Here's the shot of the omega cutout I promised you; Tony's doing the final sanding before the bass goes into spray. Earlier I caught him playing air guitar with it...
 
 
 
 

Val,
 
Thanks for the little going away present. I checked right before we left for the airport. What can I say...? Talk soon.
 
Regards,
 
Jonathan

Another inlay installed:
 

 
Not fully sanded yet, but you get the idea!

It's beautiful! Enough said.
 
Jonathan

Where is this inlay set, Jon? First fret?  
 
Bear claw.... mmmmmm..... you must work at a bakery! lol.

Mike,
 
Yes...the bear claw is, indeed, at the first fret. I thought about having it at the bottom of the guitar but, between the hardware and the omega, there simply wasn't enough room. At the 24th fret, there is a second inlay, similar to Sam's Dancin' Ruthie. That one says Bear, the nickname my 14 month old daughter, Mara, has gone by since shortly after she was born.
 
As far as the pastry goes, being from New York originally, I've always been partial to the  black and white cookie!
 
Jonathan

Jonathan:
 
That's gonna look sweet sitting next to your Orion. That is, if you can put it down long enough, LOL! Six-string nut that I am, I'm dying to see the finished product realized.

Kevin,
 
I am afraid that the Orion is going to wind up collecting dust for quite some time once this one comes home. It will, however, always hold a special place as the Alembic that started it all!!
 
Jonathan

Well, if it ends up collecting TOO much dust, you can always divest yourself of it (HINT, HINT, LOL!). J/K.

Kevin,
 
If I did that, how could I ever hope to catch up to Rami!  
 
Rami, if you're listening, I joke with the greenest of envy.
 
Jonathan

It would take dozens of us to catch-up to Rami! Jealous? Who me? LOL!

Jonathan,
 
I love the way your guitar is coming together!

Even though it's still rough sanded, I think you can tell how cool the shell is on your logo inlay:
 

 
Mike pulled off the tight fitting location splendidly.

I love the colors in that abalone.  Great looking inlay!
 
Bill

Mica,
 
That abalone is almost mesmerizing! The knobby head and the inlay shape are absolutely meant for each other. Mike did an amazing job!
 
Thanks,
 
Jonathan