Makore and Lutz Tenor with Scrimshaw Inlay - Photo Set

Another tenor I built on a whim to sharpen my skills and do work that really inspires me.

This is the first time using Lutz, and was really surprised at how stiff this timber is. I was expecting more along the lines of Engelmann, but I would say much closer to really high grade Adirondack.

The inlay is Faux Ivory that is shaded with the scrimshaw technique of touching a very sharp scribe or needle thousands of times and then ink or paint is rubbed into the indentations. Yes, you need very good magnification and lots of light......and patience.

Gotoh UPT machine heads and strung with a custom set of Thomastik Infeld and Saverez strings.

That is absolutely gorgeous. Great skills!

Some day ...:drool:

Lovely work, as always, Allen. I love the way the flowers are cropped.

Allen,
I always open your posted photo files with a degree of trepidation.
Perfection after perfection…. masterful builds….beautiful artistry....not just one off, but build after build, after build...
Plodders of my ilk are at serious risk of sinking deep into depression and giving up, rather than striving for similar, but realistically, unattainable results.
To help me restore morale, can you occasionally post some poorly-photographed stuff ups with average finishes, or boringly plain builds with timber yard woods ? ....this would allow me the freedom to feel better about my style of building.

I liked the tenor you made with the lily decoration but I think this one is even prettier. Somehow that little detail of one petal extending into the soundhole seems to add something to it! I've come to expect nothing but beautiful work from you, long may it continue.

Thanks everyone.

I find the most difficult part of doing work like this is to decide how to do the layout of the inlay for a balanced and harmonious look.....and not screwing it up too bad with the tuner placement.