Binding help

[Cj_Havoc]

I have a cheap Corbin lp copy, I'd like to remove the binding and leave it off and just sand everything flush,is this possible? The bindings are not super thick and are a horrible pinkish color and the bindings turn to a odd powder like state when rolling the edges, so it's practically impossible to get them straight..so is there enough meat on a fretboard ,ect to remove it and just keep it off? Huge thanks in advance..

 

[Side Burns]

Do you have pics of it. Far and close up too?

 

[cmjohnson]

Don't. Just sell the guitar and buy one you like more.

You think the binding is thin, but on the neck a minor change in width of the fingerboard makes a world of difference.

It's just one sixteenth of an inch that makes all the difference between a comfortable (for me) standard Gibson width neck, 1 and 11/16", and the 1 and 5/8" nut width of some Fenders and even a few Gibson, which I absolutely can't stand. If I ever pick up a guitar that's 1 and 5/8" at the nut, I put it back on its hangar as fast as I realize my mistake.

The effort to de-bind and sand down is a lot more than you think. There's no point in doing it. Ditch that guitar and get one you like instead. You'll be happier.

 

[CB91710]

+1
Better off to have it re-bound in a proper color... which will cost more than the guitar is worth.

 

[ARandall]

Technically do-able......in practically a nightmare.
Especially for something 'inconsequential' like the colour of the binding.

For me I'd rather go for the 1 5/8 every time if we take the above example.....so merely 1 opinion on width is by itself useless (even if we are not going so far as to acknowledge that the only valid opinion on width is the owner of the possible modded guitar in question).
Another technical issue is the strings will then be too close to the edge of the neck. The result of this being you have to remove the nut and make a whole new one.

 

[CB91710]

Technically do-able......in practically a nightmare.
Especially for something 'inconsequential' like the colour of the binding.

For me I'd rather go for the 1 5/8 every time if we take the above example.....so merely 1 opinion on width is by itself useless (even if we are not going so far as to acknowledge that the only valid opinion on width is the owner of the possible modded guitar in question).
Another technical issue is the strings will then be too close to the edge of the neck. The result of this being you have to remove the nut and make a whole new one.

Yep.
Basically it's a big can of worms that falls under the category of "If you are asking this question, you lack the basic knowledge and skills to successfully accomplish it"
OTOH, a cheap Corbin would be a good guitar to learn on, so there's that.

 

[Cj_Havoc]

Technically do-able......in practically a nightmare.
Especially for something 'inconsequential' like the colour of the binding.

For me I'd rather go for the 1 5/8 every time if we take the above example.....so merely 1 opinion on width is by itself useless (even if we are not going so far as to acknowledge that the only valid opinion on width is the owner of the possible modded guitar in question).
Another technical issue is the strings will then be too close to the edge of the neck. The result of this being you have to remove the nut and make a whole new one.

It's not just the color, when try to roll the edges the binding seems to turn to powder and it so odd,you can't get a smooth roll on it, it's impossible to make the bindings straight as the have sort of a crumbling kind of effect..

 

[Cj_Havoc]

Yep.
Basically it's a big can of worms that falls under the category of "If you are asking this question, you lack the basic knowledge and skills to successfully accomplish it"
OTOH, a cheap Corbin would be a good guitar to learn on, so there's that.

No I'm not a guitar tech by any means and yeah I do lack alot of skills,and yes I'm limited by lack of tools and funds available..

 

[Cj_Havoc]

Well I took the leap and done it,I have this attitude "With no risk, there's no reward" here's some pics after the first rough sanding.. Also on a side note I used nothing but average hand tools nothing special..I also filled the side dots with silver solder.. The bindings on the body were removed and the body sanded flush (bare in mind this is just a rough beginning and not a completely sanded finished product)

 

[Cj_Havoc]

Pic's

 

[ARandall]

Well I took the leap and done it,I have this attitude "With no risk, there's no reward" here's some pics after the first rough sanding

It might have been a bit more useful for the rest of us for you to inform us at the outset of the extent of what you'd done already. As in the the fact that you'd already sanded the whole body down, found issues with the rear plates due to having taken too much depth off....and found a crack in the top wood.

Seems a little deceptive really, plus of course the quality of advice given is wholly dependent on the level of information given to us.

 

[cmjohnson]

Why bother give advice on what to do next if what you intended to do next has already been done?

Since you still have side dot markers I'm guessing the binding wasn't much thicker than a thick layer of paint.

