Official Luthiers Forum!

Is there any word on when Craig is planning on posting the next session of the inlay class?

Thanks

Shane

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Canada

My family is out this week, and I am here alone for the first time in over two years. I will try to get it done by Wednesday.
It may be small on pics, but I can at least get in the descriptions and steps. Thanks to you all for being extremely patient with this.

Craig

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www.handcraftinlay.com

Craig!!

Are you sure you want to be doing this on your weekend of solitude? Thanks for doing it but totally understandable if you take some time off! I have little kids and they sure slow down progress, but hey!! They're worth every bit of it.

Shane

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Canada

Thanks, but this has been wanting for too long. I'm letting you guys down. That was never my intention. That said, I have to put commsions and my day job first, so with everyone at home I have had little time for writing, save for the Guitarmaker article.
Speaking of that, something happened to those wolf and moon photos! What's up with that pixellation?

Anyway- you guys have seen the better images.

More soon.
Craig

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www.handcraftinlay.com

I saw the wolf and moon first hand at HGF. Dude that rocked. Pictures NEVER do your work justice.

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

Guess I better get going!
Actually I'm working on it now



More soon!

Craig

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www.handcraftinlay.com

It's amazing.. The wife and little guy have only been gone two hours..

Sheesh! I may get soem inlay done this week as well!


Sorry there are no pics in it yet, I'll generate a few and have them added in.

Craig

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www.handcraftinlay.com

I can't believe Guitarmaker misspelled Craig's name on the cover. Someone needs to tell them it's Craig, not Graig.

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Dave Rector
Rector Guitars

that by now these days! I have won awards in school, etc.. and almost every time my name is misspelled. I have NO idea why! They got it right on the inside article!
I am going to act as if it's a fancy C   

Truthfully all that matters is that people learn from the effort. I would hope my work lives on way past my name!
Thanks For the support guys!
CCCCCCraig Lavin

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www.handcraftinlay.com

Brock just pointed that out to me a few minutes ago...Cripes! What a DUMB typo.

Our sincere apologies to you Craig!

good press! I say we blow this out of proportion completely, then get it into the news, and maybe the C.F. Martin plant, and then all of the Healdsburg vendors shops! Make sure you link my website to it O.K?



Honestly, it's an honor to be the cover. It's an honor that a relatively NON-luthier gets so much support from a community such as the genuinly good people here. It's only a letter.

That said Bill- how do I get some extras! Mammas gonna be proud!

Craig

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www.handcraftinlay.com

Hey Craig,

My wife's maiden name is 'Craig'. We spent a good three years with our house insurance company trying to convince them that her last name was indeed 'Craig' rather 'Graig'. There must be a synapse bridge that is a little wonky when writing this out. Probably hard to see also once it is written........oh well. What's in a name, when your work speaks as load as it does they'll find ya! Up here in Canada we haven't got our copies of Guitarmaker yet (at least I don't) so all of this talk is just tease anyway!

Shane

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Canada

Does G.F. Martin subscribe to Cuitarmaker?

But have never shown an interest in my work really.
They have Larry, Grit, and Harvey. Is there really a need?
Most likely not. My themes don't really go with them anyway, and Taylor does sea life, but only CNC. I rely on the small luthier. Most likely I'll be happier that way as well!
I have been pretty slow lately. Are others feeling this way? Is it the price of gas? I have commissions, but no one is really in a hurry for anything. That's not normally the case. Is it Healdsburg?
Craig

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www.handcraftinlay.com

Does Grit do work for Martin? I was under the impression that he only did inlay on his own guitars.

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

He did build a guitar for Martin where he superimposed himself over the Martin logo. I think it is on his web site or in one of the Fine Woodworking mags I have. By the way, he has been published a number of times in Fine Woodworking, including a three part series on building a guitar in the late eighties. He does also have an article that I was looking at recently on graving. If anyone wants I will get the issue numbers, I have them fairly handy....I think.

Shane

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Canada

Grit did a guitar for a senior Martin employee, but it was Grit's guitar. Not a Martin. That said, He did collaberate on the Night Dive inlaid Martin. It's sells for $50,000.00 I think, and they made only 50 of them. It's all CNC, but it's true to Grit's style.

Craig

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www.handcraftinlay.com

It's a Laskin with a super imposed Martin logo! Craig that Laskin Inlay article is in the May/June 1986 issue of Fine Woodworking, Issue 58. The same issue that has the thickness sander plan in it that Cumpiano used to build his sander. Can you get this issue, if not I will try to scan it and send you the pdf's. It's 4 pages and they are those just a bit too big old format pages the FW used to use but I think I can minipulate them onto the scanner.

ShaneShane Neifer38588.9742708333

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Canada

[QUOTE=Shane Neifer] He did build a guitar for Martin where he superimposed himself over the Martin logo. I think it is on his web site or in one of the Fine Woodworking mags I have. By the way, he has been published a number of times in Fine Woodworking, including a three part series on building a guitar in the late eighties. He does also have an article that I was looking at recently on graving. If anyone wants I will get the issue numbers, I have them fairly handy....I think.

