Quote:
Originally Posted by Talldad
Binding is cosmetic!
When you build a guitar the odds of getting a perfect joint between the sides and the top or back are very very low. If you can do it and have perfect adhesion to the kerfing you have reach zen. Most builders won’t or don’t strive to, I certainly don’t. We put on binding as a cosmetic upgrade, upgrade because it hides the end grain of the back or top which is always difficult to work with.
It doesn’t add any stability to the instrument that isn’t already there by virtue of the top being stuck to the letting and sides.
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Talldad, I believe you are mistaken
In addition to runamuck's points, binding is there to protect the soundboard from bumps: the purfling acts as a shock absorber that distributes the force of the impact while the binding itself functions as a protective outer layer. That's why harder woods like Ebony and Maple have traditional been used for binding. Only recently, as the original purpose of binding has been forgotten, have exotic, softer woods like Koa begun to be used as binding.