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Here's the issue: I have the inlay design for the latest guitar drawn up (and I've showed it here before, although it's been a while), but I'm currently worrying about materials selection. First things first, the design:



(and for an overview, early sketched version: http://www.xs4all.nl/~mvalente/guitarpics4/ban/ban_inlay01.j pg)

Things to note: top is WRC, rosette will be spalt maple (like so: http://www.xs4all.nl/~mvalente/guitarpics4/ban/ban_rosette02 .jpg) surrounded by two thin abalone purfling layers. Top will have purfling all around the outside edge as well, flamed maple binding.

Here's the thing: I'm worried doing the entire vine in abalone will be too 'flashy' and too busy looking. I mean, this is hardly a subdued design, but I want to make the whole thing play nice as a whole, not have parts of it competing for attention. White MOP will fit nicely with the actual design, is my feeling, with the 'black' bits done in black MOP, and the 'V' at 12th and 'Valente' on the headstock either in black MOP (bit dark on ebony, but perhaps suitably subtle) or abalone. I was also thinking I'd do most or all of the 'leafy' bits in abalone, to tie the fingerboard and bridge in with the purfling. The worry I have there is two-fold: one, three kinds of pearl vying for attention defeats the purpose of simplifying by switching out abalone for white MOP. Two, there are a fair number of leaves, and multiple transitions from white MOP to green abalone (even with careful grain/material selection) may disjoint the whole thing and break the design's flow. And if I only do some of the 'leaves' in green, the ones in white may look odd. The style of vine is usually also done in one pearl with any blooms or ornaments in contrasting pearl, but with the vine proper in just one variety of shell.

Since I don't have the luxury doing several test vines (bit of a pricey experiment), and don't have the skills or tools to go create a digital mockup, I figured I'd ask for some input from you lot, particularly those with more inlay experience. Any help is appreciated.

IMO, I would explore the possibilities of inlaying the vine with a very nice lusterous hardwood like Tassie Blackwood, pick out some of the small leaves with Green Abalone and have the "Valente" logo in pearl.

But then you have to understand I don't like Abalone overkill.   

By the way, that's a very accurate and well executed pencil drawing. Are you a draughtsman?

Heh, no, not a draghtsman, and it's not pencil. I use a dipping quill and india ink to do final outlines, as I find it forces me to commit to a shape. A wood vine on this one won't work, I don't think, and would require getting some acrylized material to make sure it doesn't go all funky.

Chris: thanks for the thoughts. I'm not putting anything too colourful on here (doesn't fit the general palette), and I'm sticking with all-pearl on this.

Been googling and thinking s'more. I've more or less come to the conclusion that a white MOP vine with green abalone accents/leaves can look just fine with abalone purfling. I mean, white MOP and not-too-crazy abalone aren't exactly enemies in terms of colour specturm. Exhibits:

http://www.moonstoneguitars.com/vine1.jpg

http://www.moonstoneguitars.com/vineshot.JPG

I'm still going to sift through the pearl I have, since I think a pale abalone vine (think rippled, nothing too colourful) with more colourful leaves can also look very nice, although it lacks the clean elegance of white MOP.

Mattia,

I like your choice of white MOP with abalone for the leaf accents. In your initial post you indicated concern over using black MOP against ebony -- fear not as black MOP often has a greenish hue with white/creamy accents that blend nicely with abalone as well as the ebony substrate. Another consideration I was going to suggest was using Gold MOP for the vine instead of white. Gold MOP doesn't jump out at you as much as white MOP, well at least to my eye. Also you can get gold mop that is mixed with white (typically lower grade mop -- but I like the look and effect).

The Drawing -- a few comments if I may: The vine comes a little too close to the fretboard binding from the 12th fret on. If it were me, I'd pull in the vine just a bit similar to its proximity around 4th fret. Also its a hair to close at the 8th fret as well.

Other than that -- looks great! I look forward to seeing the final product. Good luck.

Really? I find gold is often more colourful, and I have a good amount of 'sunburst' (mixed white/gold) pearl for precisely that reason. I'm planning on using very even, unfigured MOP for the majority of the vine.

Re: the drawing, I'm about to go downstairs and draft a final version; the curves are a little too 'straight' in some sections, and as you say, they skirt a little close to the binding edges more or less everywhere, but certainly near the top.

Mattia, I'm currently working on some gold and silver wire inlay on an archlute, have you thought of that?

Colin

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Colin, I am interested in your current project, and have some half hard and soft 9ct gold wire that I have wanted to use for inlay for a while. Could you clarify how you would inlay this material, please?

Colin: I have, in fact, done silver wire vines in the past, but the friend I'm building this for wanted 'shiny flashy pearl bling' (well, he wanted a Gibson J200-ish something, so this is sorta kinda my take), and the design's geared towards pearl. Silver wire is lovely to work with, though, and I've got plenty more to use. It's my preference for vines, if I ever do something this wild for myself. The other inlay planned is a silver wire 'barbed wire' inlay.

Sam: personally, I simply CA'd the (square) wire into channels. Pliers to bend, fret nippers for a lot of the cutting, files to level the lot. Shot of the the last big vine inlay project:

Bronze MOP vike and White MOP leafs

Bronze MOP vine White MOP leafs