[Glyn Evans]

Hi all, I'm new to this group. I'm a New Zealand based luthier. I have a customer with a 1990 JEM with some of the green inlay missing from the second fret position. Does anyone have any idea where I might be able to get a piece to match? I can post a pic but I don't want to upset and JEM lovers - she's not in a good way. Cheers, Glyn

 

[diablomozart]

i've always heard it was clear plastic with the bottom painted green but could have been misinformed as i've never seen one with a damaged inlay...d.m.

 

[Tuga666]

I don't know either but I think they are bottom painted like diablomozart said. I have some pieces of pexiglass to choose for a pickguard that I will make. I can take some pics of the transparent greens on top of maple... if you want to?

https://flic.kr/p/45436734051
I don't know why I thought on maple, I have rosewood too

 

[Tuga666]

I took a better look at some pics of a jem gmc and it's definitely painted underneath

 

[Rich]

The accepted information from the time period is it's plastic with colored paper glued on the back. Paint would make the obvious choice but maybe it flaked when they routed the pieces.

 

[Glyn Evans]

Thanks for the replies. I've taken one out and it's clear plastic with green paint then white paint. I'll just have to match it as best I can - was hoping I'd be able to buy some - save the customer some $s.

 

[nienturi]

Once i tried that way and it worked; find a proper way for the inlay color base. It can be some kind of plastic or paper, or even a piece cloth, anyway. In your situation you have to match the color with the rest of the inlays so that will be tricky. Thereafter you must try the suitability/compatibility of the paper and the acrylic (or what else, in my situation i used polyester) filling resin. Some plastics and papers somehow reacts with the resin and they shrunk. Some of the lost their colors and they faded. But at last i could find a bright colored paper which did not perished after polyester filling. So if you have proper bright colored paper, cut it off in the shape of the inlay cavity, put it in and fill polyester resin in it. Sometimes the paper moves when filling, so you must be careful. When it is cured sanding, sanding and fine sanding and taa daaa, you'll have same kind of inlay with 3D effect.

Ooor, you can try something like this;

How To Do 3D Pyramid Inlays - Inlay and Binding - ProjectGuitar.com