Guitar Binding Explained: Materials, Styles and How to Install It
Guitar Binding Explained: Materials, Styles and How to Install It
Guitar binding is the thin strip that runs around the edge of a body, a neck or a headstock. It is the detail that makes a guitar look finished and expensive, and it also protects the edges. This guide explains what binding does, compares the materials, shows the classic color combinations and walks you through installing it yourself, from the routed channel to the scraped, flush edge.
What is guitar binding, and what does it do?
Binding is a strip of plastic, wood or shell glued into a small channel routed along the edge of the guitar. It started on acoustic and archtop guitars, where the top and back are glued to the sides: the binding covers that joint. On electric guitars it is mostly about the look. It does three things:
- Protects the edge. The edge is where a guitar takes knocks. Binding takes them instead of the wood and the finish.
- Seals the end grain. At the edge you cut across the grain, which soaks up moisture and finish. Binding covers it.
- Frames the guitar. A white or cream line around a dark body is the classic custom-shop look, from the 1950s single-cut Customs to the 1959 Custom Telecaster with its bound top and back.
Next to the binding you sometimes see thin decorative lines: that is purfling. A body with several black and white layers is called multi-ply binding.
Guitar binding materials compared
Most binding today is ABS plastic, usually about 1.5 to 2 mm thick and 6 mm tall for a body. It comes in white, cream and black, and the color is solid all the way through, so you can scrape it flush without losing it.
| Material | What it is | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| ABS plastic | The modern standard on most guitars. | Flexible, cheap, easy to glue and scrape | Looks plain up close |
| Celluloid / ivoroid | The original material. Ivoroid is celluloid with an aged ivory grain. | Warm vintage look | Can shrink and decay with age (binding rot) |
| Tortoiseshell | Celluloid or ABS with a tortoise pattern. | Vintage acoustics, warm finishes | Same ageing as celluloid when celluloid based |
| Wood | Maple, rosewood, koa or ebony strips. | Natural look, matches a figured top | Must be bent with heat, cracks if forced |
| Abalone / pearl | Shell pieces set as purfling next to the binding. | High-end acoustics | Expensive and slow to fit |
| Multi-ply | Black and white layers glued together. | Archtops, Custom-style electrics | Needs a wider channel |
White looks crisp and modern. Cream looks like aged ivory and suits sunburst, natural and vintage finishes. Black binding disappears on a dark guitar and frames a light one.
Body, neck and headstock binding
- Body, top only: the most common on electrics. The top edge is bound, the back is left plain.
- Body, top and back (double bound): the full custom look, on the 1959 Custom Tele and many archtops.
- Neck binding: guitar neck binding is a strip along both edges of the fretboard. It hides the ends of the fret slots and gives the edge a smooth, rolled feel. On some guitars the fret ends sit on the binding, with small "nibs" of binding left at the end of each fret.
- Headstock binding: around the headstock face, mostly on high-end and vintage-style guitars.
Fretboard binding is a job for the factory or a luthier: the frets have to be cut around it. Body binding is the one you can do at home.
Tele with binding: the classic color combinations
A bound TL-style body is one of the easiest ways to make a simple guitar look custom. These are the combinations players ask for most:
| Body | Binding | Look |
|---|---|---|
| Black | White | The classic, sharp contrast |
| Sunburst | White or cream | The 1959 Custom look |
| Natural ash | Cream | Vintage and warm |
| White or pastel | Black | Modern and graphic |
| Figured veneer top | Cream or black | Frames the figure like a picture |
Our TL-Style Body with Veneer Top and Binding comes with the binding already installed in white, cream or black, from $146. Want to do it yourself? The TL-Style Bound Guitar Kit has a body routed for binding, with the strip in the box, from $229.
Binding and a skin: the clean-edge trick
Wrapping a body with printed vinyl usually means trimming the skin perfectly along the edge, which is the hard part. Binding removes that step: lay the skin on the top, trim it roughly, then glue the binding over it. The edge of the skin disappears under the binding and is sealed, so you can clear-coat straight over it.
That is the idea behind our TL-Style Bound Guitar Body + Artwork Skin (from $146) and the TL-Style Bound Guitar Kit + Artwork Skin: pick a design from our guitar skins or send your own image. For the general method, see our guide on how to wrap a guitar.
How to install binding on a guitar in 6 steps
Allow an evening for the glue and tape, plus scraping the next day. You need the strip, glue, tape and a scraper.
1 Rout the channel (or start from a routed body)
The channel is a small step cut along the edge with a router and a bearing-guided binding bit, set to the height and thickness of your strip. This is the risky part. Our bound bodies come with it already routed.
2 Dry-fit the strip
Start at the neck pocket or the tail and press the strip into the channel all the way round without glue. On a tight curve, warm ABS gently with a hair dryer so it bends without kinking. Mark where the ends meet.
3 Glue it in
Plastic binding: use a binding cement made for plastic or thin superglue, a short length at a time. Wood binding: wood glue such as Titebond wood glue. Wipe off any squeeze-out straight away.
4 Tape it down
Pull the strip into the channel with strips of masking tape for guitar every 3 to 5 cm, stretching each piece over the edge. On a flat section a luthier hand clamp with soft jaws helps. Leave it overnight.
5 Scrape it flush
Remove the tape and scrape the binding level with the wood using a cabinet scraper or a single-edge razor blade held upright. Scraping is cleaner than sanding: sandpaper smears plastic dust into the wood.
6 Finish around it
On a natural or clear finish, just finish over everything. On a painted body, paint over the binding, then scrape the paint off the binding with a razor before the clear coat, so the line comes out clean.
Plastic to wood: a binding cement made for plastic, or thin superglue. Wood to wood: ordinary wood glue. Standard wood glue does not grip plastic well, so do not use it for ABS.
Fake binding: the look without the strip
Some guitars show a light line around a carved or veneered top without any binding. It is the natural wood under the top, left unpainted when the edge is finished: often called natural binding or fake binding. Other makers simply paint a line. It is cheaper to produce, but it does not protect the edge like a real strip.
Repairing guitar binding
- Lifting at one spot: clean the gap, run in a little thin superglue or binding cement and tape it down overnight.
- A gap at the joint: fill it with a sliver of binding, glue, then scrape flush.
- Shrinking, cracking or yellow powder: that is celluloid decaying (binding rot). It spreads, so the only real fix is replacing the binding.
FAQ
What is guitar binding?
A strip of plastic, wood or shell glued into a channel around the edge of the body, neck or headstock. It protects the edge, seals the end grain and frames the guitar.
Does binding affect the tone of a guitar?
Not in a way you can hear. It is there for protection and looks.
What glue is used for guitar binding?
For plastic binding, a binding cement made for plastic or thin superglue. For wood binding, wood glue.
Can you add binding to a guitar that has none?
Yes, but the channel has to be routed into the edge first, which means refinishing. Starting from a body that is already routed for binding is much easier.
Why do bound guitars cost more?
Routing the channel, fitting the strip, scraping it flush and finishing around it all take extra hand work.
