Pearloid is a plastic that is intended to resemble mother of pearl. It is commonly used in making musical instruments, especially for pickguards, electric guitar inlays, and accordions.1
Production
Pearloid is produced by swirling together chunks of celluloid in a solvent, then curing, which gives it a mother of pearl effect.2 It is sliced and bonded to or inlaid in other materials, such as the wood of guitar necks.2
Use
Pearloid is used in any context where genuine mother of pearl or abalone might be used, as it is much cheaper. Gibson uses it as a substitute for the mother of pearl inlays in the fretboards on most of its guitars.3 Various colored versions are often used on items intended to have a retro appearance.4
References
References
- Wright, Michael (2000-01-01). Guitar Stories: The Histories of Cool Guitars. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 978-1-884883-08-8.
- "Pearloid | Sweetwater". 28 November 2007.
- "Epiphone Releases the Acoustic El Capitan J-200 Studio Bass". Bass Magazine. 2023-01-25. Retrieved 2024-05-24.
- Lawless, John (2024-01-10). "Gibson All American 5 string". Bluegrass Today. Retrieved 2024-05-24.