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I just completed this commission. Craig Lavin did this wonderful inlay and the design called for me to frame it in with frets as it was too detailed to fret over.

Anybody else ever done anything like this?

Opinions.

Mine is I think it's a great inlay and it's be a shame to cover it with frets.

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Old growth, shmold growth!

Absolutely gorgeous.

The design and execution are just jaw dropping impressive!

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

That is very cool and unique look . I think it would have been more appropriate for a non cutaway, but who uses those frets anyway.

Cheers,
Danny

Agreed. Very, very nice to say the least. Mt brain can barely wrap itself around that design and execution. Bravo

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Thank You and Best To All

Agreed!

We didn't decide to frame the inlay untill Craig got it and said that the frets were HUGE and we had to come up with something. He suggested framing it.

The buyer still plays the harmonics and the high E string there so the cutaway has some use.

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Old growth, shmold growth!

That area is tough with the frets so close. Very nice approach.

I've considered simply leaving frets off that portion of the fretboard to make room for detailed inlays. But have never seen anything like the way you handled it.

What are the images in the inlays in the rosette?

It was all Craig's idea.

I'm not sure what all that stuff is, it's Celtic in origin I believe.

The fretboard inlay is a "Double Dog" and has something to do with the promise of companionship. Therapy Dogs are used in hospitals to cheer people up.

The rosette is a celtic knot rope and some kind of dragons.

Here's the headstock, it's a medical symbol mixed with a Celtic Trinity knot.

The Tuning keys are some kind of Celtic god. They were designed and made by a silversmith jewelry artist using the "lost wax" technique.

The buyer's a nurse and it's all symbolism related to healing.

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Old growth, shmold growth!

That is so cool! Very well thought out and executed. Thanks for showing all this.

Wow! Jaw-dropping is the perfect term! We're those tuner buttons specially made?

They were made by a jewelry silversmith.

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Old growth, shmold growth!

The owner e-mailed me this picture. He seems happy!

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Old growth, shmold growth!

I know a guy who builds 12-fret guitars.

They have 12 FRETS.

Nothing past the 12th.

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Old growth, shmold growth!

Its a beautiful inlay but removing the frets seems a little over-kill. Some people like to play up there, and a cutaway becomes less useful if there are few or only partial frets.

Smaller fret wire would have less of a visual impact than those wide ones. Another option would have been to switch places with the two inlays. The medical one is less busy and would probably look fine under narrow frets.

It's truly great inlay but I hate to see functionality sacrificed for it.

I agree, if it were mine, but I likely would have framed it anyway due to the intricacy.



True, but look how intricate the inlay is. Even a mandolin wire would have covered up the dog eyes, and switching up the inlays would have a visual impact on the guitar. The double dog feet point to the rosette inlay, and the medical symbol on the headstock is perfectly framed by the strings in a way the doubledog would not have been.

The medium jumbo stainless steel frets are an important part of how the guitar feels. A wider fret has a gentler curve to the crown, and so feel less railroady as the finger is guided over the fret more smoothly, at least in my experience.

I refretted his Stonebridge guitar with the same wire and he loves it. so he wanted it for his Custom.

The cutaway still has use with e and b strings, and harmonics, natural and artificial.

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Old growth, shmold growth!

Losing those notes is not something I would want but what does that matter? You have done a beautiful job and the client always being right (except when not) has been achieved. Job well done!!!

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Michael F Smith
Goat Rock Ukulele
http://goatrockukulele.com

I wonder what would happen if we made some guitars with 5 frets. That'd be kinda funny. We could call it the Brett Michael Signature.

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Old growth, shmold growth!

Outstanding craftmanship all the way around. The inlays and tuner knobs make for a truly unique guitar.

Great looking inlay and guitar.
I think if the design was streched some so that it started just below the 15th fret so that the eyes were aboved the 16th fret or maybe even better yet if the inlay was lowered to the end of the board and positioned so the head was just below the 16th fret and maybe the 17th fret cut the neck then it would have looked fine fretted. Or if framed at least you would have one more fret. I think it would have also filled the blank space of the rosette, the eye would follow the rosette and run into the inlay. I think narrower frets would have helped too. But if the client is happy, no problem.
To me it doesn't make much sence to have a cutaway if you can't use it. There are plenty of leads played in the octive.
Don't get me wrong I really like the inlay but you did ask for opinions.