Headstock veneer material

[Engle]

What is the black material on the face of Gibson/Epiphone headstocks? And where is it available?
I'm planning to rework an Epiphone headstock. There is no need for the headstock on a Jack Casady to be that big!

 

[Beej]

They're called a headstock overlay or a peghead overlay. There are a few suppliers who have gibson family versions ready to go.

 

[Flying B]

I used a black fibreboard on the v headstock you can see in my avatar. It polished up very nicely.

 

[Engle]

I used a black fibreboard on the v headstock you can see in my avatar. It polished up very nicely.

Looks great. Where did you get it?

 

[Flying B]

I'm in the UK so probably not much use but I got it from eBay, something like this:
Luthitec™ Black Fibreboard Guitar Headstock Veneer (250 x 100mm) | eBay

 

[Engle]

They're called a headstock overlay or a peghead overlay. There are a few suppliers who have gibson family versions ready to go.

I have checked Stewmac, LMI, and Philadelphia Luthiers without finding it. I don't necessarily need it cut to the Gibson shape, but I just can't find the fiberboard material, except from Ebay UK.

 

[Flying B]

Have a search for valcromat, pretty sure it's the same stuff.

 

[Beej]

Rothko and Frost sell direct, also from the UK, but that seems to be where it can be most easily found.
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[Engle]

Rothko and Frost sell direct, also from the UK, but that seems to be where it can be most easily found.
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

It's hard to believe I can't source this stuff in North America!

 

[Beej]

It's hard to believe I can't source this stuff in North America!

Well, LMII does have ebonized headstock veneers that will work. If you wanted a real ebony veneer, Wood to Works in Chilliwack carries it: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

There's also garolite available from McMaster-Carr: McMaster-Carr

It is a very similar product to what Rothko and Frost sell.

 

[Bruce Johnson]

What is the black material on the face of Gibson/Epiphone headstocks? And where is it available?
I'm planning to rework an Epiphone headstock. There is no need for the headstock on a Jack Casady to be that big!

Like Beej and the others have said, LMII's ebonized headstock veneer is a higher grade material than the black fiberboard. I believe that Gibson buys it from LMII for their high-line US made instruments.

Black fiberboard is less expensive, and is bought in quantity for use on the Epiphone line. Saving every penny. It's harder to buy individual pieces, because we Luthiers don't use it much.

Most of us use the LMII ebonized veneer when doing those classic Gibson-style black front headstocks. I've done a few.

 

[Engle]

Like Beej and the others have said, LMII's ebonized headstock veneer is a higher grade material than the black fiberboard. I believe that Gibson buys it from LMII for their high-line US made instruments.

Black fiberboard is less expensive, and is bought in quantity for use on the Epiphone line. Saving every penny. It's harder to buy individual pieces, because we Luthiers don't use it much.

Most of us use the LMII ebonized veneer when doing those classic Gibson-style black front headstocks. I've done a few.

Well, LMII does have ebonized headstock veneers that will work. If you wanted a real ebony veneer, Wood to Works in Chilliwack carries it: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

There's also garolite available from McMaster-Carr: McMaster-Carr

It is a very similar product to what Rothko and Frost sell.

Thanks guys! I think I'll go with the Ebonized veneer from LMII.
@Beej I wasn't aware of Wood to Works in Chilliwack. Going to have a look at their site.

 

[Beej]

Thanks guys! I think I'll go with the Ebonized veneer from LMII.
@Beej I wasn't aware of Wood to Works in Chilliwack. Going to have a look at their site.

They're a reasonably good supplier, but a word of warning, their wood grading is an in-house method, pretty random IMHO and also they grade what I would call a AA flame top as a AAAAA flame top, and price them accordingly.

 

[BuddhaFingas]

Sorry to necro up an oldish thread, but having actually gotten hands on some genuine Luthitec Fibreboard overlay material for my custom FSO build, I'm drawing a complete blank on finding instructions about using and finishing it.

The surface is rather textured and color is a bit non-uniform; is it sanded to smoothness and uniformity after gluing on, or does it just get sprayed as-is and the clear does the job?

Is shaping similar and uses similar tools to wood, or are special steps needed to get clean edges?

Any experienced advice would be welcome as this stuff is hard to come by, so experimenting is costly.

 

[rudy4444]

I have always used solid ebony headstock overlays from Allen Guitars & Luthier Supplies. I don't think it's worth sourcing and working with dyed veneers or fibreboard for the few dollars you'd save in initial cost.

 

[Bruce Johnson]

Sorry to necro up an oldish thread, but having actually gotten hands on some genuine Luthitec Fibreboard overlay material for my custom FSO build, I'm drawing a complete blank on finding instructions about using and finishing it.

The surface is rather textured and color is a bit non-uniform; is it sanded to smoothness and uniformity after gluing on, or does it just get sprayed as-is and the clear does the job?

Is shaping similar and uses similar tools to wood, or are special steps needed to get clean edges?

Any experienced advice would be welcome as this stuff is hard to come by, so experimenting is costly.

Like Rudy said, most of us use real ebony or a harder black plastic for headstock veneers, because it's more dense and smoother. Fibreboard is okay, but it has a rougher, more textured surface, and it will soak in the finish to some degree. To make it smooth and pretty, you need to cover it with coats of clear finish, enough to level out the surface. I would not recommend sanding the bare Fibreboard, trying to make it smooth. It will probably look streaky and ugly.

Get it glued on there as flat as you can, and trim the edges lightly. And start spraying on the coats of clear until it looks pretty flat and glossy, no texture. Then lightly level sand it and put on another coat or two.

 

[BuddhaFingas]

Sounds like maybe trying to go "authentic to original" was ultimately a waste of time and money... It took weeks to get from the UK and with shipping, was a fair bit of coin.

Sad panda noises ensue.

Guess I will try to chase down a right sized piece of ebony. More time lost.

One wonders why it was ever used if it's a labor-intensive PITA to work with. Labor is usually >> materials.

 

[Engle]

Sounds like maybe trying to go "authentic to original" was ultimately a waste of time and money... It took weeks to get from the UK and with shipping, was a fair bit of coin.

Sad panda noises ensue.

Guess I will try to chase down a right sized piece of ebony. More time lost.

One wonders why it was ever used if it's a labor-intensive PITA to work with. Labor is usually >> materials.

I ended up using a dyed veneer. It was also labour intensive.
Next time I'll source some ebony.

 

[BuddhaFingas]

Not to mention, even though smaller than original, this Thunderbird headstock will need a piece at least 3.75x9.25" in size to just barely cover width.

A full size bird would need something around 5x10".

So far, not finding ebony in those dimensions.

What plastic is safely compatible with and bonds well to wood glues and nitro lacquers? And of woodlike strength?

 

[Engle]

Not to mention, even though smaller than original, this Thunderbird headstock will need a piece at least 3.75x9.25" in size to just barely cover width.

A full size bird would need something around 5x10".

So far, not finding ebony in those dimensions.

What plastic is safely compatible with and bonds well to wood glues and nitro lacquers? And of woodlike strength?

I don't think any plastic would bond to a wood glue.