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Thread: Back button/heel cap

  1. #1
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    Default Back button/heel cap

    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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    Default Re: Back button/heel cap

    From an aesthetic point of view you may be the only person to notice...
    Bart McNeil

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    Registered User jim simpson's Avatar
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    Default Re: Back button/heel cap

    I'm used to the separate cap but your design sounds good, picture?
    Old Hometown, Cabin Fever String Band

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    Registered User sunburst's Avatar
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    Default Re: Back button/heel cap

    Aesthetically, it is individual preference. Structurally, there are plenty of examples of both working well for long periods of time, but the nod goes to the heel "button" being part of the back rather than an applied cap. The extra glue joint and gluing surface between the neck heel and the back plate make a contribution to strength and stability of the neck joint.

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    Default Re: Back button/heel cap

    John...that structural extra strength given by the heel cap being part of the back makes 100% sense, and I hadn't considered that. Whichever way it's done, I find it a difficult area to work and get the sides of the neck, the button area, the binding and the instrument ribs all to look neat. I used several small sanding sticks, small rasps and Dremel (with care), and just about ended up with an acceptable result. Shaping the ebony button as close to final dimension as I could before glueing it on helped. On my next inst., I'll incorporate the button as part of the back....but I'm not looking forward to binding that area....can't visualise the best way to do that.

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