Fretboard Inlays

[WezV]

crowns are a standard inlay shape thats quite easy to find pre-cut so will be cheaper, the cost of custom inlays can grow quite fast!!

[Philly Q]

my absolute only concern is whether or not they'll leave marks/damage my fretboard.

I don't think that'll be a problem.  They'll probably leave a bit of sticky residue, but that'll come off with a bit of lemon oil.

[rohlfo]

crowns are a standard inlay shape thats quite easy to find pre-cut so will be cheaper, the cost of custom inlays can grow quite fast!!

That is a good point. Surely the Iommi crosses aren't too unknown for them to cost an incredible amount?

[WezV]

it all depends if somebody is making them or not... might be somebody somewhere offering it as a pre-cut inlay but i dont know off any of the top of my head.

so assuming a few hours/days troweling the internet didnt turn any up that leaves cutting them yourself  which isnt difficult for something simple like the crosses but it would be time consuming and repetitive.... or getting someone to do them on CNC which can cost just as much to get the drawing and set-up done so thats a good solution if you need hundreds but can be very costly for 1 guitar

also material obviously plays a role in price, but really its the time to cut them out or get them cut out by lasers that gets costly... and dont forget thats only half the battle.... you then need to do the inlay route and not make the beginner mistake of sanding through at the edges because the material you chose was too thin for a full width fretboard inlay and you didnt allow for the curve of the fretboard.

worth doing on a custom guitar.... not worth it on an epi

[rohlfo]

ooo, yeah, laser cutters - amazing! make life so much easier - my old school had one which I should go back and make use of  :P I guess being somebody who takes pleasure in building/constructing personal custom stuff I'd always be willing to sacrifice time and effort to give me something custom... I could imagine people not wanting to do that though! It's tough fitting it around daily life!

[WezV]

erm yeah... i do quite like doing custom stuff you know





not claiming to be larry robinson or owt like that but i think i am ok at it... and what i really dont like is hand cutting a repetitive inlay!


and for what its worth a laser cutter wont work on shell if it is inlay thickness.   I did try it once but it implodes.  Chuck Erikson explained to me that it was the 3% water content at the molecular level that expands when the laser hits it... however it works great on shell under 0.38mm and thats what i use for some of my logos  as they can be stuck on and buried with laquer.  I have my logo's laser cut because i got fed up with doing the same thing over and over again

[rohlfo]

good shout - I'll bear that in mind if I manage to get my hands on a laser cutter for some inlay jobbies!
(in case it was read into any of my posts - I never doubted you liking custom stuff and such; you showed me your lizard after I posted the one of mine in the 12th fret of a bass guitar on another topic on here, so I knew how good you were  :D)

[FernandoDuarte]

Not trying to "pull your balls" Wez, but you did a great job on these inlays... I like the black line you did on the gecko, made it "jump".