Inlays : On or Off?

pippy

Hello there everyone.

I'm new here. This is my first post and, I'm afraid, is going to be somewhat long-winded but please bear with me.....

I have a dilemma and I'm asking for views from those with much more experience and knowledge of these matters than I have.

Over thirty years ago I bought a guitar in a junk shop (really!). It had neither bridge nor strings but it looked good, seemed well made, had a nice set of machine-heads and it was dirt cheap so I bought it.

Unfortunately, once I fitted a 'make-do' bridge and strung it up it was found to be unplayable; the neck was so concave it resembled a banana. The guitar was put aside.

Fast-forward to the recent past when I decided to do something about making it playable.

Through the efforts of some members of the Gibson guitar forum I discovered it is an Antoine Di Mauro 'Special Chorus' model from, best guess, the early '40s. and was certainly worth saving.

After much discussion with luthiers who were shown the instrument it was decided the best option would be to re-profile the 'board end-to-end as there was plenty of 'meat' to work with - the 'board being some 7-8mm thick. This was done and, a proper replacement bridge having been sourced from a 'Manouche' builder, the instrument now plays beautifully.

The dilemma, however, is as follows;
In order to plane the 'board, the paper-thin celluloid(?) inlays were removed. Once dressed the 'board looked so very beautiful I chose not to have them re-installed.
Only after this work was carried out did I realise how prized these instruments are and I'm debating with myself whether I should try to have the original inlays re-fitted (I kept them just in case).
Is there a consensus as to whether the removal 'destroys' the instrument in the eyes of the Gypsy-Jazz community? Over in Gibson-land there are those who consider the originality of solder-joints to be essential!

What do you, here, think about the situation in which I find myself?

Here are a couple of snaps showing 'before' and 'after'.

Philip.

Svanis1337

It's certainly more beautiful with the inlays and makes me want to look a second time.

Your furniture is certainly something else, too! :shock:

klaatu

I happen to be a fan of clean fretboards. I have two Rodrigo Shopis guitars, one of which was actually built for me (the other was bought secondhand), and neither has fret markers on the fretboard itself.

That said, the diamond markers were a signature feature of the Special Chorus. I would restore them.

Michael Bauer

In my mind there is no question: restore them. It is common for gypsy guitars to have fretboards replaced when necks are warped or reset. If it sounds good, I don't know anyone who would care. Of the seven vintage gypsy guitars I have owned, three have had replacement fretboards, and of the many others I have played, it seems to be about 40% replacement, 60% original. Keeping the original inlays was wise, and I think restoring them will actually add value to the guitar.

frater

A " Special Chorus" without inlays makes sense as much as a full beard on Django. Put the damn things back where they belong!

Michael Bauer

Frater always has a way with words! Well said!

Steveareno

Congratulations on the restoration. Wonderful guitar. Bet it sounds sweet. I also prefer uncluttered fretboards, with just position dots, but in this case it would make sense to have the inlays professionally re-installed. That guitar should be as close to original as possible. I really like the look of f-hole GJ guitars. Dell Arte has made few nice ones.
Swang on,

andmer

Beautiful instrument! To my eyes, it looks better w/o the inlays.

klaatu

It may look better, but the inlays make it more original and valuable.

pippy

Thanks, everyone, for taking the time to reply.

Having slept on the question overnight it strikes me that much as I like the look of the 'board 'bare' it would be a small act of cultural vandalism to keep the inlays from their rightful place.

My time with her is, in the grand scheme of things, merely temporary. She was around before I was born and she will be here after I die so it is not my personal preference which matters but rather what is best as far as the actual instrument is concerned.

I suspect I really knew this all along and was simlpy looking for some sort of confirmation of this fact.

Thanks again.

I'm hoping to learn the ways of G-J so I hope to be here as regularly as time allows.

Best wishes for the yule-tide to all!

Philip.

klaatu

You're making the right decision on the inlays, Philip - you won't regret it. I really love your sense of being the temporary owner of a guitar that will probably outlast all of us. There is a certain responsibility that goes with owning a fine instrument. Nice to see someone acknowledge that.

Welcome to the forum, and best of luck on your gypsy jazz journey. Hope you stick with it.

And if you don't, I'll take that Di Mauro off your hands!