Sunday, October 27, 2013

Can I have inlays installed on my new guitar or will it mess up the fretboard?

guitar inlay
 on ... and Glue Loose and Broken Guitar Inlays - Acoustic Guitar Repair
guitar inlay image



J P


I'm trying to order a new guitar without inlays (the inlay this guitar normally comes with are way too distracting) and I'm wondering if it is possible to put some small dot inlays on without wrecking anything? Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks.


Answer
Usually people want to go the other way: they have their name or fancy inlay put on. Yes, it can be done. I would be hesitant to try it myself, but there are many artisans and luthiers who do custom inlay work.
If you simply want a round dot, it isn't too hard. I once built a mandolin for my kids....it's playable but basic. For the fretboard, I used a piece of dark walnut. The way I made the dots was to drill a shallow hole and insert a short piece of dowel. File it level with the fretboard and put some clear finish on it. You end up with light colored wood dots (dowels are birch) against the dark fretboard. Stewart Macdonald has real dots which you could install the same way.....drill the correct sized hole and glue the dot in. http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Inlay,_pearl/Pre-cut_inlays.html



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