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You are here: Home / Building A Monarch / Building a Monarch: Pearl Inlay

Building a Monarch: Pearl Inlay

Shell inlays are a time-honored way of adding flair, beauty, and value to musical instruments. The two primary types of shell used in making guitar inlays are Mother of Pearl and Abalone. Each of these come in several color varieties. There are many options available for using inlays to dress up a guitar. Fretboard and peghead decoration is commonly seen on high end guitars, and inlay work can be added to the bridge, heel cap, pickguard, and back. As shown in the binding gallery, shell is also a beautiful material for purfling. All Dogwood Monarchs have the Dogwood logo inlaid into the peghead with hand cut Mother of Pearl. Cutting and inlaying shell is one of the most challenging aspects of lutherie work and is a learned art. In the gallery below you can see a little bit of what goes into cutting and inlaying a logo and also a customer’s name.

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Pearl and Abalone Inlay

One of the most beautiful customizations to a musical instrument is the addition of shell inlay. Typically this might include peghead decorations, fretboard position markers or more elaborate motifs such as vines and flowers, and body purflings. … [Read More...]

About Greg Maxwell

I've lived in central Ohio my entire life, and I've built things for as long as I can remember. I cut my teeth as a woodworker doing fancy interior wood trim for a custom home builder in the early 80's after deciding that performing music for a … [Read More...]

1975 Gibson Hummingbird Restoration

While meeting with a customer and his daughter about designing a guitar for her, he showed me his Gibson Hummingbird that his daughter had been playing. Using the serial number and other identifying characteristics, I was able to date the guitar … [Read More...]

Exceptional Tonewoods

Fine wood is the heart of every Dogwood guitar. Greg has been collecting rare and highly figured wood for over three decades, and he is always on the lookout for the best sets of both top and back/side wood for his custom guitars. Exotic wood of the … [Read More...]

The Kingston Jumbo

I've always been particularly drawn to jumbo-size acoustics. I learned to play guitar in the early 1970's when John Denver was at the height of his career, and the sound he got from his jumbo Guild 6 and 12 string guitars made an impression on me … [Read More...]

Guitar Building, Voicing, and Repair Classes

Greg loves teaching guitar building and repair as much as he loves building guitars himself. Although not currently taking on an apprentice, Greg is offering individual classes in three areas: Acoustic and Electric Guitar Setup and Repair, Guitar … [Read More...]

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Technical Articles

The Science and Theory of Tonewoods

Search out any discussion about tone and tonewoods on the internet and you will quickly find a wide variation of opinions among players and builders alike. However, the majority will almost always list "tonewoods" and/or specific species of Spruce … [Read More...]

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Viewpoint Articles

The Three Elements of a Great Guitar

Guitar players and collectors have so many choices available to them. New, used, factory brands, custom hand built...how do you narrow down the choices to the best option for you? In my opinion, any guitar should be measured by three … [Read More...]

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