Sycamore/Mahogany T-style build

Here's my first two-piece body/capped body. It's reclaimed mahogany (believe it or not, came from military trailer floors) and quartersawn sycamore. I am debating doing a faux binding or actual binding. I just bought all the stuff from Stew Mac to do binding but haven't tackled it yet. What are your opinions?

Here's the body with a splash of thinner to bring the figuring out:
http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f87/Ipodjunky/IMG_0987.jpg

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f87/Ipodjunky/IMG_0988.jpg

Also, I may want to do a Les Paul sized roundover on the mahogany back. What size is that? 3/16?

That wood is beautiful!

Several ways to do binding. Check out Motor City Tele's 2011 challenge build. Or tklaavo's 2012 challenge build. Both of them used a putty for binding. I've never done it, but it looks like an easy way to start. There's plenty of info here if you can find it :grin:

Cool! Love that figure. Reminds me of psychadelic art from the late 60s. A friend who helped me mill a sycamore billet recently calls it "American lacewood". I'm looking forward to see what you do with yours.

Anyone know where sycamore is in the tonewood spectrum?

Anyone know where sycamore is in the tonewood spectrum?

I would also like to know.

I'm too lazy to look it up. My memory tells me that it is in the same family as Maple. Every piece of Sycamore I've ever seen looked like Maple. I've seen some truly stunning flamed Sycamore.

Anyone know where sycamore is in the tonewood spectrum?
Well, I used to build acoustics with it. Works and sounds a lot like maple but has more resonance. With an electric? It will probably only matter to the player. BTW, sycamore is much lighter than maple. I would build with it in an instant :wink:

Is it American Sycamore? If so, it's not a maple like the European Sycamore that violins have been made from since day dot.

You sure that's mahogany? And not walnut? It's purdy either way.

Subscribed. Last month I picked up two 8 foot long 4/4 QS sycamore planks wide enought to resaw into tops. I'm very interested in various finishing options. Do you plan on adding any color to yours?

Rex

Do you plan on adding any color to yours?

Rex

I am considering an amber to light orange just on the top. My first thought was just clear with no tint. I also wonder if dying the top black and sanding it back will make the figuring pop harder?

You sure that's mahogany? And not walnut? It's purdy either way.

The only thing I am sure of, is that I'm not sure of anything! :lol:

When I first got it I posted pics here:

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/tele-home-depot/330736-nwd-new-wood-day.html

Here's what I do know: it splinters like crazy, my hands found out the hard way; it's fairly heavy, but not too bad; the grain looks very similar to a mahogany blank I bought from Warmoth, it's just browner and nowhere near as uniform.

Here's what I do know: it splinters like crazy
That is not a characteristic of mahogany :wink:

I am considering an amber to light orange just on the top. My first thought was just clear with no tint. I also wonder if dying the top black and sanding it back will make the figuring pop harder?

The figure on QS sycamore is the result of the exposure of the medullary rays. I forget what it is of the top of my noggin for the figure we see in curley/flamed maple (where the black dyed trick is sometimes used) is called but I think the two may respond differently. But heck, take a scrap and try it out - might be awesome, who knows.

I forgot to mention, the black streaks in the back pic are z-poxied cracks, not a natural occuring color.

Here is where I'm headed with this one.

131367

Still need to do some cream binding. My neck pocket template (and my abilities) are sub par. My neck pocket is quite loose and sloppy. I believe I am going to build it back with z-poxy.

Here is where I'm headed with this one.

131367


I like those wraparound stud-mounted bridges, but have you doublechecked the string geometry to make sure it won't be up too high? It's conceptually similar to a Tune-O-Matic; folks I've seen use TOMs on bolt-on neck guitars like Teles usually wind up with the bridge slightly inset into the top (which looks pretty cool when it's done well).

Here is where I'm headed with this one.

131367

Still need to do some cream binding. My neck pocket template (and my abilities) are sub par. My neck pocket is quite loose and sloppy. I believe I am going to build it back with z-poxy.

That guitar will look gorgeous with the cream binding you're planning to use. The thing I'd really be worrying about is your comments of the sycamore being splintery. Careful when you route the channel, and make sure you're using a sharp bit. If you saved offcuts, maybe some practice cuts on those with the grain as well as across endgrain so you can get a feel for where on the actual body you may run into trouble.

I love sycamore.
I got my eye on you!