A Guitar Is Born!

This is tedious work. The exact shape of the logo must be carved into the headstock using a small Dremel router. Then the MOP is delicately epoxied into the recess and sanded flat. The MOP can easily crack any step of the way, so once it's done there's a big exhale.

Not as tedious as the headstock, but still requires a gentle touch.

I like to create the nut from scratch as I feel it is more custom fitted to the guitar. The longer black piece is how it started out and the shorter piece is the finished nut. This is made from water buffalo horn (not poached horn but removed after a natural death). This comes from a certified supplier authorized by the government. I also make them, on request, from a synthetic bone material from a company called "Tusq".

Here you see the front after receiving a couple of coats. By the time the spraying is finished, over the course of several days, there will be 12 coats.