Clavin Posted May 26, 2005 Report Posted May 26, 2005 Hi Guys. Here is my latest. It's mostly recon stones, and engraved with four different color inks/fillers.. red, white, purple, and black. It's on an acoustic 12 string headstock. This has become my personal favorite. I am going to do an entire guitar as a rainforest theme due to this inlay. This was for a client. Thanks for looking! Craig L. Quote
Pr3Va1L Posted May 26, 2005 Report Posted May 26, 2005 youve got DAMN talent! this thing is just GREAT! good job Quote
rocksolid Posted May 26, 2005 Report Posted May 26, 2005 thats great stuff where do you buy your inlay materials? Quote
erikbojerik Posted May 27, 2005 Report Posted May 27, 2005 Hey Craig, that is really wonderful! The frog is great...the detail on the orchids makes it! Quote
Clavin Posted May 27, 2005 Author Report Posted May 27, 2005 Thanks Guys. As far as materials go, I buy from just about everyone. Rescue pearl, Luthiers supply, and when I really need to not mess around I hit Chuck Ericson ( he has a $1000.00 minimum order, but he basically supplies the country. Almost everyone else's materials start at him). And Depaul is great to deal with, and carries shell types no one else carries. Rescue Pearl are also fantastic, and they carry recon stone at pre thicknessed sizes. Also Masecraft supply for shell, and stone, and just about everything else. But, you'll be prepping out all of the raw stock materials, and that takes up a lot of time. Just so your aware the recon stones are fantastic in inlays, but they take a lot of practice cutting. many are very fragile, way more than shell, and each slab has variations in it as well. Best of luck. Craig Lavin Quote
Batfink Posted May 27, 2005 Report Posted May 27, 2005 A nicely balanced inlay as usual Craig. I'm with you on recon stone though, i've only recently started to use it and the first cuts were "whee, this stuff cuts easy followed by.....bugger, this stuff sometimes cuts too easy" Jem Quote
javacody Posted May 28, 2005 Report Posted May 28, 2005 That is beautiful. I'm not sure words can express how wonderful an inlay that really is! How much would an inlay like that set me back? (I probably can't afford it, but I can dream!) Quote
Brainbanana Posted May 31, 2005 Report Posted May 31, 2005 Wow, that is absolutely incredible.......... Quote
Guest gsrguitars Posted May 31, 2005 Report Posted May 31, 2005 Just.... WOW. Amazing work, love it! -G Quote
AlGeeEater Posted May 31, 2005 Report Posted May 31, 2005 That frog...looks sooo realistic and 3D Quote
Clavin Posted June 1, 2005 Author Report Posted June 1, 2005 Thanks Guys! I have another almost completed, a wolf howling at the moon inlay coming up next. I know it's a common inlay theme but this one goes beyond the normal level of imagery. Pics soon hopefully. Craig L. Quote
jer7440 Posted June 1, 2005 Report Posted June 1, 2005 Gorgeous as usual Craig. Thanks for sharing your work and your knowledge with us. Quote
Daniel Sorbera Posted June 1, 2005 Report Posted June 1, 2005 If you wouldn't mind answering, how much did you charge for that one? Quote
Clavin Posted June 1, 2005 Author Report Posted June 1, 2005 Sorry Guys. I won't discuss pricing in a forum, and, each piece is unique, and they vary widely in price. I have to admit I charge less for things I personally want to do, versus something I HAVE to do. My works not cheap. Some would argue it's expensive, some would argue it's fair. I would argue it's a luxury item, and that is what custom inlay is. It's similar to custom jewelery at some level: valuable materials, time to design and create, and my work is all one of a kind. I throw away the hand drawn patterns after I am finished. Prices range in the low hundreds, to about $2,000.00 for full headstock and fretboard art, or higher. Some of the fancy Martin's inlaid By Larry Robinson go for well over $200,000.00 or more. There are many fancy inlaid martins all hand done that sell for the over $75,000.00 mark. Custom inlay isn't really about price at a certian point. It is art. I can't believe what some people pay for a small little painting! Just watch Antiques Roadshow! I know this doesn't help, and I'm not trying to be a pain. But any inlay I design for any of the next people will be a different price. Acoustic Guitar Magazine had a custom inlay article a few months ago, and most of the guys in that article were charging what amounts to $50.00 an hour including general materials ( shell and stone- not real gold, etc..) I guess that's about right. Craig L. Quote
javacody Posted June 4, 2005 Report Posted June 4, 2005 Craig, I understand. Art is a very subjective thing and I know artists will charge less for a work that they are passionate about (or even do it for free sometimes). No worries about your price, your work is top notch and you should be able to ask whatever you want without any feelings of guilt. These inlays are a one-of a kind creation. Is there any kind of wait? What is your process? Do you provide an initial sketch that you tweak with the customer and then provide an estimate? Quote
Clavin Posted June 5, 2005 Author Report Posted June 5, 2005 Thanks. Right now I have about a 3-4 month wait for bigger jobs, but still handle small things pretty quickly. The process, which I must say is pretty standard for almost any inlay artist is this: 1) Talk about ideas 2) Take a drawing deposit- draw out ideas- change to clients desires/edit. 3) Take half deposit- begin inlay 4) Complete inlay- gather remaining payments- ship. Normally my clients give me full choice over materials, and most times even the art. and to be frank if people want to start telling me how to use colors, etc.. they can go to someone else Of course I left out some details, but basically that's it. Craig L Quote
javacody Posted June 5, 2005 Report Posted June 5, 2005 LOL. Spoken like a true artist. I've been thinking about some kind of penguin inlay on the headstock, I think it would be very cool (on a rosewood headstock). Maybe with white pearl of some kind as the white on the penguin(s)? Or maybe penguin fretmarkers? Quote
whitey Posted June 5, 2005 Report Posted June 5, 2005 do you have any more pictures of your work?cause that is just to beautifull for words Quote
GregP Posted June 6, 2005 Report Posted June 6, 2005 Surf on over to http://www.handcraftinlay.com to check Craig's shizznit out. Greg Quote
whitey Posted June 6, 2005 Report Posted June 6, 2005 (edited) so its safe to say he's rich then,i really like that ghecko,and the finding nemo style one,the one with the clown fish,just because of the orange,that is one uniqe talent u got there,its so uniqe i keep forgetteing to put the ''U'' in unique lol hey craig,do you know any u.k wood campanies?i'm searching for some rosewood for a fretboard,but as easy as it may seem,i cant find any,only found fretboards for a 4 string bass,i've even toyed with the idea of buying 2 and fitting them togethor,like a bookmatched style lol. Edited June 6, 2005 by whitey Quote
Clavin Posted June 6, 2005 Author Report Posted June 6, 2005 Rich? Depends on your definition. I'm far from world class poor, but I still have a day job, and I am working very hard on doing inlays full time. I am happy, have a beautiful wife and son, a cool cat, and I get to work on guitars and realize my visions clearly, so I guess I am pretty rich! Sorry I don't know of any UK companies. I know most here in the states wil sjip internationally. Do a google search of course! Best of luck, and thanks. C.Lavin Quote
Setch Posted June 6, 2005 Report Posted June 6, 2005 If you're asking about a company who can sell you a Rosewood fretboard, try: Craft Supplies David Dyke Luthier Supplies Touchstone tonewoods Only craft supplies will sell you a slotted and radiused board, Dyke and Touchstone only sell thicknessed and slotted boards. Quote
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