Tribal Thames - Redwood and Ebony

Here is a very special guitar... I had this beautiful sinker redwood top that was given to me by a dear friend, and I wanted to pair it with something as visually stunning, so I went with "non black" Ebony. In a way, both these woods are reclaimed: the redwood sat on the bottom of a river for many years before it was turned into a soundboard. And this kind of ebony has been discarded for many years, since only the black lumber was deemed desirable.

As for the inlay theme, I prompted my daughter Elsa to come up with some "scribbles" that had elements of african, north and south american inscriptions. I really like the way it turned out.

And it sounds good! The redwood has a surprising attack for such a soft wood, while the ebony does not dampen the sound as it might tend to do. The voice is powerful and articulated, with plenty of harmonics and a good separation, perfect for fingerstyle.