The common approach - and a visually lighter one - seems to be to thickness the headplate to the desired binding depth and bind the board prior to installation in the neck...this keeps a common trim line between headstock binding, bottom of nut, and fretboard binding.
Going deeper on headstock binding forces the neck-to-headstock transition to a design solution without anything in the way of carved transitions (e.g., the distinctive Martin/Collings/Santa Cruz Style 28 and Style 40-45 carved transition)...think D-18 or 'smilie' volute versus the crisp change in line and shape seen on a Style 45 or a Collins D3. That crease at the neck/headstock join - as well as the curved transition from the sides of the headstock into that join - makes deeper headstock binding problematic because the binding itself must be carved across the transition line. This carving may be done neatly, but the trim lines and shapes will not be as simple or as clean with this neck-to-headstock shape as binding which terminates at the front, back, and bottom surfaces of the nut.
The photos show the headstock transition on a Collings D3 for context, as well as a side view of a 40-style binding scheme. The shallower binding on the headstock means that the headplate - or headplate and filler piece laminate - needs to be 0.080"-0.125" thick for adequate visual thickness...we like about 0.100", which generally finishes to about 3/32".
Attachment: d3-cocobolo-a-sb-14-lg.jpg
Attachment: HeadstockBinding.jpg
|
