Headstock Veneer

[Moreau]

Is it possible to take a piece of ur guitar top. and use it to veneer the headstock? i expect id have to thin it a bit, but will the tuners be able to attach still?? will it affect tone? im looking at maple burl... thanks..

[Drak]

If you expect a serious answer, please don't ask how a paper freakin' thin piece of wood is going to affect the tone...that drives me

CRAZY!!!

Hahaha!!!

But anyway, yes, I do that all the time. I'll take a scrap piece from the top bookmatched set and thin it out and apply it to the face of the headstock, I love the way it 'brings together' the guitar, it makes the whole thing look more cohesive.

Normally, I'll thin it to the point where it's almost no thicker than veneer. You have to remember, most headstocks are a certain thickness, and if you slap an extra 1/8" on top, sometimes you'll have a hard time getting the tuner nuts to catch the threads, so if you want to use a thicker piece, you'll have to sand the headstock down a little bit.

But I do this every chance I get to every guitar I can do it to. The only time I don't is on a Maple-necked Tele or something like that, that sort of guitar just looks better left alone.

[Moreau]

yeah i hear ya, i wasnt sure if i could apply a 1/8" veneer. but a paper thin piece would do nothing, i know that. but the only issue is tuners huh. how would be the best way to get a piece of to that thin? belt sander? Oingo boingo huh... man boingo fans seem to be few n far between. they should be on that bands reunited show....

[GuitarMaestro]

Peghead veeners are more than common. Nothing to add to Drak's post. Simply go for it, BUT beware....the guitar might sound comepletely different afterwards....

[Moreau]

man am i ever gonna live that one down?

[Drak]

I use a portable belt sander to do mine.

By the time it's thin enough to use, my fingers are halfway burned off holding it delicately on the sanding belt, balancing between holding it down hard enough and even enough, and so loosely it grabs the belt and flies off to hit the ground and break up.

Forgot, if you're doing a neck that has a little curl to the headstock lip as it enters the nut area, then your laminate really does need to be thin as veneer, because you'll have to make it bend right there, those are harder to clamp properlyso it looks good than flatties.

I'll tell you, I did one once where I used a Coco-Bolo veneer over a Mahogony neck and sheeeeeeeeite did it slap some zing into the high end of that guitar!

It made that guitar go from a mud-monstuh to a throaty voiced tenor...

...all from adding that Coco-Bolo veneer piece!

[westhemann]

...all from adding that Coco-Bolo veneer piece!

i see you still have your tongue firmly attached to your cheek.

if i know you though you attached it with ca glue...a little acetone should fix that right up!

[Moreau]

i was going to try to make some type of block to hold my wood as i sand it down to veneer it.

[erikbojerik]

If you can, just sand down the headstock until you've taken enough off to get the tuners to work out. But then you really are committed to a headstock overlay of some sort (e.g. you can't go back). Easier than trying to get the overlay veneer-thin.

[Drak]

What I do sometimes to get it close to veneer thickness fast is to double-tape the piece of wood down to a flat tabletop, use two pieces of wood the same height, stick them right beside the piece of wood on either side, and use the strips as a 'running guide' for my router, sort of like you route a trussrod channel.

I can get it to near-veneer thickness just doing that alone.