#017 “Ms. Cherry Blossom”

I live in the Great Smoky Mountains, and love the trees. This guitar has a theme of the native Red Spruce  trees of the eastern Appalachian Mountains and the Wild Black Cherry trees. The top came from a Adirondack or “Red Spruce” tree just over the mountain from my home and was cut in 2015. So, it had already been thinking about what was next for it when I used it in a guitar 10 years later. The bindings, trim, and bridge are from a Tennessee Black Cherry tree.

The inlay has 43 pieces, and is my original take on wild Black Cherry Blossoms. And, if you are ever in this part of the world in summer, you can find the black bears laying on a branch up in these trees eating their fill of cherries.

The top is a discard from the big manufactures because of the discoloration streak down the center. Just like us, most wood is not cosmetically perfect. But, folks think that any defect will take away from the sound of the guitar. That is definitely faulty thinking.

I guess I’m partial to Ms. Cherry Blossom because she is just like me. Maybe not perfect to beauty standards, but absolutely not a fake or less than perfect when it comes to living life.