Official Luthiers Forum!

Ziricote is a odd color for wood. I'm wondering what to bind it with that would look really nice. What do you use? This is a set I got from an OLFer.

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http://www.dickeyguitars.com

Bruce I've never built with Ziricote before but I would think you have a couple of options.

You could go darker and use ebony

You could go lighter and use

curly maple
curly koa

or you could go with something similar
brw
walnut
or off cuts from the sides.

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It looks great with curly maple.

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Nice wood Bruce!

I've been thinking about the same thing as THE Guitar i will build is Ziricote but the top is LS Redwood. I don't really care for the abalone bling thing so mine will probably be black & ? (and maybe just black!).

On yours, I wonder if Black and figured/spalted maple would look nice? Is it "offensive" to use a transparent stain? I am thinking to darken the maple a bit so it isn't a sore thumb. I don't read much here about the use of stains/color except for sunbursts. Or if you could find something to match the sapwood color on the back?

I am also curious what you plan for the neck? I think i prefer to have the neck nearly match the back. I know mahogany darkens with age but i am thinking i may stain it darker to start with.

Macassar ebony looks great on Ziricote. Very elegant !!

Use black and white purflings. A single white line for the side purfling looks great.

Mark

Bruce...if you have a copy of the 2007 Healdsburg Festival program (LMI has been sending them out in recent orders) you can take a look at my advertisement and you can see a phot of a ziricote with flamed koa binding guitar.
I think that combo is just elegant, but YMMV.

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Hank Mauel

I used some slightly streaked ebony from the Zootman. It looks great as well.

Bob K

I used Ziricote with a maple purf line the maple pics up color and looks gold when finished.

      

   Mark.

Hank that looks really nice. Where do you hook the guitar strap? Just kidding. Nice looking Buns on the guitar. Koa is nice.

Black, Flamed Maple crossed my mind. Brazilian and Madagascar Rosewoood would be nice if I had some. I've not yet done side purfs. This may be the one where I try those miters, yikes.

I've mitered a million corners mainly trim in houses but it somehow makes me nervous on a guitar? Who's gonna do a nice tutorial on miters now, huh? Wasn't Todd Stock's tutorial on molds incredible?

Okay, I'm still waiting for Erik to trade me some Z sides and I'm yearning for a guitar of my own again, just this size.

Thanks to all respondants! What would life be like without the OLF? Will there be an OLF in heaven?

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http://www.dickeyguitars.com

Wow Mark we were simulposting. Nice looking trimout on this z guitar. Hanks Koa z guitar has a bit more contrast. More pics please if you have any folks. anyone have flamed maple.

I did a indian rosewood for my eldest son with flamed maple and it's nice. It never hurts to consider all options.

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I think we have a tutorial on mitering.  Actually a couple, but we might need another for full development.

Miter Tut 1

Miter Tut 2

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

I once saw a ziricote guitar of Charles Fox's and it had blood wood on it. It was very classy looking.

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

I'm with the guys suggesting warmer values. I've just never been a fan of
maple binding, but I like that we have different tastes represented. When
I read, I immediately imagined a red-brown color of some sort and
thought of eucalyptus with slight curl or something to it. Or the koa, with
minimal figure but prominent grain, if that makes sense. I don't see
another rosewood of some kind on this one and think ebony might be too
stark.

Enjoy the visioning

Thanks Waddy, I'll check those out.

Brock, I think I've seen it, and you are right it's classy. It had a twisted cutaway to mate up with the neck.

James, You don't like maple.... I've seen some really pretty stuff. I may have to cut the channels, and then mock up a variety of bindings just to visualize it.

Thanks folks.

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http://www.dickeyguitars.com

Matt Mustapick used to have a Ziricote bound with Bloodwood on his site - looks really nice. I have a Ziricote parlor started, and it is getting Bloodwood.

I also think a warm tone, in a darker variant of an unfigured wood, like maybe Taz Blackwood or Koa, will let the Ziricote be the star of the show. I built way too many objects with Walnut and curly Maple, and grew a bit weary of the high contrast, so now I generally look more for complimentary woods that are closer in tone (less contrast.)

And, I'm a fan of side purfling, to take it up a notch. But, I prefer seeing creamy off-white wood (Holly, Maple, etc.) rather than stark white fiber. YMMV.

I have to say, the Ziricote binding on Mark's guitar looks pretty sharp as well.

Let's see those miters!

Dennis

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Dennis Leahy
Duluth, MN, USA
7th Sense Multimedia

Cherry, with the purfling!

Don't fear the miters.  They're not that bad, and  really worth the effort.

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OK. Just for you Dennis.

   
      
    Mark.

Here's a pic of the ziricote/koa already mentioned.
It was edited down in size to fit within OLF photo specs so you only get the end graft and some of the binding.

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Hank Mauel

Yeah, it's just not my first preference on acoustics. You know how these
things go!