Arm and belly cut on a Custom

[vlad paduraru]

I love teles. But I kinda hate things getting into my ribs, especially ones I call “darling”. So I carve em up, when deciding for a keeper.
How would you go for a double bound Custom?
I mean … she’s a beautiful cobalt blue, and would avoid stripping her down.
Any suggestions ?

 

[eallen]

You wouldn't go about doing it if you want to keep the binding, unless you have the binding skills to melt in new binding and a binding routing jig. Even then, binding commonly has the finish clear coat on it as well so new binding will be missing it unless you coat it & blend level with thr current finish.

Pics are always helpful.

 

[vlad paduraru]

You wouldn't go about doing it if you want to keep the binding, unless you have the binding skills to melt in new binding and a binding routing jig. Even then, binding commonly has the finish clear coat on it as well so new binding will be missing it unless you coat it & blend level with thr current finish.

Pics are always helpful.

Yup. You’re right. Maybe forget the binding ? … I used to like it, but my ribs just hate it. It’s like having a beautiful girlfriend with a nasty character .

 

[eallen]

How were you planning to make the cuts & not impact the current fininsh? We're you just leaving the belly & forearm wood exposed or planning to finish them?

As said, current pic would be helpful.

 

[Hodgo88]

Hmmmm, a stomach contour could be done, but at the very least you're looking at a respray IMHO. I can't think of a double bound guitar that pulls off a stomach contour. If I was so inclined, I'd probably just cut the contour on the back, sand it smooth, then refinish over the back and sides entirely in a solid color to hide the original binding.

If you do it exclusively using a sander to cut in the arm contour, you might be able to cut a new binding channel and do a drop binding like Warmoth while keeping most of the top finish intact. I'm really far out of my depth at this point, even to suggest that's possible.

I don't subscribe to the idea that a body is all that important to the overall "tone" and would probably just start from scratch building/ordering the body I wanted as a replacement.

 

[Gardo]

Well you can always finish the cut to match the binding, it is the back so nobody will see it but you.

 

[vlad paduraru]

How were you planning to make the cuts & not impact the current fininsh? We're you just leaving the belly & forearm wood exposed or planning to finish them?

As said, current pic would be helpful.

I wouldn’t leave the bare wood as it is. There will be some color covering it. This blue , I don’t think I can match… is somewhat metallic looking.

 

[vlad paduraru]

Hmmmm, a stomach contour could be done, but at the very least you're looking at a respray IMHO. I can't think of a double bound guitar that pulls off a stomach contour. If I was so inclined, I'd probably just cut the contour on the back, sand it smooth, then refinish over the back and sides entirely in a solid color to hide the original binding.

If you do it exclusively using a sander to cut in the arm contour, you might be able to cut a new binding channel and do a drop binding like Warmoth while keeping most of the top finish intact. I'm really far out of my depth at this point, even to suggest that's possible.

I don't subscribe to the idea that a body is all that important to the overall "tone" and would probably just start from scratch building/ordering the body I wanted as a replacement.

Yup … messy stuff. The body resonates pretty well. I don’t feel the need to change it, Besides , the “public “ cares about what comes out of the guitar. The looks come second, and I ‘ll be ok with a kind of ok looking guitar. The color is what they see…. and are pretty ignorant about all else. I’ll probably end up doing the belly cut , finish it in black or something and forgetting about the arm. Gardo has a point….
Opinions from you, fine gentlemen, have my back against missing something. And I thank you for it.

 

[ponycar]

I'd remove the finish off off the back and sides. Route the back edge with a 3/8ths? Quarter round cutter changing the guitar to a single bound. Just the 3/8th edge might be enough to make it more comfortable.
I round off the edge of most of my Tele's in the rib cut area, for a kind of stealth comfort cut. I also do that in the area that it sits on my leg when playing seated.

 

[ponycar]

Here is an example of just slightly rounding the edge. I take the wood off from the back, blend it into the factory contour. On the bottom edge for the leg relief, I round off from the bottom edge to keep it from cutting into the leg. With yours you can make the rib cut as usual if the edge relief is insufficient.

 

[Hodgo88]

I still don't understand what you body contour guys do when faced with an acoustic guitar

 

[Freeman Keller]

I still don't understand what you body contour guys do when faced with an acoustic guitar

Some botique makers are putting arm bevels on acoustic guitars. They are almost always bound in wood which is very tricky to do in the first place and gets trickier

Some builders like Linda Manzer make the whole thing slightly wedge shaped.

I bind almost everything I build but my thought for the OP is that he is looking at a whole bunch of work that could go south real easily. Doing a faux binding might be the easiest way.

 

[RolandG]

An acoustic sits differently against your body, usually at a different height, and doesn’t get waved around like a Tele. So it’s a different problem.

To answer the original question: I’d make a new body. Top edge binding can be made to follow a forearm contour, either by warming and bending. If the contour is hard-angled rather than rounded then it’s an angled join. The hard part is cutting the edge recess for the binding. Much as I like double binding I don’t have a solution for binding a belly contour.

 

[Strat Jacket]

Me...I'd leave the original body intact and untouched and get a Warmoth replacement body with tummy and forearm contours pre-cut. And pre-finished, if you like. That way if you ever go to sell it you can put it back the way it was.