Indian Rosewood Back and a Secret

The back is planed to 0.085".  Notice the Indian Rosewood center inlay and purflings.  This instrument will be subtle.  No flashy pearl or paint or wacky pick-guards.  The wood is the thing.  This rosewood is chocolate brown with purple and tan.  This will be wonderful under finish.  The tool shown is a Lie-Nielsen scraper plane.

The "secret" inlay.  Some herringbone in the tailblock, where it will live inside the guitar.  Where it can't be seen without foreknowledge and a mirror.  There will be more secrets, too. 

The neck is mahogany, with a maple center strip and thin flanking strips of something darker.  I can't remember what right now.  Lots of finish shaping to do but it is close to the right overall dimensions.  Final working happens after the neck is fitted to the body and the angles are established for the correct saddle height.  A long process with a tolerance of about a 64th of an inch.  If the saddle is too low, there is not enough leverage on the bridge and the instrument is too quiet.  Too high and the saddle might break out of the bridge or pull the whole bridge off the top.  It's all about sensing the balance.  Listening to what the wood tells you.