Talk:Inlay (guitar)

Skunk stripe is inlay???

I don't think the "skunk stripe" on the back of certain types of electric guitar necks can be considered inlay, because it's not cosmetic and it fills a structural hole (left channel for truss rod) as opposed to just being flat piece of material filling a specially cut depression solely for cosmetic purposes, i.e. with certain necks, you MUST have a skunk stripe. You don't find mother-of-pearl skunk stripes do you? In other types of "striped" neck, the stripe is due to the neck wood being laminated from several piece of wood, which most definitely is not inlay either. --Deon Steyn 09:55, 28 June 2007 (UTC)

Skunk stripe is a decoration. Structural filling can exist without skunk stripe, if it's the same wood, color and texture as the main neck's wood. Skunk stripe is a special effect, achieved by using dark wood on light wood neck or vice versa, to accent that fact. --GreyCat 17:41, 28 June 2007 (UTC)

I agree, that the choice in colour is for cosmetic affect, but raison d'être for the skunk strip is not cosmetic. Also the fact remains that a shallow depression wasn't created especially for the "inlay" and the neck can't function without that channel being filled whatever the colour of the wood. Let's see if we can find some independent references as required by Wikipedia anyhow. --Deon Steyn 05:52, 29 June 2007 (UTC)

Okay, I've found two casual reference to the "skunk stripe" as inlay. I guess, in some instances where a skunk stripe is not required (as it was with "original" one piece maple necks, e.g. Telecaster), but is still added purely for visual effect, it could be called "inlay", i.e. when it's fake it's inlay? --Deon Steyn 05:58, 29 June 2007 (UTC)

 Done I have expanded the section to explain what it actually serves a structural purpose as opposed to cosmetic inlay, but how sometimes it is doen purely for cosmetic effect. --Deon Steyn 06:15, 29 June 2007 (UTC)