Unfortunately, the flash of the camera is too intense. However, the headstock has been modified with several pieces. First I glued on some mahogany veneer. The guitar tuners weren’t quite right for the thickness of the headstock, so I ran two strips of bocote to make up the difference. The stalk of thistle, the leaves and lower part of of the flower are carved from poplar and the bristle is carved from purpleheart. I was quite surprised that when I finished the rehabilitation of this instrument, it sounded quite good…far better than my modest skills warrant.

I used the smallest guitar tuners I could find, but there are 12 of ’em and they do throw off the balance of the instrument, the body being so light. The case is maybe overkill…it is plywood all around. A cavity for the gourd-back was formed with the spray-foam “Great Stuff” and at Joann’s Fabrics I found a liner that is somewhat thistle-like. The instrument is flanked by two compartments which store strings and original unused parts.

I decided to employ the thistle, a symbol of Scotland, as the motif on the 12-string. After some failed attempts with other materials, I settled on thinly cut lyptus to represent the leaves of the plant. I tinted a water-based stain with food coloring to make them green, glued the pickguards to the soundboard and lacquered the body.