Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I'd like to try my hand at crushed pearl fingerboard inlays on a project bass, I've seen some old posts somewhere on the technique, if anyone remembers it, I'd appreciate a link. Does anyone know a source for "crushed pearl" similar to the stufff used on the older basses? Was it some kind of sheet crushed MOP under water clear epoxy, or litterally MOP "flakes" of some sort? That's one detail, along with checker binding, that I'd love to see Ric produce on a "Custom Shop" basis. Dream on!

Edit,
Just found this on the Rick Forum:
http://www.rickenbacker.com/forum/viewt ... &start=160
Looks like some kind of sheet MOP cut to size, no source mentioned for the material. This doesn't look as "sparkly" as some of the old basses, but otherwise looks pretty good.

Here's some incredibly expensive genuine crushed pearl sheet, hard to believe the original inlays were genuine material like this, but maybe it was cheap back in the Day.
http://www.knifehandles.com/crushed-mop ... x-125.html

Gilmourisgod wrote:I'd like to try my hand at crushed pearl fingerboard inlays on a project bass, I've seen some old posts somewhere on the technique, if anyone remembers it, I'd appreciate a link. Does anyone know a source for "crushed pearl" similar to the stufff used on the older basses? Was it some kind of sheet crushed MOP under water clear epoxy, or litterally MOP "flakes" of some sort? That's one detail, along with checker binding, that I'd love to see Ric produce on a "Custom Shop" basis. Dream on!

The old stuff was sheets of crushed shell that were cut to size and inlayed into the fretboard, then finished with clear coat.

I have heard stories that the original material was sheets of floor tile from a local source in Santa Ana and once the supply ran out it was no longer offered. Search the forum there is a lot of discussion on this topic.

Some guys now will crush shell and mix it with clear epoxy and "pour" into inlays, which looks nice but isn't how the originals were done. I prefer to cut inlays from a pre-mixed sheet.

collin wrote:

Gilmourisgod wrote:I'd like to try my hand at crushed pearl fingerboard inlays on a project bass, I've seen some old posts somewhere on the technique, if anyone remembers it, I'd appreciate a link. Does anyone know a source for "crushed pearl" similar to the stufff used on the older basses? Was it some kind of sheet crushed MOP under water clear epoxy, or litterally MOP "flakes" of some sort? That's one detail, along with checker binding, that I'd love to see Ric produce on a "Custom Shop" basis. Dream on!

The old stuff was sheets of crushed shell that were cut to size and inlayed into the fretboard, then finished with clear coat.

I have heard stories that the original material was sheets of floor tile from a local source in Santa Ana and once the supply ran out it was no longer offered. Search the forum there is a lot of discussion on this topic.

Some guys now will crush shell and mix it with clear epoxy and "pour" into inlays, which looks nice but isn't how the originals were done. I prefer to cut inlays from a pre-mixed sheet.

Do you have a source for the sheet MOP inlay you have used? As I said in my edit, all the crushed pearl inlay sheet I've seen is genuine, and outrageously pricey.

There is no cheap shortcut to a quality result. The only way to get it right is actual real crushed shell material.

Here is a fretboard I built a couple years ago;

Very nice!

teeder wrote:Very nice!

That really looks amazing.
The issue that poured inlays can have is there can be noticeable gaps between the pearl chips and the side of the cut in the fingerboard resulting in dark spots and "fuzzy" looking borders. Yes the sheet is pricey, but the end result is worth it.

The shrinkage is the result of using polyester resin, instead of epoxy resin. Polyester shrinks a bit as it hardens (how much depends on brand, type and cure temperature). On the other side of the coin, most polyester resin seems to be a bit harder and more abrasion resistant than most epoxy resin is, so it's kind of a toss up as to which one is best.

Well, $252 for a sheet of genuine crushed MOP is not in the cards for my wallet, guess I'll try some alternatives like crushed pearloid and see how it looks on scrap. I was thinking maybe Envirotex for the clear filler, its very hard and dries water clear. If anyone stumbles across a decent looking alternative, please post a link. Thanks for responses.

Alexander, check out www.rescuepearl.com and look at the section labeled "Laminate Sheets" and you will see Sparkle M.O.P. listed. It is NOT a laminate! It looks great and a 5 1/2" x 9 1/2" sheet is $102.51. This is the .060" (1/16") thick stuff. It is real white Mother of pearl flakes in an industrial epoxy. If you need it to be"taller" in the fretboard cavity, simply superglue a backer on it. Maple veneer would work fine. Used carefully, superglue is a luthiers' friend and comes in various viscosity to use as required.

Hope this helps!


Jim

FabGearHead wrote:Alexander, check out http://www.rescuepearl.com and look at the section labeled "Laminate Sheets" and you will see Sparkle M.O.P. listed. It is NOT a laminate! It looks great and a 5 1/2" x 9 1/2" sheet is $102.51. This is the .060" (1/16") thick stuff. It is real white Mother of pearl flakes in an industrial epoxy. If you need it to be"taller" in the fretboard cavity, simply superglue a backer on it. Maple veneer would work fine. Used carefully, superglue is a luthiers' friend and comes in various viscosity to use as required.

Hope this helps!


Jim

Jim,
Thanks for the lead! If you have any photos of the stuff in place or in process, I'd love to see them.

Alexander, the stuff you need is called Abalam. It's produced by a company called Duke of Pearl, which I believe supplies Rescue Pearl.

You need the sparkle MOP laminate sheets at .125" (1/8") - NOT .60" as Jim mentions above. He is correct that is not a laminate though, it's bit of finely crushed shell densely packed in epoxy. In addition to the .125" being the standard thickness for the original inlays, it gives you enough thickness to radius the fretboard to your liking without sanding through the material.

One sheet is enough to do 4-5 guitars or basses, so it's $155 a sheet but much less per guitar.

http://www.dukeofpearl.com

This is the material I used and as you can see - it's pretty damn exact to mid-60s inlays.

Larry Davis uses crushed pearl mixed into the lacquer and poured into the slots to create his sparkle pearl inlays and it looks really good.

Judging from that link in the OP Paul seems to use thin sheets of MOP and then applies paint to the edges of the fretboard to hide the gaps from the flat material not matching the radius.

Grey wrote:Larry Davis uses crushed pearl mixed into the lacquer and poured into the slots to create his sparkle pearl inlays and it looks really good.

Larry's do look great in person (as do most of the luthier guys that use the pour technique), but If you out these side-by-side with a 60s Rickenbacker, the sheet material is far closer to the original.

Now, there are a couple different versions of the CPI in the early 60s (pre-1964) but after '64 if was pretty much standardized.

collin wrote:Larry's do look great in person (as do most of the luthier guys that use the pour technique), but If you out these side-by-side with a 60s Rickenbacker, the sheet material is far closer to the original.

Collin is spot on about what looks closer to the original material, and if you're restoring a vintage bass that came with the old style that's what i'd go with.

If I was adding FWCP inlays to a guitar that never had them before, i'd go with the poured method as it looks fantastic. I've heard it's troublesome to work with, though.

I realize this isn't the "correct" material, but humor me, at $2.19 and ounce, plus the cost of some Envirotex, this seems well worth an experimental test inlay on scrap.
http://www.firemountaingems.com/itemdetails/h209061nb
http://www.jcpenney.com/enviro-tex-lite ... 5810122978
Here's another source of Envirotex in 2 oz. bottles, seems like a cheap experiment.
http://www.firemountaingems.com/itemdetails/h206498bs
Comments or suggestions?