Hi Owen, I can't think of any reason you can't use just about any nice piece of veneer you want. Looks is probably the biggest thing. For my taste, I think I would rather see something a little lighter in color, such as birds eye maple or something similar. But come to think of it, a nice piece of quilted birch might look pretty neat too. It's mostly a matter of what you like. Of more concern to me would be making sure to have a good solid glue joint between the pinblock and that veneer. Pockets of air and poor adhesion could leave any piece of veneer vulnerable to more damage from the drill bit. As for drilling, use a SHARP bit, and don't rush the drilling process, especially where the bit cuts through the veneer. Rushing usually means tear-out, even with a sharp bit. On a side note: It's easy to look at the naked, just drilled, open faced pinblock and pick out every tiny little defect and spec. But do keep in mind that there will be a couple hundred tuning pins and a couple hundred strings all coming up to those tuning pins, and when it's all said and done, we cover it up with a music desk. A lot of what we fuss and fuss over becomes fairly hidden anyway. Not to imply that we shouldn't take pride in our work. I'm probably one of the worst offenders of building 'pretty things that no one will ever see'. I've done this to myself when I notch a bridge. I'm so careful, but when I'm done, I see every little thing that isn't 'perfect', and beat myself up for it. But I've been looking at this thing from 4 inches away, for the last 4 or 5 hours, watching every little nook and cranny develop. But then I'll go away for a while, and come back to it with fresh eyes, and see that, yes, it is a good job, maybe a great job, compared to some of the new pianos I've seen. :-) Perspective... easy to philosophize about, harder to maintain in real life... ...Oops, I guess I got carried away again. Good luck with your project. Brian Trout Quarryville, PA btrout@desupernet.net
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