Abe Herbaugh: Smooth Tomato with Horn (Crane) Tobacco Pipe

Steeped in organic dynamism, this Tomato from Abe Herbaugh is a stellar piece, fusing a sweeping sense of gesture with a solid, substantial design that's undeniably natural in hand. Along with his characteristic mixture of modern sleekness and cues found in nature, Abe's also married crisp, succinct linework to a bulbous, asymmetrical bowl up front. The result is an easy feel in hand, and a satisfying one I might add, with a number of configurations to accommodate the fingers. Adorned with his heralded Crane grade stamp, it's graced with a kiss of plateau about the rim of its wide bowl, but at the other end of things, the established luthier imbued the stem with something quite special. Indeed, making use of his Ivarsson-inspired parabolic Gladiolus Bulb saddle-stem base, he's inlaid it with a ring of creamy horn, further bolstering that organic charm, and indeed evoking the look of the flower bulb from which it derives its moniker. Abe's been experimenting with this design for some time, tweaking certain cues here and there to refine it, and needless to say, his efforts definitely paid off. And given his penchant for organic and floral aesthetics, I'd say he knocked this one out of the park.