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I used maple binding on my L-00 build. The fingerboard is Macassar ebony and so is the head plate. Without giving it much thought I used some Macassar ebony for the neck heel. Now I'm wondering if I should have used maple for the neck heel... Should I take off the ebony heel plate and use maple instead or is it not worth doing? This build is not meant for anyone. It's just another build as a hobbiest. (It does look pretty good with ebony.... ). It's my number 8. I took a picture with my ipad but its too big to post. I'd have to resize it...
Thanks,
Steve

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Steve Sollod (pronounced sorta like "Solid")
www.swiftcreekguitars.com

Here's the photo...

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Steve Sollod (pronounced sorta like "Solid")
www.swiftcreekguitars.com

I think you should leave it as is. If you went to the maple it would not have a contrast point as it does now.
Tom

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A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

Yep, keep it.

But if I were you, I'd carve the heel cap smaller. Looks pretty chunky to me (just an opinion, of course)

I can't tell, is it flush with the back? If so, another nice looking style is to add binding around the heel cap. Can be tough to bend tight enough for it, though.

I agree with Tom, I like the contrast. It'd be too monochromatic with a maple
cap along with the other light woods.

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Gene

Politicians and diapers must be changed often, and for the same reason- Mark Twain

Dennis, I'm not through carving it... Just a stopping point. Typically, the heel cap is the same as the binding, but I guess I was just thinking about the head plate, since the neck was not attached to the body.

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Steve Sollod (pronounced sorta like "Solid")
www.swiftcreekguitars.com

I love the contrasting heel plates. I tend to do them as a feature and have had no complaints.

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Martin Taylor
http://martintaylorguitars.com.au

I use maple binding and heelcaps that match the back and side wood. I look at the heelcap as part of the back.

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Old growth, shmold growth!

I use the contrast and same material as the headplate if not using a side pur on occasion. If use a side purf then use the same as the binding and end graft. Really just what works with the guitar after you have it together and ready for spray what you want to do. I usually just look at it and determine what looks best with the whole scheme and go with what looks best.

It would be really easy to place a maple heel cap over the existing one (just tack it there, no glue) to get a feel of the different look, then see what YOU think. Nothing worse than taking such an easy 'fix' and ignoring it at this stage if you'll feel bad about the look later on and be reminded every time you look at the guitar.

To my eye it ties in visually with the darker finger board, not the back. You may be stuck in that awful position of two good choices

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Thank You and Best To All

Martin, would you be willing to take on a partner in your guitar making shop? My Cousin Jackson Gibson is looking to team up. . .

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

I always match my heel cap with the headstock veneer. I thought that's the usual....matching wood or just black.

Bryan, I thought your cousin was a body and fender man.

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

Alex, you're thinking of my Uncle Bondo. . .

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

I would def go a lot smaller. Mahogany would say, " Nothing to see here folks. (except quality) Move along." Maple would say,"Hel-lo". And Ebony says,"How YOU doin?"

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Pat

The fretboard looks dark too, i'd leave it.

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Jason Moe
LaCrosse WI 54601

My brother in law builds performance motorcycles and is looking to team up with a luthier to build a motorcycle themed series of acoustic guitars. His name is Yamaha Takamine.

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http://www.CostaGuitars.com
PMoMC