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So I recently did a vine inlay and wow is it NOT perfect and does it take a LOT OF TIME.

So my question is: what companies out there do inlays on fret boards? Like if I wanted a basic snowflake inlay on a certain kind of fretboard at a certain scale, who do I contact to get this done?

This is new ground for me, so I’m unsure

Thanks for any suggestions


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Dave Nichols custom pearl 518-483-7685

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John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

I think Andy Birko will do fretboard inlays. Who does your headstock? Andy does the headstick inlays for me. It's great to get the pearl and the Headplate with a perfectly matched pocket. Drop it in, CA, done.

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I haven't used them, but Custom Inlay does it (http://www.custominlay.com/). I've seen work from others who use them exclusively for doing the fingerboards on their custom guitars.

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Tony Thatcher
Bozeman, Montana

There are inlay artists who's names keep popping up - Larry Robinson, Jami Wingert, Grit Laskin. I don't know know how you go about commissioning a project with them - bring your ideas and check book I guess.

However I also know that more and more inlay is being done by cnc - both cutting the pearl and routing the channels. You could ask at the CNC section of our little forum or pursue getting a small mill for you own use.

There used to be a vendor on eBay that had good looking stuff. I think his name was inlaidartist, and he was in Viet Nam.
I'll second Dave Nichols if you want a real pro.

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A man hears what he wants to hear, and disreguards the rest. Paul Simon

A few months ago I was considering a small unit for fretboards and such. That said I was considering it just because I enjoy tech ha


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In my previous incarnation as an engineer I worked in a big fab shop and we had all sorts of fancy toys, er, tools. CNC mills, turning centers, and my favorite, a big laser that could cut mild and stainless steel. I didn't use any of them to make guitars but on my lunch hour I could make jigs and fixtures and things to help me make guitars - so rather than milling a neck I would make a set of neck profile gauges to measure my necks as I carved them. I'm retired now and kind of miss that stuff, but I don't miss the part that was called "job".

If you are considering a small mill for lutherie both the sub forum here and several articles in AL might be interesting to you.

Thanks
AL ?


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Tom Ellis-https://precisionpearlinlay.com/

He is also an amazing mandolin builder-he uses CNC.

He also can slot, radius and inlay fretboards .

He has all kinds of vines on his website or you send him your drawings

I have been using him for 20 years...

American Lutherie
http://www.luth.org/

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A man hears what he wants to hear, and disreguards the rest. Paul Simon

Craig Lavin, Larry Robertson, Andy Birko all good people.

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