Roger Williams - Luthier

Decorative options

Bindings, purflings and inlays

Bindings are the thin wooden strips that encircle the top and back of the guitar sealing the edges of the table, sides and back and providing both a decoration and essential stiffening of the structure.  They usually incorporate additional decoration known as 'purfling', which can be of various contrasting thin veneers.

In any of my guitars I can include an inlay to the headstock and back of highly figured wood but not all woods held are of suitable size.

Bocote

This richly grained tropical hardwood is very scarce and is classified as rare or endangered throughout its natural habitat. distinctive grain that is flowered to striped with an attractive ray flecked figure when quarter-sawn.

Available as bindings only.

Ebony African

A very dark, almost black, wood with a narrow, straight, dark brown grain.  Its texture is especially fine, and resistant to wear making it very suitable for fingerboards.

Available as fingerboards and bindings only.

Lacewood (English)

Platanus hybrida of the plane or sycamore family has the common name "European plane" and is also called European Lacewood.  is a somewhat splintery wood, best known for the very highly distinctive, large, ray flakes that occur in quarter-sawn cuts.

The lower picture features a classical guitar with European Lacewood bindings, made for Raymond Burley by Roger Williams.

Available as bindings, and back and headstock decoration only.

East Indian Rosewood

East Indian Rosewood  is readily available and usable as bindings.  It is tough and wear resistant in use and glues and takes a finish reasonably well.  It is particularly effective contrasting with lighter woods such as Maple or Cypress or when used with a contrasting purfling against Rosewood.

The picture opposite features Rosewood sides and bindings on the acoustic guitar made for Gordon Giltrap.

Maple (and Sycamore)

Lustrous creamy white with a fine even texture making it ideally suited as a contrasting binding for darker woods such as Rosewood and Wenge  Ripple or flame figured sycamore is a world class timber for fine cabinet work and musical instrument making.

Available as backs and sides, bindings, and back and headstock decoration.

Brazilian Ropala Lacewood

Roupala brasiliense of the family Proteacea hails from South America and is properly called South American lacewood or Brazilian lacewood.  It is also called leopardwood.  Mahogany brown with a distinctive reddish-pink medullary ray which is very prominent especially on quarter-sawn faces.

Pictures show back decoration and bindings on Flamenco Negra guitar by Roger Williams.

Available as backs and sides, bindings, and back and headstock decoration.

Pequia

Bright lemon yellow with a fine texture, hard and heavy.  Popular for it’s unusual, bright colour.

Available for bindings and purflings only.