Dirt cheap Alembi-clone, with fabulous dragon inlay

[Quasar1]

https://reverb.com/item/84658851-unknown-alembic-style-guitar-natural

[lbpesq]

This looks like one of the Antonio Tsai instruments often found on eBay.  They are incredibly inexpensive, have incredible looking inlays (if you don’t look too closely), and are incredibly unplayable.   I tried one.  Wound up as a wall hanging.  An old member some may remember, Jeff “Flax” Flaxman, bought one of Antonio Tsai’s basses with an intricate nude woman inlay that he dubbed “the tittie bass”.   Also unplayable.

Bill, tgo

[Quasar1]

This looks like one of the Antonio Tsai instruments often found on eBay.  They are incredibly inexpensive, have incredible looking inlays (if you don’t look too closely), and are incredibly unplayable.   I tried one.  Wound up as a wall hanging.  An old member some may remember, Jeff “Flax” Flaxman, bought one of Antonio Tsai’s basses with an intricate nude woman inlay that he dubbed “the tittie bass”.   Also unplayable.

Bill, tgo

Many Thanks 

[pauldo]

The neck heel joint appears unfinished. ?
The inlay work looks impressive.

[edwardofhuncote]

Flax had already dismissed himself a couple years before I got here, but I had read most of the posts. Quite the character. He sure had some cool axes too. Flax dropped back in a few years ago with a 5-string Ribbecke Halfling for sale. (for instance, on the subject of cool rare axes...)

Just to stay closer to the topic, at times there are a lot of banjo necks and resonators coming from various Sotheast Asian sources with unbelievably ornate abalone and pearl inlays. The underlying wood is often uncured or very low grade, and the fretwork is poor, or outright unusable. Which leads me to believe the inlay artist simply has no skill in other areas of instrument-making. Or whoever is sourcing the parts is counting on the pure aesthetic selling the product. I guess it works or they wouldn't be there, right?

Here's a couple examples... beautiful work, but I wouldn't take a chance on either the neck being stable and playable, or the resonator being interchangeable with any standard parts. I'd spend way too much bench time making them work. Mighty cool inlay though. Hat's off to whoever duzzit.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/383563612533
https://www.ebay.com/itm/386412156584

[DistillaMatto]

Looking at it made me want to order wonton noodle soup. The dragon inlay reminds me of some restaurant I use to eat at.