 

[Cj_Havoc]

It might have been a bit more useful for the rest of us for you to inform us at the outset of the extent of what you'd done already. As in the the fact that you'd already sanded the whole body down, found issues with the rear plates due to having taken too much depth off....and found a crack in the top wood.

Seems a little deceptive really, plus of course the quality of advice given is wholly dependent on the level of information given to us.

It wasn't meant to be deceptive at all,and does the fact that the top was sanded change the question of removing bindings? I don't believe it does at all.. I've actually made a post regarding the guitar in it's entirety before this post was made..And I'm definitely not skilled enough on the lingo to explain the extent of what I've done, I'm a novice and just wanted a guitar that was made for me, I just wanted something you couldn't just go and buy,so if my post is deceptive that truly wasn't the intention, I just wanted to know if removing bindings was possible,so I apologise for this thread...

 

[Cj_Havoc]

Why bother give advice on what to do next if what you intended to do next has already been done?

Since you still have side dot markers I'm guessing the binding wasn't much thicker than a thick layer of paint.

It wasn't done at the time of the post, I actually did this work this morning..

 

[Cj_Havoc]

Why bother give advice on what to do next if what you intended to do next has already been done?

Since you still have side dot markers I'm guessing the binding wasn't much thicker than a thick layer of paint.

Also these side dots are silver solder that I stuck in the existing holes and sanded flush...

 

[cmjohnson]

It's your guitar, do as you want, but so far you seen to not be taking any advice given....by forum members who between them have CENTURIES of guitar building and repair experience. Many of the members here are genuinely master level builders, fully prepared to compare their current day guitars to anything coming out of any manufacturer's custom shop that you care to name.

My first scratch built guitar was made in 1987. I'd sell or trade off a guitar that I didn't like because it had binding on it, rather than put the effort into it to remove the binding and then try to cover it up.

 

[Cj_Havoc]

It's your guitar, do as you want, but so far you seen to not be taking any advice given....by forum members who between them have CENTURIES of guitar building and repair experience. Many of the members here are genuinely master level builders, fully prepared to compare their current day guitars to anything coming out of any manufacturer's custom shop that you care to name.

My first scratch built guitar was made in 1987. I'd sell or trade off a guitar that I didn't like because it had binding on it, rather than put the effort into it to remove the binding and then try to cover it up.

Seriously?? Okay here's the original thread with dates and times, look closely at the times and dates vand notice all pictures show the guitar with it's bindings,also note the time and date of this post and the time the picture was uploaded.. Cover up right?

Corbin Les Paul Build/Mod

I have recently been redoing a Corbin Les Paul..The guitar is a decent one, it's definitely not high quality or anything.. After removing the finish I found some crazy thing's going on..It has a 3 piece maple top, maple neck (which is pinkish in color) and a rubberwood back,it has a long neck...

www.mylespaul.com

 

[Cj_Havoc]

It's your guitar, do as you want, but so far you seen to not be taking any advice given....by forum members who between them have CENTURIES of guitar building and repair experience. Many of the members here are genuinely master level builders, fully prepared to compare their current day guitars to anything coming out of any manufacturer's custom shop that you care to name.

My first scratch built guitar was made in 1987. I'd sell or trade off a guitar that I didn't like because it had binding on it, rather than put the effort into it to remove the binding and then try to cover it up.

When a Senior Member posted this, I thought go for it.So advice wise...

 

[cmjohnson]

What's done is done. You seem to be willing to jump right in and get busy, and there's certainly nothing wrong with that, but if you're going to work that hard you should have considered putting that much work into something that's better to start with.

It's not like it's exactly difficult to find a stripped husk of a Gibson Les Paul Studio (No binding!) for a pretty cheap price and use that as a great base for building a customized-to-tasted guitar. I've got one myself, that some day I'll resume work on.

 

[Cj_Havoc]

What's done is done. You seem to be willing to jump right in and get busy, and there's certainly nothing wrong with that, but if you're going to work that hard you should have considered putting that much work into something that's better to start with.

It's not like it's exactly difficult to find a stripped husk of a Gibson Les Paul Studio (No binding!) for a pretty cheap price and use that as a great base for building a customized-to-tasted guitar. I've got one myself, that some day I'll resume work on.

During this pandemic my job was lost and the company shut down, I've not been able to find one yet..I had this guitar already and all the stuff was again already with me,so I have nothing more than time in it, I'd love to be able to buy a studio or something,but it's really a choice of eat or buy a guitar and I chose the ladder, I'm truly sorry for any trouble I've caused over my thread, I just wanted to know if technically it could be done..