This custom Heinonen SJ pairs a Master Grade Adirondack spruce top with a highly straight, tight-grained set of Master Madagascar rosewood. The SJ body incorporates a cutaway and is framed with flamed koa binding, while red abalone purfling runs around the top and continues through the backstrip and flamed-koa end wedge. A custom radial rosette was made from Madagascar rosewood selected to visually coordinate with the back and sides. The centerpiece of the instrument is an elaborate Cherry Blossom fingerboard inlay by Larry Robinson. Rather than concentrating the artwork around a single flower, the design develops across the fingerboard through branches, blossoms and dozens of wind-blown petals. Their scale and placement were deliberately varied to create a sense of perspective and movement, with larger and smaller petals suggesting different distances from the viewer. The predominantly silver-toned shell was specifically selected to keep coloration restrained, while double white purfling and flamed koa binding frame the fingerboard. The detailing continues throughout the build with matching Madagascar rosewood veneers on both sides of the headstock, a hand-cut pearl Heinonen logo, flamed koa heel cap and truss-rod cover, EVO Gold frets, and gold tuners with ebony buttons. The five-piece neck follows an Olson-style neck profile, while the bridge is ebony and based on the shape specified for this commission. Together, the precisely matched woods, red-abalone accents and Larry Robinson inlay make this a deeply personalized SJ in which traditional premium materials are combined with exceptionally detailed decorative work.
