easy inlays

[LGM Guitars]

Just thought I'd give mention to you guys that are new to inlaying, the most difficult part really, is cutting your shell blanks, but nothing is worse than cutting your shell, inlaying it, and realizing your shell is not what you wanted. Also, until you are used to routing, it's not hard to break your shell trying to press it into a slighty to small of a route.

So, what to do what to do. Well, look at costume Jewellery, particularily in those road side native american stands, they have some beautiful abalone and MOP charms, earings, etc, and they are reasonably priced, in fact, cheap for what some of them are. Most can have the jewellery part removed (earing posts etc) and you can inlay the charm. It works great!

Because they are real shell, you still learn how to finish the shell, levelling it, polishing, etc, and all the little tricks for filling around an inlay on a not so perfect route etc.

Check it out, practice on some scrap pieces, and enjoy the results!

Jeremy

[Brian]

Thanks Jeremy, I actually have a full bag of moon charms I purchased off of Ebay at a real bargin so I have all of the MOP moons I'll ever need providing of course people don't mind the inlays being just a little larger than normal. The good thing about them though is they are big enough to cover over old dot inlays.

[hushnel]

Some fancy pre-cuts

I found this link the other day. Look around the site they have some good stuff.

[beetlebz]

im considering getting a couple junk hopelessly warped necks to practice inlaying on, and a handful of dot inlays, just to teach myself how, with the help of an inlay book or two. but you know what? im going to wait a good long time before i tackle that kind of inlay hushnel LOL

the abalone ones would, however, look damn fine on almost any guitar im a sucker for abalone.