Douglas Fir as a musical wood?

Question

I have the trunk from a large Douglas Fir we cut down a few years ago, and I'd like to be able to use for a bass guitar I'm looking into making, as described here>http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-Your-Own-Electric-Guitar!/

Does Douglas Fir make a decent musical wood? Do I have to dry the wood or anything before I use it?

Answer 1

Douglas Fir, while being a soft wood, has some very unique grain patterns, that will give your guitar a unique look.   Since you are planning to make an Electric Bass Guitar, the body of the guitar, being made from a solid piece of wood, approximately 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick in certain places will provide the strength to hold your neck, and the pressure of string tension.   The site you plan to use as guidance for making your BASS, appears to be a good one.    The way you described the piece of wood you plan to use, tells me it is most likely still in a log, unmilled, and will require deminsioning prior to fabricating the guitar body.    The problem with using such a piece of material, is that it could be infested with insect larve,   Have the log milled to deminsoned lumber, even if down a few years, once you deminson the pieces to rough cut lumber, it will still have to "air dry" for quite a while, to allow the lumber to stabilize.   Don't try to make your guitar body too quickly.   If you do, it could crack and split out on you.   Once deminsioned, air dried wood is harder than Kiln dried wood.   The hardness of the air dried lumber, will give you a stronger panel to work into a guitar body.   The Kiln dried wood, will be softer, and may not hold the hardware you will need to use in the construction of your guitar.     Follow the directions offered in the site you plan to use, and take your time in the fabrication of the unit.   Once completed, it will be a one-of-a-kind guitar.

Enjoy the opportunity to fashion something on your own.   Maybe by the time you've made several, you might even consider yourself a skilled luthier.

Answer 2

I've never heard of conifer being used for musical instruments, but seeing your question was so far unanswered I had to stop in.

  First of all since you don't define "A Few Years Ago" or what anyone did with that TRUNK until now, I suggest we can assume it is dead. Has it cured and dried? tightened, split? I can't know.

   What I do suspect however is that the acoustic properties of a soft wood, might be less than ideal.

   Have you spoken to anyone in the business of Guitars, and crafting them?