyone who can help me, please leave a comment.

Stay tuned to GuitarPlayersCenter to see the project come to life. Don’t hold your breath, it will take a while. In the meantime enjoy some of our other related posts such as “Hey Sweety, I’m building a guitar, I’ll keep it on a…
Enjoy.