Shane[/QUOTE]

Shane, Grit Laskin has done a number of guitars for Martin. One was done for C.F. himself and its featured in his book. He's also done a couple of one off's as well as the CNC project with the Duke of Pearl.

I would greatly appreciate the references to the graving articles. Shane would it be a huge inconvenience for you to email it to me. I will be away for an extended time and concerned this discussion will be long gone before I return. {I am off to the land of fine single malt whiskey and the home of golf).

Craig, I just received the latest issue of Guitarmaker and very much enjoyed your article. I do have a couple of questions regarding the article is it fair game to ask here and in this thread?

Lastly, what's with that picture of Bill Moll on the inside cover -- Bill I thought you are trying to increase circulation <he says very much in jest>Anthony Z38588.9653703704

Well, I don't see why not. Do they involve prices, or anything else possibly related to the client and no others?
If it's just about techniques go for it.


Craig

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www.handcraftinlay.com

Hey Anthony,
I posted the reference but I will try to scan the article and will forward it to you in a couple of days. Say hi to Ian Anderson for me. Get him to play you a good ole flute tune!!

Shane

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Canada

Shane, many thanks - I hope I can return the favour someday! I look forward to receiving the article. (Sorry I missed the reference you posted above, I am still getting used to the format of this forum).

Craig, my questions are pretty straightforward materials questions regarding the fabulous Madonna inlay:
1) What is Pearl Grav-Lam and where can you get it?
2) I can't tell from the photo where you used the silver, white MOP, white River Pearl and Pink Mussel;
3) What material did you use for the clothing.
4) I gather the eyelashes are ebony.

(In the kazillionth edition of Guitarmaker when I am featured -- I'll anotate my pictures identifying the inlay material used).

The thing I find so remarkable about the Madonna inlay is the life like quality you achieved without going over board with too much graving detail. The thing I meant to comment on when you originally posted the inlay on the OLF was your characterization that it is Laskin'ish. I've seen a lot of his work and pictures of your work and in person at ASIA, for what its worth I think your work is unique. I marvel at Laskin's skill but find some of his work too much. So in my humble opinion, you do yourself a disservice comparing your work to his.

I hope you enjoy your time to yourself.   You'll be amazed how soon you'll miss them.Anthony Z38589.0757986111

O.K Anthony.
I used to feel the same frustration as you looking at others work. They would give lists of the materals used, but I never could figure out where they all were. Here I am doing the same thing... , but there has to be some mystery to this, or it's boring!

1) Grav-lam (not sure about the spelling) is real mother of pearl (gold, black, or a variety of others) that Chuck Ericson developed I believe. It's a top layer of actual solid heat-bent pearl on a layer of cheaper abalam as a thickness builder/backer. It allows a much larger seamless piece of material that can be fully engraved, but the top layer is a mere .02" thick. It's easy to sand through, or over-thin to the point of it not being workable. The bottom layer is relative junk. It's only for flat areas, no radiuses if your a beginner. I used it once on a radius, but I kept the pieces to the edges of the curve where I knew they would lay flat enough to keep intact.

The hair is about 25 or so seperate pieces of gold pearl, with some black pearl for highlites, the bottom blacked out area of the hair/back of the neck is a seperate piece of ebony I pierced to allow for better control of the tiny gold pieces. Just routing for them would be to messy. The different grain also adds a little more sense of coherance with the rest of the hair, and doesn't just fade it completely into the wood. The lips are pink mussel, the teeth white river pearl, the entire face is one piece of grav-lam, the shoulders on down are solid mother of pearl, with a seperate piece for the chest, the eyelashes as well are ebony, The jacket is four pieces of black pearl, chosen for their grain, the main piece gives off a rippled leather like effect, with white highlites. It looks like her face is shining off in it in the lights, and the zipper and button are sterling silver. The only way I could do the face in that size was with grav-lam. Real pearl just isn't available in that size. It's sold by the piece, or by the ounce. If I remember it's not cheap. Rescue pearl as well as Chuck both sell it.

Hope this helps.

Now that I actually got a cover photo in a well known builders magazine I'll stop making comparisons.
But Grit is a true "hero" of mine, and a total inspiration.
I guess I just want my work to be regarded that way. Doesn't anyone? There is still no one in my opinion that can even touch Grit in terms of overall anything regarding inlay layout in the artistic sense of them being "photographic" in design.
That said, I do as well recently think some of his works are just too much. I like to try let the guitar speak first visually, or at least equally with the inlays going into them. My first question is always "what are the woods going into this guitar" when I start working with someone. Grit has his own guitars, and they speak for themselves. I'll inlay for any client that wants to work with me. It's a different animal.

Thanks!
Craig

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www.handcraftinlay.com

hurricane.

This one's going right over me.

Hopefully it stays small.

If you want to pray for us thats great, if not that's fine too.


At least I'm in print.   

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www.handcraftinlay.com

Here is a pic so it will make it easy to reference what Craig is talking about.

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com