And the French Polish will begin. I think this is going to be a beauty.
The "bear claw" Sitka Spruce soundboard will show its character when the finish is applied. The fretboard is Honduran Rosewood and the peg head, big leaf maple. The frets are gold hued Evo, the marker dots Paua Abalone.
The lotus image in the first fret is inlaid with colored epoxy. My friend Kurt at Bay Engraving cut the figure. I hope to be able to polish it a bit to get it to shine. This has a "zero fret" where the nut would normally be. The nut is now used simply to separate the strings.
A close up of the Bear Claw Spruce
Lynne chose this nicely contrasting binding. It will protect the edges and looks grand.
The neck is Alaska Cedar, an extremely strong and stable wood. It is actually in the Cyprus family.