I'm very happy about this new (Summer, 05) instrument. In fact the character on the right is Xi, which can be translated as "happiness". On the left are three elements that lead to happiness: Virtue, luck, and love.

The sound board is a salvage of some kind of cedar, probably western redcedar. The inset character Xi is of butternut. The back and sides are of highly patterned rift-sawn sycamore and the peghead and fingerboard of walnut. The characters are reinforced from behind, but this one will never be a children's instrument!

This instrument has been sold.