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Zoot Withdrawal
http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=15239
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Author:  Steve Walden [ Fri Jan 04, 2008 3:22 pm ]
Post subject: 

Aha!


WaddyT the Wonderful wrote: "I have all mine sent to my office.  Sneak it in at night, when I go out to the shop."


So, that's the trick................


Author:  KenH [ Fri Jan 04, 2008 4:18 pm ]
Post subject: 

the UPS man always delivers during the day....while the wife is at work teaching kids.

Author:  Jim Kirby [ Sat Jan 05, 2008 12:16 am ]
Post subject: 

[QUOTE=WaldenWorx]

Aha!


WaddyT the Wonderful wrote: "I have all mine sent to my office. Sneak it in at night, when I go out to the shop."


So, that's the trick................

[/QUOTE]

Still shows on the credit card bill though ...

Author:  Hesh [ Sat Jan 05, 2008 12:35 am ]
Post subject: 

1)  Create a slush fund with Pay Pal and use that for zoot purchases

2)  Be sure, when buying furniture, to get the most comfortable sofa/couch that you can find - you may be living on it......

3)  Consider divorce

4)  Beautiful zoot Don, that stuff looks like brains and as such probably would not fit in my shop......

5)  When water boarded over your zoot expenditures explain that the zoot is an investment historically proven to out perform the Dow.  When questioned about rising inflation and a growing unemployment rate that might preclude guitar players from purchasing guitars in the near future change the subject to the idea of getting a puppy.......

6)  Lie

7)  Describe your zoot purchases as a secret effort on your part to make a very special birthday present for your sweetie, just don't use his/her name if it is not the same as your spouses........

8)  And lastly - never, never throw out the box that your new washer or dryer came in, save it for use as a future dwelling........




Author:  WaddyThomson [ Sat Jan 05, 2008 2:40 am ]
Post subject: 


[QUOTE=jtkirby] [QUOTE=WaldenWorx]

Aha!



WaddyT the Wonderful wrote: "I have all mine sent to my office. Sneak it in at night, when I go out to the shop."



So, that's the trick................

[/QUOTE]



Still shows on the credit card bill though ... [/QUOTE]

Yeah, but she doesn't like to pay the bills.

Author:  Don Williams [ Sat Jan 05, 2008 3:08 am ]
Post subject: 

[QUOTE=Hesh]Beautiful zoot Don, that stuff looks like brains and as such probably would not fit in my shop......[/QUOTE]

Yeah, that's the set I was going to sell you cheap, but you turned it down. You coulda had brains for cheap!






Author:  KenH [ Sat Jan 05, 2008 3:39 am ]
Post subject: 

[QUOTE=Hesh]1)  7)  Describe your zoot purchases as a secret effort on your part to make a very special birthday present for your sweetie, just don't use his/her name if it is not the same as your spouses........

[/QUOTE]


When I first got married, an old man told me to never call my wife by her real name. Instead, always call her things like "sugar, darlin, honey, sweety,..."


His reasoning is that if you mess up and call her by the wrong name at some moment of ......., she will never know the difference and wont have a reason to go to war.


That advice has been working for over 32 years now


Don, that is some AWESOME mahogany!!


Author:  Alan Degenhart [ Tue Jan 08, 2008 4:01 pm ]
Post subject: 

We've actually added quite a few new sets in the past month, along with updating our website.

I recently made an announcement for our new site, as well as showing off a few of our new sets.

If anyone is interested, the topic can be found here.

Author:  Zach Ehley [ Wed Jan 09, 2008 5:51 am ]
Post subject: 

Alan, I looked at that last night.  Some good looking stuff on there.


Don, Since Hesh dosnt want brains, whats cheap?


Bob, AB28?  Looks like you have a lot of that stuff.  The Curly HOG may cause me to break the promise to myself to stop spending money on B+S's.  WAS WAS WAS WAS....


Author:  Don Williams [ Wed Jan 09, 2008 6:27 am ]
Post subject: 

Zach, I said Hesh could have got it cheap...but of course that was just teasing him!

In fairness to the current OLF Sponsors, I'm not really going to discuss my prices or my business on the OLF, since I'm not a paying sponsor anymore. It wouldn't be right...

Author:  burlman [ Thu Jan 10, 2008 9:38 am ]
Post subject: 

 G'Day Bob, new workshop is looking great that nice Wood you have there looking forward to seeing Sets from down under.


[QUOTE=Bobc]Don't woory folks. Relief is on the way. New mahogany shipment has arrived. Both curly and quilted






Afican Blackwood anyone???????

