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ChuckH
 Post subject: Drop top thickness
PostPosted: Tue Oct 27, 2015 3:53 pm 
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Just wondering if there is a standard thickness that a drop top should be for an electric guitar.


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Chris Pile
 Post subject: Re: Drop top thickness
PostPosted: Tue Oct 27, 2015 3:55 pm 
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Quarter inch max, in my opinion.

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Rodger Knox
 Post subject: Re: Drop top thickness
PostPosted: Tue Oct 27, 2015 3:58 pm 
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Chris Pile wrote:
Quarter inch max, in my opinion.


I'll agree, except on carved LP style, where 3/4" is better.

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Chris Pile
 Post subject: Re: Drop top thickness
PostPosted: Tue Oct 27, 2015 6:05 pm 
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Quote:
I'll agree, except on carved LP style, where 3/4" is better.


Les Pauls are not drop tops - they are carved tops.
Drop tops are of a thinner wood (laminate) bent to a curve or radius on top of the main substrate.
Thus "dropped".

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Last edited by Chris Pile on Tue Oct 27, 2015 11:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.

These users thanked the author Chris Pile for the post: Rodger Knox (Wed Oct 28, 2015 12:10 pm)
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dzsmith
 Post subject: Re: Drop top thickness
PostPosted: Tue Oct 27, 2015 7:36 pm 
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Chuck, I usually go 1/4 inch too.
1/4 inch works well with standard binding on the body.

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ChuckH
 Post subject: Re: Drop top thickness
PostPosted: Wed Oct 28, 2015 11:22 am 
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Thanks for the replies guys. I have a friend looking for a piece of spalted maple for a drop top. Just wanted to make sure.


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Rodger Knox
 Post subject: Re: Drop top thickness
PostPosted: Wed Oct 28, 2015 12:11 pm 
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Chris Pile wrote:
Quote:
I'll agree, except on carved LP style, where 3/4" is better.


Les Pauls are not drop tops - they are carved tops.
Drop tops are of a thinner wood (laminate) bent to a curve or radius on top of the main substrate.
Thus "dropped".


I stand corrected. Thanks Chris.

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Matt Meyer
 Post subject: Re: Drop top thickness
PostPosted: Fri Oct 30, 2015 10:54 am 
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Sorry to disagree, but 1/8 to 3/16 is much easier to bend. 1/8 can be bent without kerfs on the underside if the top. 1/4 would definitely need the kerfs.
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Chris Pile
 Post subject: Re: Drop top thickness
PostPosted: Fri Oct 30, 2015 1:19 pm 
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Quote:
Sorry to disagree, but 1/8 to 3/16 is much easier to bend. 1/8 can be bent without kerfs on the underside if the top. 1/4 would definitely need the kerfs.


No kidding. I said 1/4" MAX, not minimum.

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rlrhett
 Post subject: Re: Drop top thickness
PostPosted: Fri Oct 30, 2015 3:35 pm 
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Despite a lifetime of guitar fetish and a decade or so of building, I had no idea electric guitars were being made with some kind of carved/domed body with a bent 3/16 top. Antony have a build log of it being done? Super curious.


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Mike_P
 Post subject: Re: Drop top thickness
PostPosted: Sun Nov 01, 2015 12:24 pm 
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the drop top term comes from the bevel put on the lower bout for one's forearm...if one wants to conform to a carve top profile one uses veneer...
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GourmetSaint
 Post subject: Re: Drop top thickness
PostPosted: Tue Nov 03, 2015 5:54 am 
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5mm

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