Body bindings - wood versus plastic - does it matter?

Ben_H

Ben_H

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Does the use of wood versus plastic for uke body bindings affect anything other than personal aesthetics?

Am looking at speccing a custom and part of me feels a bit hesitant about plastic bindings despite assurances that ABS plastics are industry standard.
 
I had wood bindings put on my custom. If you're gonna do it, do it right!
 
If you let a uke get too hot or cold and then it changes temperature too quickly, the wood and the plastic will expand/contract at different rates, this can cause the plastic to pull away from the wood. As long as you care for the uke properly this won't be an issue.
 
I saw a post from a well respected luthier. He really liked carbon fiber binding. Hopefully some experts chime in on the pluses and minuses. I am getting a custom. Thinking about carbon fiber now vs. plastic,but don't want to be one of those annoying customers. Unfortunately,only a few have a knowledge base for differences and preferences.
 
My favourite guitar has no binding. :p
 
Newportlocal said:
I saw a post from a well respected luthier. He really liked carbon fiber binding. Hopefully some experts chime in on the pluses and minuses. I am getting a custom. Thinking about carbon fiber now vs. plastic,but don't want to be one of those annoying customers. Unfortunately,only a few have a knowledge base for differences and preferences.
Click to expand...

Your luthier is very knowledgeable about carbon fiber. You should ask.
 
gyosh said:
Your luthier is very knowledgeable about carbon fiber. You should ask.
Click to expand...
Trust me. I am aware he is very knowledgeable. In fact he is the luthier I trust most. Fine line between seeking knowledge and being annoying customer, but on your recommendation I will ask him.
 
Newportlocal said:
Trust me. I am aware he is very knowledgeable. In fact he is the luthier I trust most. Fine line between seeking knowledge and being annoying customer, but on your recommendation I will ask him.
Click to expand...

It's very hard not being annoying when you've ordered isn't it?! :)

To the OP, maybe ask this on the LL thread or contact a luthier or a supply company like LMI or StewMac.
 
Here's something I found on a guitar forum about the topic. The poster is talking about the same type of material generally used by the luthiers who use "plastic" bindings for ukes.


And just to add to the mess, there are different kinds of plastics. Richard Hoover at Santa Cruz Guitar Co always says their bindings aren't really plastic, they are a cellulose material, dissolved cotton fibers, that is very similar chemically to the nitro-cellulose lacquer that they put on as a finish.

My experience has been that as pretty as they are, wood bindings dent much more easily, and the finish can get more easily damaged because of that. I like the thin wood accent strips, protected by a celluloid binding.
 
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