Doubleneck With Curly Maple Cap

[DivebombInc]

I was asked the other day to make a doubleneck body with a Curly Maple Cap. The best example I could find is one of Eddie Van Halen's Music Man guitars.

How was this cut to bookmatch all the way across the body? I was thinking kind of like an Accordian might do it. It's obviously 4 pieces for the cap.

Any suggestions?

Oh, and I'm new here so hey everyone. Someone over at the EBMM Discussion suggested I come over here for this one.

[erikbojerik]

Welcome to the forum

There are bandsaws with enough capacity to cut a bookmatch that size; my bandsaw can cut up to 12" without modification, and up to 13" with a few tweeks....enough to give you a 26" wide 2-piece drop top. That doubleneck can't be more than 20" wide....I made a doubleneck Strat a few years ago, it was only 17" wide (the necks were slightly closer together).

Check out some local cabinet shops near you, they might be able to do it for a small fee if you tell them the story of what you're up to.

[low end fuzz]

i think you got the idea of a 4 way consecutive bookmatch or a really wide bookmatch

[WezV]

i would be tempted by a 3 piece top - a normal bookmatch on the outside with something else in the middle, possibly similar - possibly not. shouldnt be to hard to source an extra wide top if you go that way though

[low end fuzz]

i would be tempted by a 3 piece top - a normal bookmatch on the outside with something else in the middle, possibly similar - possibly not. shouldnt be to hard to source an extra wide top if you go that way though

oh piss!

thats something i wanna do; and at least the outside pieces look more 'bookmatched' than a four piece

[Mattia]

It's hardly an original idea, or one that hasn't been done before

I've got a few flame/slight spalt maple pieces in my pile that are wide enough for doublenecks, so I may just have to build one. One day.

[j. pierce]

Many places that sell veneer for cabinetry and such will sell you sequential pieces, (like, the slices in the order they came of the tree as they cut them) which you could put on a cabinet or large table top or whatever, and you simply open them accordion style, and you'd get the effect you all are talking about. Each piece mates up well, just like a bookmatch, with the pieces on either side of it, no matter how many pieces you use as long as you keep them more or less in order.