Dumpster find!

[harrison phipps]

Unbelievable but true - this was pulled out of a trash dumpster.  BRW back & sides, MOP inlay all around top & soundhole, no major cracks & X braced to boot.  From the neck inlay it looks like a Larson Bros, anyone recognize the maker?

Too crowded in here, lets throw out all the vintage rosewood parlor guitars...

[Ned Knepp]

I've never heard of using West African Snail shell for inlays. Was it a common practice?

[Richard Bales]

I have it on good authority that West African Snails did not commonly practise.

[Russell Vance]

It's not common as it's too slow - one has to work at snail's pace.   But I got a new luthiers fitness workout machine from the late night TV online shopping channel...it's called The Ab Baloney.

Rusty.

[Ned Knepp]

I don't know. It might be slow but it comes with it's own "glue".

[Paul Hostetter]

It was until there was none left. It's a large turban sea snail, thought by many to be more beautiful than abalone. It had the colors, but no layers or veins. It's virtually unobtainable now, harvested to oblivion. 

[Ned Knepp]

That's too bad. I have seen so very beautiful snail shells but none that I'd want to rework into inlay material because of the size. Thanks for information. 

[Tim Mace]

I'd throw it away too if it had a missing fret!

[Tim Mace]

oh.. and I found a complete dumpster yesterday

[Ron Frazier]

I have one that looks a  lot like that and it has a brand name on the back strip and says Mayflower guitar.

I found myne in a wood pile  ready to burn and fixed it up and years later it went into my repair wood pile again then last week I dug it out and restringed it and am now playing it again.

Ron