From Chuck DeHart, designer and builder, January 14, 2015: Lady Sprite is the next step in design from my experience in building and playing DragonHart. She is more acoustic, sporting a full trapeze tail piece which requires no internal post between top and back under the bridge. She is fitted with a Bigsby B3 trapeze tremolo, but could be easily fitted with a simple trapeze tailpiece. The neck is much slimmer and I managed to trim the total weight by several pounds. The black cherry top and wild cherry sides and back were a pleasure to work with and revealed some shimmering grain upon finish. Her action is sweet and easy to play. For more acoustic tunes, she is rich in timbre. The full perimeter of the back is recurved to help assure the bottom end. For the electric player, she runs loud just under feedback and I can grab it when I want it. Look out Mr. Hendricks! In between, I can drive the single coil P90's for great Rockabilly and R&B sounds. I need to start taking her out, to show her off and hear others play her. I know how folks love to feel DragonHart's carving and curves, to pet his nose. With Lady Sprite, this could get interesting. Like DragonHart, you really have to see her in person to enjoy her true beauty and sound. For my next project, I plan a fully acoustic, carved, archtop guitar built by traditional design. Thanks to Robert Benedetto and his book "Making An Archtop Guitar". Having finished my third carved top acoustic electric, I am ready to pursue the next stages in this art.

The Lady's backside (below left) features three-piece mahogany/curly maple neck with walnut veneers, wild cherry back and sides, cocobolo bindings with walnut/maple purfling and ebony heel plate. Two pieces of epoxy graphite (1/8" x 5/16") reinforce the neck. She is slim for playing and strong for sustain. The neck/footer is a single block glued up from short sections of the neck stock. Sides are attached to ledges on the block. See Lady Sprite Interior and Construction for internal pictures of the acoustic chamber and neck system. Below right, Grover machines accent the back of Lady Sprite's head. See Lady Sprite Hardware for product pictures. A scarf joint attaches the head to the neck. The Tru Oil varnish finish is softer and easier to apply than lacquer. The finish is more likely to dent than chip. See this old article about this finishing process using Tru Oil gunstock varnish.

	Lady Sprite bursts up through the white and gold mother-of-pearl (MOP) inlay of the fingerboard (left, below left). The fingerboard is bound with rosewood with a maple purfling.   Chuck DeHart with DragonHart and Lady Sprite.   Below, a MOP button is shaped, drilled and inlaid into the face plate. Red glitter and epoxy mix fills the hole via a careful technique Chuck developed.