Dogwood Guitars

  • Home
  • About
  • Guitars
    • Dogwood Models
    • Guitar Galleries
    • Ordering your Dogwood Guitar
    • FAQ’s
  • Services
  • Lutherie Classes
  • Pictorials
    • Repairs
    • How to Correctly String a Guitar
    • Building A Monarch
    • Making a Spalted Maple Rosette
    • Pearl and Abalone Inlay
  • Articles
    • Technical
    • Viewpoint
  • Testimonials
  • YouTube
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Pictorials / Pearl and Abalone Inlay

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. Virtually any surface of the guitar can receive an inlay although for tonal reasons inlays to the Spruce top are usually limited to the sound hole rosette and body purfling.

Cutting and inlaying shell such as Mother of Pearl or Abalone requires great skill and is one of the most difficult techniques in guitar making to execute with precision. A handful of individuals make a full time living cutting pearl. Dogwood Guitars is proud to offer custom inlay as part of our spectrum of services. Inlay is not inexpensive but the results are always worth it!

inlay 4Please contact Greg to discuss your ideas for a custom inlay on your Dogwood guitar, or to have inlay work performed on your instrument. Any inquiries for inlaying your design must include an actual size image file which may need to be resized for correct placement and fret clearance. This is necessary to determine the time and pearl cost so that a quote can be given. PLEASE NOTE: Fretboards can not be inlaid with frets in place. If you require inlay work on a completed neck, a refret will be required as part of the quote. The cost of the refret is $350.

[Show as slideshow]
dogwoodguitars_blog_mahogany_42_neck
dogwoodguitars_blog_mahogany_43_neck
dogwoodguitars_blog_mahogany_44_neck

dogwoodguitars_blog_mahogany_45_neck
gold_tuners
dscn1174

dscn1175
dscn1176
dscn1177

dscn1178
inlay_2
lauren_front_close

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
Load More...Follow on Instagram

Customer Testimonial: Vintage Fender Jazz Bass

"Greg you are the man! This 1968 Jazz bass plays like butter. Greg has to be the premier luthier in Ohio, I wouldn't go anywhere else. I use to go to Columbus but not any more. Unlike going to the big city, Greg is most personable. And his shop is … [Read More...]

Customer Testimonial: Gibson Setup

"I thought my new Gibson acoustic played pretty well until I had Greg set it up for me. Wow! I could tell a real difference in the action. Based on that experience I had him do a fret dress on an older Ibanez and again, I was surprised at how much … [Read More...]

Building a Monarch: Spraying Lacquer

Most guitar players want instruments with a high gloss finish. Nitrocellulose lacquer is the traditional finish for the best guitars. It is durable and unlike some other finishes, it can be repaired later. Oil, poly, and water-based finishes are also … [Read More...]

1932 Martin 0-18 Parlor Guitar

It's not often that a luthier has the opportunity to work on a pre-war Martin. This little 1932 Parlor 0-18 came to the shop in very rough condition. It took a tumble down some stairs, resulting in a long crack in the treble side of the body and … [Read More...]

Gibson Side Crack

Gibson Artist Side Cracks This guitar was brought to me with some serious bass side damage- the owner had been keeping time on the side with his hand during a break and had cracked the side badly. The cracks ran from the shoulder all the way to … [Read More...]

Building a Monarch: Final Assembly

It is now time to assemble the guitar, dress the frets, install the bridge and pins, fit and install the tuners, make the nut and saddle, and set the final action. A pickguard is usually installed and the completed instrument is polishes and strung … [Read More...]

Visit us on YouTube…

Follow Dogwood Guitars

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

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...]

More Technical Articles

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...]

More Viewpoint Articles

Copyright © 2019 Dogwood Guitars