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I have a commision for an SJ; Koa b/s Carp Spruce top IRW fb and bridge, Mahogany neck with IRW center laminate and back veneer, Koa top veneer. The customer really wants dark body bindings but wants lighter fb binding to contrast to the FB.

I have never bound a fb with different wood than the body bindings before, but I think I may have worked out a combo that will work. Let me know what you think.

body: Koa/Spruce with IRW binding
fretboard: IRW with Koa binding

Well what do you think will this work?

Great combination
using Koa binding with IRW fretboard and reverse on the body
Go for it

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Andy Z.
http://www.lazydogguitars.com

Michael

I think that will be just beautiful

Sounds great to my ears Michael, balanced would be the right word!

Serge

When in doubt, match the body bindings to the neck laminate and the fb to the b/s...can't go wrong there as far as complementing each other

Before I read your idea, I was thinking the same combo there Michael.

I think that it should look very nice indeed.

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I would see if the customer would do something like this. This is a
Brazilian board/headplate with brazilian binding separated by a 10/10/10
maple/black/maple. It gives the contrast and stuff ties the whole thing
together...

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John Mayes
http://www.mayesluthier.com

I really love your headstock design John.

I have been sitting down sketching designs and can't come up with anything I like.   

Sounds nice....but so would a nice orange cocobolo binding, with perhaps a WBW purfling thrown in between on the whole thing?

I did a Taz Blackwood OM with that combination and it looks great.

But the more I think about it, I like the switch-up of binding the koa with the EIR, and the EIR with Koa. That sounds really cool.

Don Williams38849.8006597222

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

Client does not like the coffee and cream color you can get with BRW pluse the cost of the bindings. the client originally wanted ebony body binding and curly maple fb binding. but I talked hem out of that thinking the curly maple would dominate and not tie in to anything. I will also try to talk him into IRW peghead veneer on top[ so that I can continue the Koa binding around the peghead and fb. But he is pretty set on Koa top veneer

Matching the B&S and fingerboard binding would look great and makes an arguable design statement, Koa it is.

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

You did right in talking him out of the flamed maple....it would have overwhelmed everything else, and would have looked out of place.

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

I think it sounds real good with matching peghead.

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Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

Have y'all found that relatively light-colored wood bindings, such as koa (or maple even moreso), look good on a fretboard after a few years? Do they get grimey looking? I don't have personal experience with this, but I would think it could be a problem...

Aside from that possible concern, I think your idea sounds great, Michael.Todd Rose38850.9295023148

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Todd Rose
Ithaca, NY

https://www.dreamingrosesecobnb.com/todds-art-music

https://www.facebook.com/ToddRoseGuitars/

Maple bindings can look grungey, but I've taken to simply painting on (tiny artists brush) shellac on the exposed edge. Works a charm. Besides, easy enough to clean up (single-edged razor blad) and re-finish. Takes all of 5 minutes.