Need some flamed maple for a top.

[dingobass]

Having given this some thought I am wondering, do you really want to use a thin veneer on a customers build?
Thin veneers can be difficult to glue down without a vacuum bag and also they can "creep", leaving either a gap or the flames not matching correctly.
Another potential problem is unless you are binding the Guitar, a thin veneer will cheapen the look and also may lift around the edge.

So, IMHO, it probably would be better all round to use a thicker top of 3-5mm as this will circumvent the above mentioned potential dramas.
Sure, it will cost around the $200 mark for a master grade top but on a custom build it is worth the outlay.

I also must agree with the Bman, that body has a beauty all of its own and it would be a pity to cover it.

[Gavin1393]

Hey Dan

Like DB I didn't realise you were putting this together for customer. I have agree with DB, it's going to be far better for your reputation and your build if you use a thicker cap. The thin veneers (unless you have the proper equipment) will always allow the glue to seep through and make it nigh impossible to absorb stain, which spoils the point of having a veneered top in the first place. It's also significantly easier and more likely to result in a good tight fit down the middle line (and again with the right equipment and know how you can get this perfect with a thicker cap. Its a bit 'hit and miss' when working with the flimsy thin stuff as DB suggested.

Give it some thought, I'm sure you will be glad you did and your customer will receive an awesome guitar from you.

Gavmeister

[DanMade]

Good advice guys, the plan has been to use a 3-4mm top. Well that's what the pocket depths have been setup for. Like you say I prefer to use a thicker top than a thin veneer, though it thought it might be easier to come by a nice thicker veneer rather than a "top".

I'm going to be binding it with some maple strips I have here. I've only used plastic binging before so I've been testing out some jigs and methods for bending it. I'm trying out soaking it in ammonia, wrap in foil, heat with heat gun, clamp into moulds.
Ill probably do the first trial tomorrow, I'm open to suggestions if I'm making it to complicated for myself.

[Gavin1393]

Hi Dan

You need to make a sandwich if you are going to be bending wood.

The ingredients will be Tin Foil, a thin WET cloth to wrap around your wood binding. The tin foil then wraps around the cloth and traps the water in the cloth as best as you can by folding the ends.

Then heat bending VERY slowly as you go. When done put it in the mould.

I find that as long as I follow thus procedure I don't need to soak the bindings beforehand. Just make sure the 'sandwich' is bendable as too much rag or tin foil will hamper the bend....

[dingobass]

An easy mould set up is to rout the body shape into one of those professional grade (Teflon?) plastic chopping boards.
As you heat and bend the strip you force it into the rout.
When it cools and dries it should retain the shape making it easy to install.

Slightly off topic, but for future reference, this method works really well with ABS bindings, allows you to bond several strips together easily with acetone as the acetone wont melt the board...

[DanMade]

Awesome, sounds like I'm on the right track then.
I found this video, this is the method I'm trialling. What do you guys think about using ammonia, I have tried soaking a small piece in straight household cloudy ammonia for a couple hours. It seemed to work well leaving the sample quite flexible. Maybe I should try diluting with hot water.

http://youtu.be/fUnc0KsXgs4

[dingobass]

Deffo worth a try.
Looks like it works well, his guitars are really nice