So …here is my latest project with the rare and elusive “rainbow poplar”. The lumber peddlers continue to try and glamorize the process whereby the root system of the tree hits a pocket of mineralized soil, turning the material usually, dirt brown. There is continued debate as to whether the material is a hard or soft wood, but it’s appeal draws from it’s strength, and is typically used in building furniture and making plywood. The instrument is 20-5/8 inches in length with a 7/8 inch bore diameter, tuned to F#m.
The woods used here in addition to poplar, include twice dyed box elder burl, SE Asian amboyna burl, and bird wing overlays of madrone burl, dyed maple, copper sheet, prism abalone, yew burl, and the poplar.
Inlay includes 50-70 million year old Bear Paw formation ammolite at the mouthpiece, Battle Mt. NV turquoise, abalone, Labradorite, and a cab of spiny oyster set to the crown of the bird. Overall, it is happy to be a flute, and not a stick that looks like mud. Be nice to one another and play safe. 
