stratamania said:
David.Bernstein said:
Just in case anyone checks this topic, I recently asked Warmoth about this and they pretty much said that the binding on a VIP is required regardless of the finish. From one of their emails: "Because of the carved top nature of the VIP body, binding is required." Understandable, they can't do everything.
I would imagine at the current time and workload one off requests are not being accommodated as this would require a single top rather than a double lam top as discussed earlier in the thread. I have updated one of the links in the thread as due to the new website it has changed but here it is for convenience here.
https://warmoth.com/guitar-lam-tops
I think warmoth doesn't want to send out any product that's not at some definition of finished. I was thinking about a carved top body and planning oil finish, which isn't ever going to work well with a plastic binding. So I asked if they'd do be willing to not install the binding, and I would do a suitable all wood binding that I could then properly finish.
The closest suggestion was I could probably remove a plastic binding with moderate ease, however paying $80 for a feature I'd have to spend time removing didn't suit, so I went a different way.
Learning that the veneer is only 1/32", I'm extremely glad I went the way I did, I fear with a layer that thin, adhesive bleed into the grain could have interfered with my color plan. I did some testing with glued figured maple veneer and it was a problem. Also wouldn't allow much sanding back margin if a first go wasn't perfect.
I think my carved top plan will wait until I can snag a beech burl I've had my eyes on

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