Master Builder Yuriy Shishkov is especially acclaimed for his dazzlingly meticulous inlay work, and the Cardinal Esquire is the latest example of his craftsmanship. On their own, the alder body with the deep green back, hand-stained black AAAA flame maple top, ivoroid binding and bird’s-eye maple neck with a hand-stained deep green finish would be gorgeous enough. But then Shishkov applies his inlay expertise, here with the theme of the beautiful cardinal flower and rendered in fine silver wire, diamonds, rubies and green diopsides (a mineral gemstone). This literally rich look is complemented by an ebony fingerboard, a hand-engraved bridge cover and single control knob (volume with push/pull coil splitting), gold hardware and a single Seymour Duncan Hot Rails humbucking pickup.