I have a 1912 A4 with a glued-on ebony heel cap, and a late 20's A with a heel cap that is part of the back wood. I would assume that most old Gibsons were built using the second method (as per violin construction), but perhaps many (including I believe the "Parrot" Loar) had that glued on cap.
I have just built a mandola, which is a copy of the Gibson H style, and had difficulty deciding which design of heel cap to use. In the end, I went for the separate glued-on ebony method, with the back of the body bound, but the cap unbound and the binding passing through the cap/body joint. It looks ok but i can't make my mind up as to which style is preferable. What are the aesthetics of this? Like to hear some opinions........John
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