Hi!

[Gerry]

Gerry here in Brisbane. Had a tele kit delivered a couple of weeks back and finally have a chance to have a good look at it.

Probably getting ahead of myself here but the white binding, can this be coloured? Or even removed and replaced?

[Simon Barden]

Hi, Gerry, and welcome.

Painting the binding is about the only way to colour it that I know of. Stain will certainly fill the thin stress cracks in the binding but only lightly colour the surface. I had to paint the binding on my ES-1 kit because of stain getting in the cracks and looking bad. It actually worked well. 3mm wide vinyl car pinstriping tape is good for masking the edges of the binding as it’s very flexible and can follow the curves without bunching up or creasing. Fill in behind it with standard masking tape and paper, especially if you are spraying.

You can remove and replace the binding but it’s hard work. I know some relatively experienced people on the forum have done it in the past, but I can’t remember who and whether they are still active here. If you want thicker binding then you’ll need some router skills and attachments for routing edge channels. That’s only really possible with a body with a flat top and back. A top with an arch in would make cutting wider channels very awkward indeed and involve making some very complex jigs.

And re-binding a neck (if that is also bound) will require first removing the frets and then replacing them afterwards, which is not a simple task.

Simply replacing like-for-like is easier but check that you can get suitable replacement binding first!

An easier option would be a custom order with the binding colour specified. The factory choices are pretty limited, probably to white, cream or black, their stock items. They aren’t a full custom shop so won’t order in say orange binding for you. Custom mods are best limited to omitting various routs and holes or swapping say a humbucker rout for a P90 one. It’s all jigs and templates, no CNC. I wanted standard Gibson-style thin white binding on my ES-1 custom order instead of the standard 5-ply binding the kit has, but it came with the 5-ply, probably because they weren't set up to rout a thinner edge channel on the body with its pressed arched top.

[Gerry]

Thanks Simon,

Your builds look amazing!

This is my first build. My plan was to keep it simple this time and then strip it back later if I want to and maybe upgrade hardware at that point. Does this sound like a reasonable plan?

From what you're saying painting the binding is the way to go for me, I don't know what I'm doing so unless but maybe I wait until considering a rebuild to decide. Might fall in love with the white in the meanwhile...

[Gavin1393]

Hi Gerry

Welcome to the forum. If this is your first build then go with the option Simon has suggested. Removing the binding and replacing it accurately requires a few tools such as a routing jig, router, an adjustable routing bit (basically a bit that you can attach numerous variable sized ballbearings to it). Then you need the right replacement thickness binding plastic (wood is a whole different problem).
From there it requires you to cut "with the grain" so that your router doesnt rip into your guitar body...and did I mention the 5 degree offset!
Hence! Follow Simon's suggestion!

[Gerry]

Thanks Gavin, I'll leave the binding in place!

[Simon Barden]

Have you got a particular finish planned? A lot of people use Tru-Oil for the clear finish, which is very slightly amber and will take the edge off the bright white of the binding.

[Gerry]

I was planning on using one of the Dingotone finishes

[Simon Barden]

I was planning on using one of the Dingotone finishes

Personally I wouldn't. It can work, but in reports on the forum, about 50% of the time it simply doesn't cure hard and has to be removed. Even when it does cure, there are instances of it going all soft again after a few years.

[Gerry]

Oh, thanks for alerting me! Unfortunately, I purchased some with the kit but I can see the reports of problems on the forum so I'll start thinking about alternatives.

[qpranger]

I just had mine delivered this week to Gerry and was dissapointed that it had white biding around the body, i should have read the description of the ash tele kit more carefully as it does state now with white binding. i am going to paint my boy a solid colour so i am going to throuw it on the routing table with a roundover bit, make the edges round and take of the binding