Rogviler

Keep in mind that binding totally isn't as easy as it looks, so practice a little and buy way more binding than you need. Personally I like the binding router bits from Stew Mac, by the way. Never had one problem with the fit. I wouldn't buy the whole set, just get the bit and then whatever size bearing you need. But routing on a carved top might call for something entirely different as far as ease of use. One of those rotary tool ones might serve you better. Good luck.

The spray can polyurethanes are more like shellac for some reason. They yellow (or rather orange) very quickly and they flake off in big chunks. I think they're made for light coats on funiture, not thick coats like you need on a guitar. I would advise using just about anything else or you'll just get aggrivated with the results like I did.

I vote nay. This might not be true for all of them, but the one I have is hard to tune to the max. Just when you think you've gotten it perfect you start to play and it sounds horrible. In fact I can't say I've ever had it really in tune. I blame the locking nut. And if you rest your hand anywhere near it while you're playing it'll move and make your notes sound a little off-key. I suppose you could really crank down the tension until it doesn't move, but that would seem to defeat the purpose. I think a lot of people like them just for the "look at me, I'm cool!" factor. You can get some great stuff out of them, but you gotta be good and most people aren't and will probably be unhappy with the way they work. Of course my bad experiences (and those of others) may be just because of inexperiance with them. But that's something to think about- You'll be buying something that should probably come with a thick user manual and doesn't.

You will still need a nut to space the strings, but the depth of the string slots doesn't really matter, so you don't have to worry about that, just so they're below the height of the zero fret. At least that's the way I've always seen them.

I'm sure there's a simple solution to this... If you're putting binding on a guitar that was previously finished or is already drilled for a jack, how do you keep the router bearing from going into the hole for the jack and messing up the groove? I thought of covering it with tape, but was wondering if anyone else had a better idea that would make for a smoother surface for the bearing to follow... Hopefully you know what I'm talking about. Thanks for any suggestions.

I really couldn't find it anywhere else on my own. Of those sites, I checked Warmoth and couldn't find binding listed as a product. Either they hid it or it would be a special order... WD has a minimum order of $20, and I couldn't find binding there either... LMI only has .08 in black and I need .09. Finally, I did a web search on guitar binding and turned up nothing. Hence my statement that Stew Mac seems to be the only place to get it. I was thinking of maybe trying pickguard material. It comes in the right thicknesses, the only problem might be getting it to bend, but since it's plastic rather than celluloid I figure you could use more aggressive heat. Oh, and you'd have a lot more joints in the binding, but if you're good at doing binding anyway that shouldn't be a problem.

Okay, so I should have said I already RECEIVED my order... It's just black binding, so I'm not worried about another brand being a different color, as long as it's the same size, black is black. What's up with Stew Mac being the only place to get it? Freakin' Stew Mac... Oh well. I guess I'll just wait until my next order. Thanks anyway.

Airbrushing will work fine, just go over the whole thing with a Scotchbrite pad first to take down all the shine. Sanding before that's not a bad idea either. Scotchbrite just tends to scuff evenly and it makes sure you don't have any little ridges that sandpaper might've missed, microscopic as they may be, and pretty much guarantees that the finish will stick permanantly. And yes you should clear the whole thing to even it out and get a nicer shine. You should take the guitar apart. You could get away with just taking the strings off and masking everything, but in the end it will actually save you a lot more time and trouble to take it apart. Just remember to make good diagrams of the wiring and, like I do, also snap a few digital pictures just in case. Have fun and good luck.

Dupli-Color clear comes in both poly and lacquer, and both are compatible with the rest of their products. It's not going to be exactly like a two-part poly clear, but since Dupli-Color is made for cars they're perfectly sufficient.

If you find a good color with Dupli-Color, note the name of it, like if it says "GMC/Chevrolet Dark Blue", and take that to a place that sells auto paint and you should be able to find the same paint but in gallons and pints. Or they also have books with color samples that you can look through, which will probably be more accurate. They should also have the right clear for you, although satin can be hard to find sometimes, it's not a real common finish. If all else fails there's always House of Kolor.

I'd totally go with Dupli-Color. You can get it in both solid colors and the colors you find on a lot of newer cars with a fine metal flake in them, which I think look nice, especially under sparkly stage lights. I would just use everything from the Dupli-Color system as far as primer, color and clear. That way you know it'll work together. I tried using Dupli-Color with regular spray paint and got lots of cracking and separation where one went on top of the other. Lastly, just don't use the polyurethane that is meant for funiture. On my first guitar I used it and not only did it turn almost orange over the course of a year, but it also came off in big flakes. Other than that, just go for it and have fun. Take your time too.

First of all, I realised too late that I'm going to need twice as much binding as I originally decided on, since I was just going to do the top of a guitar and have since decided on doing the back as well, and I already ordered it from Stew Mac along with all the other things I need right now, so obviously I can't just order another 54" of it, since that's well below the $30 minimum... So is there another place that I could get .09x.25" black binding that anyone knows of and would recommend? And that doesn't have a minimum order? Or am I just going to have to wait until next month's Stew Mac order? Secondly, does anyone know of where to get uncut binding material or at least binding that's about 2" wide instead of 1/4 inch or so? Like if one was going to bind the whole thickness of a guitar, if that makes sense. Thanks for any info.

Dupli-Color dries pretty fast. Give it five days to a week just to be safe, I'd say. Most paint in a spray can will be fully dry after a week, as a rule.

Yes, you always want to have a roughed-up surface to paint on. I would suggest sanding with 400-600 grit and then scuffing it with a Scotchbrite pad. I haven't had the greatest luck with painting a pickguard, but you might try the Fusion paint by Krylon, it's made for plastic. I would suggest Krylon Industral, but that can be hard for the general public to get. It works great on plastic automotive trim though. Good luck.

When I did my test with one, I had it taped to the body in various locations and it picked up the sound just fine no matter where it was. I don't think it matters too much, although I think that probably the strongest sound will come from one attatched to the bridge directly, like glued right under it or to part of the trem if there is one. I wouldn't say it matters a whole lot though. I noticed only a marginally stronger sound the closer it was to the bridge/strings.