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I have a set a malaysian blackwood that I want to use on my next build.
The problem is that the plates are about 1/2" under the width that I need in total
The inner edges of the plates have sap wood. Can I glue in a narrow strip of a different typed wood when joining the plates to increase the overall width?
Essentially this will be a 3 piece back. Does the spieces of wood matter?
How do you handle the center strip inside?

Thanks
Richard

For just 1/2" maybe you can get by with a back strip and some binding/purfling around the edge. A 1/4" back strip would take up half the slack and the binding could be the other 1/8th per side.
If you want to use a 3rd piece in the center, it doesn't really matter what wood. I'd do something to contrast with the blackwood. Maybe just cut off the sap wood and use a wider center piece for cleaner aesthetics. I would glue a strip over each joint on the inside for strength.

http://www.dreamguitars.com/products/ta ... s/back.jpg

If you have a 15" LB, remember thats 15" minus 2x the perfling and binding thickness. You can add a strip in the middle, but 1/2" is a bit much to make up here without doing more of a three piece. Inside you can either add a wide or two reinforcement strips, or have no reinforcement strip at all. Larrivees dont have and center straits at all. Theres a ton of those out there that are just fine.

Can you? Yes, and I rather like the look with a wedge shaped strip. Here's one of the coolest ever http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=394961#p394961

Type of wood matter? If you're going for a "live back", then maybe. Otherwise irrelevant. Personally I'd look for something similar hardness/resonance. Maybe persimmon for another ebony that will contrast the color? Or since you have sapwood lines for contrast already, maybe a pure black gabon ebony. And of course you can also put purfling lines or whatever you want in the joints as well.

Inside, two cross grain reinforcement strips. Or if it's narrow enough, one extra wide strip.

Oh, and another option is to do a 4 piece back... add little wings to the outer edges of the lower bout, using the offcuts from the waist. Depending on how dark your set is, it might be invisible.

This would be my choice.

_________________
Bryan Bear PMoMC

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

The upper bout isn't as wide as the lower bout. Couldn't you cut a piece off each side of the upper bout and glue it to the edge of the lower bout so it has "wings" on each side of the lower bout to make up the missing width? Hopefully, the wood would match ok since it's from the same board.

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Formerly known as Adaboy.......

Take the waist cutoff from the left side and add to the right lower bout and vice versa. Should look good and give you a lot more than 1/2" Leave the pieces as long as possible so that you can slip match by moving up or down as needed.

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I have done this many times .. take a one inch slice from the top (neck end) back to mid waist area, from outside the guitars pattern, and slip this back on the SAME side ... this ensures the runout will be the same, and the grain lines will be about as close as you can get, without having the next two slices from the flitch. If you do as BobC says, you need to flip the pieces over, then switch sides in order to keep any runout in the same direction.

As you only need 1/2 inch, that means only 1/4 per side, then when you take into acct the binding and purfling, you wont see very much of the add on piece at all.

_________________
Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

Will Do, thanks for all the replies

Richard

Oops Forgot to add the flipping part.

_________________
Beautiful and unusual tone woods at a reasonable price.
http://www.rctonewoods.com/RCT_Store
The Zootman
1109 Military Rd.
Kenmore, NY 14217
(716) 874-1498