[/QUOTE]


Author:  KHageman [ Fri Jan 11, 2008 3:11 am ]
Post subject: 

WOW!!

WAS (Wood Acquisition Syndrome). I can finally put a name on this
affliction.   I have a terrible case of it. Maybe the next swap meet I can get
rid of some of what I have and buy some more. My wife always knew
something was wrong, but now she has a label to put on it.

WAS - GREAT!!!

Ken

Author:  Zach Ehley [ Fri Jan 11, 2008 5:06 am ]
Post subject: 

Yes it is a terrible affliction.  I seem to be building my stash infinatly faster than I can use it.  I'm young, at least in this crowd, so I have a lot of time to use it up.  I keep justifing WAS by telling myself that wood prices are going up so fast that this is an investment in the future.

Author:  Don Williams [ Fri Jan 11, 2008 5:33 am ]
Post subject: 

[QUOTE=zehley]I keep justifing WAS by telling myself that wood prices are going up so fast....[/QUOTE]

They are...

[QUOTE=zehley]...this is an investment in the future.[/QUOTE]

It is.

I've been buying exotic woods for guitars for over ten years, which is a relatively small amount of time, and yet I've seen some prices more than triple on some woods. It's nuts. I think the exotic wood dealers are a lot more aware of guitar builders now, and consequently price the stuff through the roof.


Author:  LanceK [ Fri Jan 11, 2008 5:49 am ]
Post subject: 

Ah! The draw of "Hot Zoot" is just too much!
I just nabbed this set from Volcano.

They have some mouth watering Koa right now!
Thanks ALAN!!




Author:  Zach Ehley [ Fri Jan 11, 2008 6:16 am ]
Post subject: 

Don said I should keep buying zoot.  You all heard it.  I guess thats good enough for me.  Time to go shopping.  How bout those Brains Don???

Author:  Don Williams [ Fri Jan 11, 2008 6:23 am ]
Post subject: 

I don't have much in the way of brains.

Uh, wait a second, that didn't sound too good...



Author:  Zach Ehley [ Fri Jan 11, 2008 6:30 am ]
Post subject: 

After my moment of zootlust there I have a question.  Are wood prices rising at a rate that will continue, or is the awareness of vendors of guitar builders caused a bump in prices and now we will continue on a rate simlar to inflation?  Or is China going to ruin the fun for all of us like they are in metals, oil, lumber, etc...


Have vendors sold too much sub-prime zoot and we are setting up a sub-prime zoot crisis?


Author:  Don Williams [ Fri Jan 11, 2008 7:42 am ]
Post subject: 

That's a mighty big question...
When I bought some ziricote for my first guitar back in the mid 1990's, it was around $15/bf. Now it's triple that. Why? I think part of the reason is scarcity (supply), and another is demand for the wood from the luthier community. I think this seems to be happening across the board for a lot of woods. Only a couple years back, Allied would on occasion offer some "Opportunity Grade" East Indian Rosewood sets, for very cheap money. Today, you won't find anything near that price on their website. Typical EIRW sets are selling for $100. A few years ago, it was much less, at least 20% or more...and Allied does it's best to keep prices as low as possible too. It's all a matter of what it's costing to get the stuff, and what it costs to get it shipped over here. The price of oil even affects it, as it does all transportation.
I told someone recently the price on some wood I have to offer (brain sapele) and they were fairly astonished with the price I was charging. But when I calculated the cost and the waste, I had to pay over $100/bf for the stuff. That's insane!
As to China, it's pretty well known that they are buying up the world's supply of just about Everything, including good tonewoods, and especially Sitka Spruce. The American wood suppliers are just as guilty for selling it to them as they are of hoarding it, if you want to look at it negatively. As suppliers, they have a great customer that pays a lot of money for a large volume of lumber, and you can't fault them for selling it. Japan (can you say "Yamaha"?) is also a huge hoarder of the best tonewoods. They seem to get the best stuff and more of it than anyone in the U.S.-of-A...so there's a lot more going on than you might realize in the tonewood game. Add to all that, many of the best traditional tonewoods are becoming endangered. This may be the single-most cause for the rising cost of tonewoods. We are going to have to start looking at the alternatives and find other woods to use. Grab the fancy stuff now if you like it and want it, because you won't see as much of it in the future, and start hoarding anything that's a rosewood or a mahogany too. The only real good thing we have going for us in the near future is the fact that India has plantation RW. They were smart. Actually, they were brilliant. If only other countries understood the seriousness of the value of their resources, they might could do something similar, but even if they started today, we wouldn't see the benefit of it in our lifetime. Still, it needs to happen if future generations of luthiers will want to continue the tradition. Otherwise, everyone will be building with composites. Ick.

