Wood Binding

[Rollie]

FACT OR FICTION ..... wood binding sounds better than plastic binding on an identical guitar ............

[rick-slo]

I'd pick that one.

[shadowboxer]

I think we need more information - what type of wood is the binding? What color is the plastic? It's difficult to make generalizations, so the more information you can supply, the better response you are likely to receive.



(I'm being a bit of a smartass, of course, but I'm curious as to whether any of the builders in the forum think the binding makes a sonic difference - so it's a free bump, anyway. Then again, I just spent several hours trying to choose from among several almost identical six-hole trems for a partscaster I'm working on, so I think I'll crawl back into my glass doghouse and await more informed opinions....)

[runamuck]

Originally Posted by Rollie

FACT OR FICTION ..... wood binding sounds better than plastic binding on an identical guitar ............

I've never compared two identical guitars that were different only in their binding. Has anybody? Probably not.

But I would doubt that I would hear a difference; it's a relatively inert part of the guitar: directly underneath is the lining.

Why do you ask?


Jim McCarthy

[warfrat73]

I've never heard anybody claim that binding or purfling make any sonic difference.

[Tim McKnight]

There is not a lot of vibration going on in that area of the box but one thing is for sure is that wood WILL make a lot stronger mechanical joint than plastic.

[RP]

Larrivee has the right idea. In my mind it sure looks a whole lot nicer....

[Bruce Sexauer]

There are two main types of plastic being used, and I see one as vastly superior to the other, if just because of the glue required. The two types are Bolteron, and Celluloid. Can you guess which I prefer and why? Doesn't matter that much as more than 95% of my work uses wood bindings, and that's no accident.

[theEdwinson]

Ervin Somogyi puts it this way: Do you ever see plastic trim on finely made wooden furniture? No? Then why is it used on guitars?
Simple--it's much easier, and less labor intensive to use plastic. And the marketplace has come to accept that look.
I think it's a purely aesthetic consideration, nothing to do with tone.
I agree with Tim, wood glues to wood better than plastic glues to wood. And wood bindings look a lot more elegant, IMO.

[fitness1]

Originally Posted by Cminor7sus4

Simple--it's much easier, and less labor intensive to use plastic. And the marketplace has come to accept that look.
.

Not this segment of the marketplace

I detest any plastic, ivoroid, etc on a guitar. Give me WOOD!!!

Not saying it sounds better, just personal preference.

I've also heard that an abalone top purf (in some folks minds) makes a better sounding guitar because it "decouples" the top from the binding, or something like that.......not sure about that one

[Haans]

Fiction.
No one is complaining about ivoroid on my guitars. I really wouldn't say its easier, just a different set of tricks.
You cannot make a vintage instrument without ivoroid. It is the only replacement for ivory as far as I know. It's also more resistant to dings.
Bolteron is another story. I don't use it.

[Howard Klepper]

Originally Posted by Cminor7sus4

Ervin Somogyi puts it this way: Do you ever see plastic trim on finely made wooden furniture? No? Then why is it used on guitars?
Simple--it's much easier, and less labor intensive to use plastic. And the marketplace has come to accept that look.
I think it's a purely aesthetic consideration, nothing to do with tone.
I agree with Tim, wood glues to wood better than plastic glues to wood. And wood bindings look a lot more elegant, IMO.

This is wrong as a matter of history as to why guitars began using plastic binding. The traditional binding materials in the US had been ivory (possibly also whalebone/baleen) and tortoise shell. When these became scarce, prohibitively expensive, and no longer could be reliably obtained, substitutes were sought that looked like them. The look had been accepted and expected in the marketplace long before the plastics were introduced. And remember that the first plastics were not seen as inferior materials; they were more like "gee whiz" scientific progress.

I would not say that gluing more permanently is a great virtue for wood bindings. Certainly not from a repair perspective. It's almost always possible to peel off and later glue back plastic binding. Wood binding often has to be destroyed to be removed. But the binding has to stay on until you want it removed, and bolteron (hard vinyl) is notoriously difficult to glue. They say the name came from the best means of attachment.

Wood has the virtue of being a natural material and looking like wood (unless it's ebony). I'm not sure if plastic hurts the sound--it has more damping than most woods, but it doesn't seem to hurt 1930's Martins a lot. On the other hand, I am very confident that wood doesn't hurt it.

[Tone Gopher]

Originally Posted by Cminor7sus4

Ervin Somogyi puts it this way: Do you ever see plastic trim on finely made wooden furniture?

Did you ask Ervin how the furniture sounds?

[Kevin A]

Biggest difference (plastic vs wood binding) in my experience is the durability. All my wood-bound guitars have small indentations/creases where I've accidently thumped the edge of my guitar against some harder (i.e. tables, chair backs, boom stands, keyboards, etc). The two plastic-bound guitars fared much better as they were better able to withstand the occasional collision without any visible mark.

[Wade Hampton]

Originally Posted by Kevin A

Biggest difference (plastic vs wood binding) in my experience is the durability. All my wood-bound guitars have small indentations/creases where I've accidently thumped the edge of my guitar against some harder (i.e. tables, chair backs, boom stands, keyboards, etc). The two plastic-bound guitars fared much better as they were better able to withstand the occasional collision without any visible mark.

This has been my experience, as well. I have some instruments with wood bindings, and they've generally gotten a bit more dinged up than those with ivoroid or other plastic bindings. Another issue is that if the wooden binding is a light colored wood like maple, if it gets dinged and the lacquer chips off, it's much more likely to absorb dirt and oils and general grime at those spots than any of the plastics in use.

So not only is wooden binding a bit more vulnerable to getting dented, it's also more likely to get a bit grubby-looking unless you're ever-vigilant and take it in to get spot lacquer shot over any place where the original finish has flaked off.

As for any difference in tone, my understanding is that some builders believe it has a (very minor) effect, others don't buy that. I think that would depend on whether the guitar has been constructed so that the top is isolated from the back and sides, or not.

Hope that makes sense.


Wade Hampton Miller