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PostPosted: Sun Mar 15, 2009 11:33 am 
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Koa
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I don't recall seeing CG fingerboards that are bound. Is it traditional to leave them unbound? Would it look bad to do so?

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PostPosted: Sun Mar 15, 2009 11:48 am 
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I don't think I've ever seen a bound one either, but IMO it would look great! :D
Would have to be a narrow one, something simple though... like a simple white purfling inside a small ebony binding (or other darker wood) going around the board idunno

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PostPosted: Sun Mar 15, 2009 11:59 am 
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Brazilian Rosewood
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I've seen quite a many few bound in ebony. Looks unbound, but doesn't show the unsightly fret tangs.


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PostPosted: Sun Mar 15, 2009 12:06 pm 
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Not many do but I do it. I just think it looks cleaner and it doesn't take much longer.
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 15, 2009 12:17 pm 
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I bound them as well.

And indeed, all my customers appreciate it.

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PostPosted: Sun Mar 15, 2009 12:32 pm 
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Koa
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Having never bound a board, I cannot speak to the effort. However, if the only goal were to hide the tang ends, I have seen the frets trimmed back before installing and the gap filled with black filler that is indistinguishable from ebony.


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PostPosted: Sun Mar 15, 2009 12:48 pm 
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Brazilian Rosewood
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I bind in ebony.

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PostPosted: Sun Mar 15, 2009 1:04 pm 
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wbergman wrote:
I have seen the frets trimmed back before installing and the gap filled with black filler that is indistinguishable from ebony.


Yes that will work OK with ebony, but if you have a fretboard done with rosewood of some other wood where grain lines are showing, than just plugging the holes with sawdust wont look good at all.

Binding a fretboard is really not that difficult. Off-cuts of the fretboad prior to slotting it, glued on with elastic bands used for clamping (of binding tape) and you're all set.

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PostPosted: Sun Mar 15, 2009 2:35 pm 
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Go here to http://frets.com/FRETSPages/Features/JT2000/jt2k01.html and look at the 2nd and 3rd pages. It shows Jeff Traugott building a guitar - those pages shows how he binds his ebony fingerboards with ebony for a clean look. The same thing can be duplicated for Spanish guitars fairly easily.

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