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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.

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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 Importance of a Good Setup, Part Two

In the first part of this article, I discussed the elements of a basic setup. These include checking the neck relief and the action at the first and twelfth frets, as well as installing new strings and performing a few other basic adjustments. In … [Read More...]

Customer Testimonials: European Maple Eminence

"Several years ago when I found out that Greg was starting to make hand made guitars, I knew that I wanted one. Did I need one? No, but that didn't mean I wanted it any less! This past January my wife out of the blue said I should contact Greg and … [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...]

Customer Testimonials: A. B. Manson Acoustic

"I recently had major work done by Greg Maxwell on my very expensive and treasured old guitar.  Boy, am I glad that I found Greg, because I do not think any other luthier would have given the time and effort  this project required.  My guitar needed … [Read More...]

Customer Testimonials: Morgan Monroe

Greg... Thanks again for the top notch work you performed on my Morgan Monroe. Although this guitar is an expendable "gigging" tool you made it sound and play like a much more expensive instrument. It sure is comforting to know someone with your … [Read More...]

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Technical Articles

Why do old guitars sound better?

Why do some old guitars sound so good? Even inexpensive guitars can age into really good sounding instruments, and some old guitars attain legendary tone. Why is this? The answer can be found in one of three factors and the best … [Read More...]

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Why Buy a Handmade Guitar?

There are a lot of choices out there for the prospective buyer of a fine guitar. It's no secret; a handmade instrument can cost a lot. For that matter, any of the better guitars purchased from a quality manufacturer is going to command what most … [Read More...]

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