Can Binding Be Added to a Finished Guitar?

[kervickblows]

Just curious if anyone knows. Does binding have to be added to a Les Paul style guitar before it is finished, or is it possible to bind the body and neck years after its been completed?

thanks

[chetatkinsdiet]

Body would be fairly easy for a skilled woodworker. Just route out the appropriate shape around the guitar body, where you want the binding to be. Glue in binding material that you can get from Stewart-MacDonald....get the glue from them too.

The neck is a different story....hard to do with the frets in place. So, remove frets and then do work. Replace frets when done. Now, why would you remove the frets and put the same ones back on? You wouldn't. So, why not do a fret job while you're there. So, unless you've got the tools to do this yourself, you're looking at a ton of money. I'd guess that if you found a luthier to do such a job, you'd be looking at well over a grand. So, why not just get a real Les Paul.

m

[Radioking]

Difficult to do this and I wouldn't recommend it. As the Les Pauls' top surface is not flat you would need an overhead router and the correct jigs to rout the body bindings. As for binding a finished neck, Gee it doesn't bear thinking about. I doubt that any reputable luthier would take this on and would worry about the one who would. You would also face a bill for a refinish/touch up job as well.

As Chet says, put the money towards buying a real one or a quality copy (Tokai etc)

http://www.myspace.com/pressplaystudios

[kervickblows]

Thanks guys. Truth is, it is a real guitar already, a Les Paul Gary Moore (no binding). Love the way it plays, it's just that i've kind of grown accustomed to neck binding on other Les Pauls.

What happens with this one is that if I bend a string towards the outside of the neck (the g or b, for example), the fret edges catch the string and leave it sitting off the neck until i can "pluck" it back on to the fingerboard. Binding prevents this on all my other Gibsons, so that was the reason for asking.

[chetatkinsdiet]

Sounds like you just need a luthier to do a proper fret end-dressing to fix that. I definitely wouldn't alter a custom shop or artist series LP.

m

[allencollins]

It can be done but usually only if its nitro lacquer
if its polyester forget about it. It would be next to impossible.

What kind of a gtr is it? If it's a Gibson it is 99% chance it's nitro
If it is a fender or similar low end gtr it is 99% probably
polyester or some other cheapo catalyst type finish

If it's nitro it can easily be over-sprayed to correct the finish
poly will chip nitro can be softened to prevent chipping

I added binding to an ibanez body one time and it worked great
but the body was sprayed with nitrocellulose

[Phrygian]

I'm going to second the fret dressing. Strats aren't bound and they don't have this problem unless they need a dressing.

Off topic (not totally) ...but it's funny, I won't touch a les paul unless it has a bound neck but I'm fine with strats and other guitars that are un-bound. I'm not a fan of LP studios at all. They feel cheap without the binding.

[Musiclab]

fret dressing and maybe the nut isnt right, binding isnt going to do it.