Official Luthiers Forum!

I am curious of this since I am building my first....and have put much thought into what should match and what shouldn't.

Example: Bridge pins must match tuner buttons, or, tail wedge should match headstock overlay...

Let us know...this should be good.

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There is no difference between the man that thinks he can....and the man that thinks he cannot.

Personally, I like to have headplate, fretboard, bridge & tailpiece (archtop) of the same wood for continuity. You could also include pickguard, although I've seen that successfully matched to B & S wood. I also think the tail wedge & heelcap look best matching the binding, but again, it's a personal choice. (Matching pins, tuner & strap buttons is also nice.)

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Dave
Milton, ON

I knew someone would put that in there.....

TODD GETS POINTS!....for what I don't know....

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There is no difference between the man that thinks he can....and the man that thinks he cannot.

I always match side dots to bridge pin inlays, except when I don't.

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

I guess I should chime in here....

For my first guitar...which is not yet complete....

tuner buttons and bridge pins will match...
finger board, bridge, and headstock overlay will match
finger board binding, body binding, and headstock binding will match

Ummmm....tbc

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There is no difference between the man that thinks he can....and the man that thinks he cannot.

the only thing I try to match is the number of strings to the number of tuners.

the last two 12 string bridges I made only had 6 pins each......

As to woods, SO FAR the two sides of the back and both sides have matched.........

so far.......

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My soundclick xx luthier blog xx luthier soundclick

What, no socks?

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Aoibeann

The desired sound and the concept must match.
The skill and the project must match.
The guitar and customer must match.
The price and market value must match.
Cosmetics,
all bindings
all metal hardware
all wood hardware
nut and saddle where applicable
case and guitar (not just the fit)
Any electronics I consider to be a basic part, just as I would consider hardware, wood ,dimensions ect....
impeadance of pickup, mike, preamp, ect...
There will always be exceptions for creative and supplier related reasons.

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How long is that in luthyears?

i love this question. the amount of time (and money) all of us put into making these decisions is huge.
that said, for every guitar i see that i like because it has everything matched up meticulously, i also see guitars where a lot of things don't match, but it still works.
some examples:
martins are beautiful in there own way, even with the cheap decal on the headstock.
everyone seems to like the way taylors look even though the body is gloss and the whole neck, including headplate, are satin.
no one complains about larrivees all having curly maple bindings on the body and ivoroid bindings on the fingerboard (okay, i'm not really a fan of this one). from what i can tell, all three of these above examples are directly related to simplifying the manufacturing process, and most players (and even a lot of builders) don't notice or are fine looking past it if the instrument is really good.
and lowden's have those caramel/pearloid tuner buttons, on gold hardware, with an ebony fretboard and brazilian bridge without any pins, and i love the way they look.
all of this makes me think that most of us should not be trying to make the perfect looking guitar, but just be trying not to make a dorky looking one. as a rule, simple things done well looks way better than complicated things done poorly.
phil

Making pins match tuner buttons???? Where are you going to get chrome pins if you use chrome tuners?.

If I use wood pins they will match either the fb/bridge or the binding. But mostly I use bone pins.

All you really have to do is follow use good artistic visual conception. Trying to set a rule is a waist of time that limits your pallet.

I've made a few guitars I'd like to put a match to !

Mike

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Mike Collins

I have no hard and fast rule. Sometimes I use an ebony heel cap regardless of the head plate, binding or bridge. I like to use ebony head plates regardless of the binding. My tail wedge is usually the same as the binding provided it actually matches. I find that trying to get a match and failing is worse than not trying to match at all. Especially when the matched woods are in contact with each other.

I would use pearl bridge pins is the fret dots are pearl and abalone bridge pins when the fret dots are abalone. Same with the tail pin. The strap pin on the heel matches the tuning posts.

As long as your socks are the same length and thickness, you'll never know the difference.

Miek

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Mike Lindstrom

I'd like to also humbly add that if one is truly going to be picky...then the thread counts of the socks must match...and NO...socks don't always match!

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There is no difference between the man that thinks he can....and the man that thinks he cannot.

Panties and Bra! oh yeah

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"After forty-nine years of violin building, I have decided that the search for a varnish is similar to the fox hunt. The fun is in the hunt."
Jack Batts Maker and Repairer of Fine Violins

I like Howard's response, because it's pretty much spot on.

It depends. I like to match binding and end graft, but sometimes I like to use the same wood for the rosette and the end graft, and have the binding just do its own thing. I like bridge and headplate and fingerboard to play nice together, but I also like the look of rosewood bridge and headplate with an ebony board, in some cases.

I rarely ever use wood button tuners, because I'm a bit cheap, although when I do (ebony) I like to match them to the headplate. Usually. If the overall design gels, it's all good.

Or......... well never mind - I won't go there - here........

A related issue for me is a personal preference to not use to many woods and materials on a guitar. When I look at some of my early guitars I can see up to 7 different woods...... These days I strive to use 3-4 woods total on a guitar. It's a lot easier at least for me to have things match well if I limit what I am trowing into the heap.......

Just use your eyes & expectations to make it look right!

There is no perfect combo-just good work & well thought out works!

Mike

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Mike Collins