I'm working on an F5 that will be fairly conventional for the most part, but with a few kinda-sorta unusual characteristics:
- I don't like sunbursts, so I'm leaving the wood all unstained - it's standard spruce and curly maple
- To complement that, I have black hardware and will use BWB binding on the body and black on the neck, and India inked ebony blocks on the points
- Ebony veneer on the headstock front, but not on the back
- Might leave the headstock unbound, mainly because the 15 degree angle and microscopic scroll intimidate me
I have regular old MOP dots for the fret inlays (white 1/16" celluloid for the side), so I'd like my headstock inlay to complement that. I haven't cut pearl before, and it intimidates me as well, though I do have a fine enough saw and could make a jig (bird... beak? bird mouth?) easily enough. In theory, I think I'm capable, and it's not much tougher than some other projects I've pulled off successfully.
HOWEVER, I'm interested in crushed/flaked MOP/mica/opal as well. Only problem is, I'm having a hard time finding decent quality images anywhere. I'm wondering a few things:
1. Would this look too "flat" when finished?
2. Any concerns making the edges nice and sharp?
3. Overall, any experience here? Any thoughts?
I appreciate any wisdom you have to share!
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