TALES OF CUSTOM INLAYS BY JEFF HUSS
In this age of personal expres- sion, where everything from
a temporary bumper sticker to a
not-so-temporary tattoo offers the
world a glimpse of our inner reality, it’s no surprise that many guitarists see an opportunity to make
an artistic statement by dreaming
up a custom guitar. Depending
on your builder, there is an almost
endless array of possibilities. But
for this column, I’ll limit the
discussion to custom inlay work
and describe some of the projects
we’ve done over the years.
When we were just getting
started, one of our first commissions was one of those projects
that all parties now look back
on with a bit of regret. It began
with a group of engineers who
worked for a large electronic
research and manufacturing
facility. All outdoorsmen, they’d
formed a club to blow off a
little of the steam that inevitably
builds up in a high-pressure
setting. These engineers did a
lot of weekend camping with
fireside jam sessions as part
of the program. They called
themselves the Loyal Rectified
Order of Ridge Runners and
Skunk Callers Society (or
LRORRSCS), and they all had
club nicknames. Two of the club
members, Possum and Derf,
made their way to our shop with
custom guitars in mind.
They brought a drawing of
their club mascot—a skunk that
looked like a cross between the
Warner Bros. cartoon character
Pepé Le Pew and Angelina Jolie—
that they wanted inlayed on the
pegheads. They also wanted the
abbreviated club name running
down the fretboard, complete
with nameplates engraved with
their nicknames. We were young
and hungry and glad to have the
work, but the resulting guitars
were not something that we show
off in our portfolio. Some 16
years later, Derf—who paid for
his guitar with a paper bag full
of;$2;bills—still;has;his;guitar,
but Possum eventually gave his
instrument to his son and got a
“normal” guitar for himself.
Custom guitar inlays offer a wonderful opportunity for personal expression. Rendered in gold mother-of-pearl, this double helix appears on
a guitar we built for Dr. Francis Collins, who headed the team that first
successfully mapped the human gene code.
Huss & Dalton serial #63
boasts this custom inlay,
which was commissioned
by owner Jodie Davis
when he bought the flattop
in 1997. “The center of the
design is from the ancient
ying-yang symbol representing balance,” says
Davis. “It’s surrounded by
a sunburst, which represents limitless energy, and
that in turn is surrounded
by black ebony, representing the unknown.” Photo
by Jodie Davis
mother-of-pearl double helix that
flows down the fretboard. We presented the guitar to him at a party
that included a few speeches and
a spirited jam session that went
late into the night. His retirement
did not last long, however, as he
was then appointed by President
Obama as the Director of the
National Institutes of Health.
With a staff of some 19,000 and
a;budget;of;$34;billion,;he;prob-
ably doesn’t have as much time as
he would like to play his guitar,
but then who does?
From cartoon skunks to
family history to genetics,
custom guitar inlays offer yet
another way to let the world
know a little bit about who
you are. Maybe you’ll consider
it for your next instrument?
JEFF HUSS, co-owner
of Huss & Dalton Guitar
Company, moved to
Virginia in the late ’80s to
play bluegrass. He and
his business partner, Mark
Dalton, formed their company in 1995. Since then they’ve earned
world-wide recognition for their high-end,
boutique guitars and banjos.
