Need your advice: built-in tension at waist

[John Parchem]

For Dave and anyone interested.

Here is a link to a small maple leaf inlay of the size that could be used to address a problem like Dave's. Ervin Somogyi offers it as an option on his custom guitars. It need not be as large the one seen here, nor does it need to be "realistic". Bob Benedetto uses abstract shapes that cross between the binding, over the purfling, and onto his tops that would be equally effective - unfortunately, I could not find a convenient JPEG to reference one of them.

I am thinking of using these type inlays on the gypsy I have started, regardless of whether they replace a chip out. In a minimally decorated instrument, their small size is an ideal way to add accents without getting into a gaudy look.

http://www.esomogyi.com/mapleleaf.html

Oh dear, I look at the nearly perfectly even width dark line around the inlay and it makes me want to hang my head in shame. I guess it is a level of craft not to aspire to but at least have as a north star.

[John Link]

John, Brian Burns tells me Ervin does a lot of his work with surgeon's scalpels. I suppose, from looking at the photo, that line around the leaf is either made, or could be made, by cutting a perfect indent for the inlay, then using a filler to get the line. Perfect cuts would not be that hard to do with a precision instrument if you get a perfect outline of the pearl in the first place. That could be done with a sharp Japanese marking knife, or scalpel. Or it might be done with an engraving tool on the inlay itself, then cut and filed to after the shape is cut.

But like you say, it is all north star type perfect attention to details. But the details are of a finite number and can be conquered one by one, if one is determined enough.

What I am suggesting for Dave's problem (and ones like it) does not require such perfection to be effective, A good clean inlay of a similar sized (or smaller) shape, without the outline, would be fine. One of the best bits of advice in David Russell Young's book was never to attempt more than you can do well. Simple well done statements always trump slightly botched elaborate ones.

In a strict physical sense, the perfection of Somogyi's decoration cannot improve the sound, but I keep wondering if it does not improve it anyway, by changing the listener's attitude to be more receptive.