Cosmetic Inlay Issues?

[Slow Dog Noodle]

Certainly a reasonable question and an appropriately written original post. It made me examine the inlays on my new 594WL and I noticed some gaps between the inlay pieces that are similar to the ones in the pics you posted. I didn't notice any brown spots on any of mine though. I chalk up the gaps in the inlays to the fact that this is very detailed work done mostly by hand with a variety of materials that aren't necessarily easy to work with. The variation is something to be celebrated in my opinion.

 

[matthew_co]

Thanks everyone for your kind and informative replies. Based on the responses it seems as though this kind of thing is common and not really an issue at all, more of a result of working with oh-so-fickle materials by hand. I’ll chalk it up to added character/uniqueness, as overall the guitar is absolutely gorgeous and sings beautifully. Thanks again!

 

[JMintzer]

The initial post was polite and asked a reasonable question. He didn't know if those variances were normal...

The initial response, otoh, was totally uncalled for...

Most folks here gave polite and informative replies that answered the initial poster's question...

Carry on...

 

[Uncle Bob]

Yep, most did. Sadly one person suggested that the OP was either insane or a troll and TWO people ‘liked’ it!

Real classy.

 

[docteurseb]

I'm not convinced those are burn marks because of the process used to make/install those inlays i.e. they are cut out from a layered sheet of MOP/Paua/etc...:

Then installed/glued and sanded to be flush with the fingerboard and matching its radius.
Nothing can burn them in the process, so I think you're just seeing variability of the material.

As for the gaps, consider the tolerances of cutting the above pieces, routing out the shape in the fingerboard and then installing/gluing those one by one.

I'm quite certain I would see that as well if I still had one with that type of inlay.
In fact, looking at some of my older pics:

 

[MarcWink]

As others have noted, the dark spots are natural colors within the material itself, and the gaps that you see are within acceptable tolerances for the intricacy of what the inlays are all things considered (cutting the material, routing out the fretboard, installing and radiusing the inlays to match, etc.). B

Beautiful guitar by the way.

 

[László]

I'll agree with what the other very reasonable posters have said.

No heat is used when installing the inlays. Unlike plastic, natural materials have natural markings and imperfections. They used Corian to outline the birds one year, and people went nuts objecting, so they went back to the real shell material.

As Docteurseb says, they're like puzzle pieces, glued in, sanded flush, and that's it. I believe that the recesses where the birds are dropped in are created by CNC machines, so they're incredibly accurate to spec. In short, I don't see any problems with the inlays you've posted.

 

[Bookface]

I just checked the inlays on my HBii and found the same tiny gaps between the pieces. TBH I had not noticed it before, and no doubt when I pick it up next time I will forget they're there. Having worked with similar sorts of materials it does not surprise me at all that there are tiny gaps. A perfect fit would require some pressure to install the inlays, and any kind of thin bone/shell material can be very brittle. It's possible they would break as many inlays as they fitted if they were that tight a fit.

 

[Rider1260]

Here is a bunch of different inlays , some have more filler than others.
The think the OPs inlays are nice looking and would have no issues with them.


IMG_2230 by

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2mcPo7S]UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_112b by IMG_4100 by

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2mcExQu]IMG_4091 by

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2mcN15r]IMG_4090 by

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2mcJjHP]IMG_3672 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/152274366@N08/[/url][/url][/url][/url]

 

[Drew]

Inlays now are a lot more precisely done than they used to be. I remember back when the first vined Ibanez Jems came out and how bad some of those could be.

 

[Song]

No I don't like them either.
Looks like a Rorschach test.
Is it a bird? Or is it a vulva with teeth?

 

[EspressoPatronum]

As a photographer I can’t help but feel this is the guitar equivalent of ‘pixel peeping’. If someone looks closely enough they'll always be able to find something that isn’t ‘quite right’ but in the grand scheme of things, when viewed from a proper distance, it’s not something anyone would notice.

OP you clearly have a beautiful guitar, enjoy it

 

[Drew]

As a photographer I can’t help but feel this is the guitar equivalent of ‘pixel peeping’. If someone looks closely enough they'll always be able to find something that isn’t ‘quite right’ but in the grand scheme of things, when viewed from a proper distance, it’s not something anyone would notice.

OP you clearly have a beautiful guitar, enjoy it

I was in a Music Man dealer picking up my JP anniversary and he had just gotten in a new 2021 Majesty which he was happy to pull out for me. Said he might have to return it to Music Man because of 2 very small and insignificant fish eyes in the finish. I looked up close and could barely tell anything was there. He said people will literally go over their guitars in that kind of detail and return them for that kind of stuff. I felt bad for the guy that he has to deal with that level of OCD. He then proceeded to offer me an insane deal on said guitar to save him the the hassle of returning it. It was tough to walk away from that.

 

[jak3af3r]

I was in a Music Man dealer picking up my JP anniversary and he had just gotten in a new 2021 Majesty which he was happy to pull out for me. Said he might have to return it to Music Man because of 2 very small and insignificant fish eyes in the finish. I looked up close and could barely tell anything was there. He said people will literally go over their guitars in that kind of detail and return them for that kind of stuff. I felt bad for the guy that he has to deal with that level of OCD. He then proceeded to offer me an insane deal on said guitar to save him the the hassle of returning it. It was tough to walk away from that.

I went to Willcutt with a friend who was buying a Special Semi-Hollow and they didn't really want us in the store testing cased guitars without an appointment because he said people will send guitars back or complain if the guitar had fingerprints.

 

[Alnus Rubra]

There’s first world problems and then there are real first world problems!

 

[SinSir]

I thought the "negative" post was funny more than anything. I don't know when the world became so sensitive. Rather it was intended as humor or not I don't know, but I laughed so I liked it.

For the record I think OP tone was fine, and I understand wanting to make sure what your hard earned cash just bought is right too.

Though, I think It's a weird phenomenon that we magnify pictures to find flaws that were never there in feel, by the naked eye, or never even a flaw at all. Maybe I'm differnet to enjoy the beauty rather than create "flaws".

 

[Alnus Rubra]

There’s first world problems and then there are real first world problems!

Having re-read this, I meant no offence to anyone here.

If it came across as snarky, it wasn’t meant that way. I was making the observation with my own expectations in mind.

 

[DISTORT6]

Having re-read this, I meant no offence to anyone here.

If it came across as snarky, it wasn’t meant that way. I was making the observation with my own expectations in mind.

Stahp!
It was fine.

 

[Alnus Rubra]

Stahp!
It was fine.

Thanks dude.

 

[László]

I went to Willcutt with a friend who was buying a Special Semi-Hollow and they didn't really want us in the store testing cased guitars without an appointment because he said people will send guitars back or complain if the guitar had fingerprints.

Speaking of Special Semi-Hollows, I may have just reserved one. Possibly.

My kind of tone.

No fingerprints.