Author:  Zach Ehley [ Fri Jan 11, 2008 8:46 am ]
Post subject: 

I'm hoping I have 30-50 years left to keep doing this, so I'll stock up.  I've been taking the approach that If I really like it, buy it.  I have the disposable income at this point.  I'll use it at some point.  I have a good start at 23 B+S sets and 18 tops.  Most are in the middle to upper middle range on the cost scale.  No BRW or Brains though.


I also plan on taking a chainsaw to some of the old old patterns at work that we are scrapping.  Odds are there is a bunch of good HOG in there for necks.  These are giant patterns, 3-4 semis per pattern, 10k-35k castings.  Just have to avoid the pins.


I need help.


Author:  burlman [ Fri Jan 11, 2008 12:20 pm ]
Post subject: 

 Don, what you are saying about the cost of good tone wood is correct the price keeps going up and up, but then again so is everything else, food costs fuel Ect, i salvage and source timber for a living and the my costs of recovering Timber has gone up 300% percent in 3 years, and i believe if Timber prices had been high in the first place many years ago for good tone woods there would not have been the shortage there is now as it would not have been wasted, as they would have planted more if they had got good money for it.


regards Robert,


http://www.tasmaniantimbers.com.au[QUOTE=Don Williams]That's a mighty big question...
When I bought some ziricote for my first guitar back in the mid 1990's, it was around $15/bf. Now it's triple that. Why? I think part of the reason is scarcity (supply), and another is demand for the wood from the luthier community. I think this seems to be happening across the board for a lot of woods. Only a couple years back, Allied would on occasion offer some "Opportunity Grade" East Indian Rosewood sets, for very cheap money. Today, you won't find anything near that price on their website. Typical EIRW sets are selling for $100. A few years ago, it was much less, at least 20% or more...and Allied does it's best to keep prices as low as possible too. It's all a matter of what it's costing to get the stuff, and what it costs to get it shipped over here. The price of oil even affects it, as it does all transportation.
I told someone recently the price on some wood I have to offer (brain sapele) and they were fairly astonished with the price I was charging. But when I calculated the cost and the waste, I had to pay over $100/bf for the stuff. That's insane!
As to China, it's pretty well known that they are buying up the world's supply of just about Everything, including good tonewoods, and especially Sitka Spruce. The American wood suppliers are just as guilty for selling it to them as they are of hoarding it, if you want to look at it negatively. As suppliers, they have a great customer that pays a lot of money for a large volume of lumber, and you can't fault them for selling it. Japan (can you say "Yamaha"?) is also a huge hoarder of the best tonewoods. They seem to get the best stuff and more of it than anyone in the U.S.-of-A...so there's a lot more going on than you might realize in the tonewood game. Add to all that, many of the best traditional tonewoods are becoming endangered. This may be the single-most cause for the rising cost of tonewoods. We are going to have to start looking at the alternatives and find other woods to use. Grab the fancy stuff now if you like it and want it, because you won't see as much of it in the future, and start hoarding anything that's a rosewood or a mahogany too. The only real good thing we have going for us in the near future is the fact that India has plantation RW. They were smart. Actually, they were brilliant. If only other countries understood the seriousness of the value of their resources, they might could do something similar, but even if they started today, we wouldn't see the benefit of it in our lifetime. Still, it needs to happen if future generations of luthiers will want to continue the tradition. Otherwise, everyone will be building with composites. Ick.[/QUOTE]


Author:  Brock Poling [ Fri Jan 11, 2008 1:07 pm ]
Post subject: 

[QUOTE=Alan Degenhart] We've actually added quite a few new sets in the past month, along with updating our website.I recently made an announcement for our new site, as well as showing off a few of our new sets.If anyone is interested, the topic can be found here.[/QUOTE]

That koa is SMOKIN hot.

Author:  Brock Poling [ Fri Jan 11, 2008 1:15 pm ]
Post subject: 

[QUOTE=Don Williams] We are going to have to start looking at the alternatives and find other woods to use. [/QUOTE]

Not me... I am squirrling away as much "core" wood as I possibly can waiting for that day.

Author:  Brock Poling [ Fri Jan 11, 2008 1:19 pm ]
Post subject: 


Speaking of zoot....

I was at Tim McKnight's the other night and LMI has a stash of those really killer Madrose fingerboards again. His were great, lots of grain color variation and spider webbing...

I immediately ran home and placed an order.

In case you are interested...       

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