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Please welcome back AST (Advanced Shell Tech) To our family!
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Author:  LanceK [ Mon May 17, 2010 7:27 am ]
Post subject:  Please welcome back AST (Advanced Shell Tech) To our family!
Please welcome back AST (Advanced Shell Technology) To our family of sponsors!

They took a brief break and reworked their website and now offer A4 Kerfing, Titanuim bridge pins as well as there incredible Zipflex purfling. Please stop by their new site and have a look around!

http://www.advancedshelltech.com/
Author:  Bill Hodge [ Mon May 17, 2010 8:11 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Please welcome back AST (Advanced Shell Tech) To our family!
Welcome back Kevin R!
Author:  Lars Stahl [ Mon May 17, 2010 8:42 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Please welcome back AST (Advanced Shell Tech) To our family!
they are wonderful products, allthough WAY to expensive. I can totally agree to the pricing if it were in a store to the general public, butto sell with these prices to fellow luthiers is a bit high. I know there are costs to make them, but common. .47 wide strip (1pc) 26 usd.
I would gladly get alot of these myself if they were to a more honeroble price, and I think the income/sales would not not be lower if they were, as more would buy them and in greater numbers to even, then even the fellow luthier who is still struggling could afford them. ;)

Again might just me with my old fashion thinking !. [uncle]
Author:  Chuck [ Mon May 17, 2010 8:58 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Please welcome back AST (Advanced Shell Tech) To our family!
Great looking website. Looks like a great products. The bridge pins are very interesting to me.
Chuck
Author:  Dan Roach [ Mon May 17, 2010 9:07 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Please welcome back AST (Advanced Shell Tech) To our family!
I just used the A4 kerfed linings on an OLF-MJ non-cutaway and they are absolutely amazing! They look really beautiful and were incredibly simple to install. I truly cannot say enough good things about them. Definitely worth the price.

I'll be trying out the zipflex tonight on a rosette [:Y:]
Author:  LanceK [ Mon May 17, 2010 9:18 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Please welcome back AST (Advanced Shell Tech) To our family!
Lars Stahl wrote:
they are wonderful products, allthough WAY to expensive. [uncle]


Hmm, interesting, I find the price right on par with what I normally pay from Stewmac.
AST offers 15" of paua for 26.00
Stewmac offers 15.75" for 26.69

Seems very competitively priced in my opinion.
And I LOVE the .47 stuff! So nice and classy!


To add to that, lets please not start a pricing debate. We've been down that road before. Its fruitless.
Author:  Lars Stahl [ Mon May 17, 2010 10:01 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Please welcome back AST (Advanced Shell Tech) To our family!
Quote:
To add to that, lets please not start a pricing debate. We've been down that road before. Its fruitless.


just one thing. - what luthier would buy larger quantities from Stewmac, as stewmac is the most expensive store there is !!.to buy a saddle from stewmac is 7$ VS Colonial tonewoods 3$ !!! so your comparizon just prooved my point :D

still, its a great product !! [:Y:]
Author:  LanceK [ Mon May 17, 2010 10:09 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Please welcome back AST (Advanced Shell Tech) To our family!
Lars Stahl wrote:
Quote:
just one thing. - what luthier would buy larger quantities from Stewmac, [:Y:]


Your looking at him [:Y:]
Author:  Lars Stahl [ Mon May 17, 2010 10:17 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Please welcome back AST (Advanced Shell Tech) To our family!
Change to Colonial Tonewoods ! you will save lots a money that way. :D :D ;) ;)


Lars.
Author:  Mike OMelia [ Mon May 17, 2010 11:09 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Please welcome back AST (Advanced Shell Tech) To our family!
AST makes some at .47" ??? Did you type that correctly?

I wish they did!

Mike
Author:  LanceK [ Mon May 17, 2010 11:11 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Please welcome back AST (Advanced Shell Tech) To our family!
Mike O'Melia wrote:
AST makes some at .47" ??? Did you type that correctly?

I wish they did!

Mike


Oops, meant .047.
I like the very petite stuff.
Author:  Mike OMelia [ Mon May 17, 2010 11:18 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Please welcome back AST (Advanced Shell Tech) To our family!
You know what would be useful (I think) is if they could sell it with JUST the backing, and backing plus one side. Currently, they sell it with the backing on three sides. This means I can not "double" up on it to achieve a wider infill meaning it has limited usefullness for rosettes. But man is it a breeze to use!! Maybe the folks at AST would care to comment on my thoughts.

I do see where they added a 0.079 width...

And, I have never done the price comparison... thanks. The folks at AST would do well to make that argument on their website. Of course, time is money and that has to be factored in as well.

Mike
Author:  John Mayes [ Tue May 18, 2010 1:21 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Please welcome back AST (Advanced Shell Tech) To our family!
I use Kevin's rosette material on all my guitars. The . 047 stuff works awesome for me. Not only is it crazy easy to work with, but it's beautiful as well. Speaking of which I need to place another order.

Image

Image

Image
Author:  Elman Concepcion [ Wed May 19, 2010 7:15 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Please welcome back AST (Advanced Shell Tech) To our family!
AST offers 15" of paua for 26.00 - Ouch!
Stewmac offers 15.75" for 26.69 - Ouch!

AST and Stewmac A4 Kerfing is too expensive.
Way overpriced when you consider you can get traditional or reverse kerfing for under $3.
What can this A4 kerfing do that justifies the higher markup?
Also, correct me if I'm wrong but, I can't see this A4 Kerfing giving you the rigidity of reverse kerfing?
Author:  WaddyThomson [ Wed May 19, 2010 10:57 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Please welcome back AST (Advanced Shell Tech) To our family!
It will bend to shape without having to break it into the slot. I've heard it saves a lot of time and looks great.
Author:  LanceK [ Wed May 19, 2010 11:51 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Please welcome back AST (Advanced Shell Tech) To our family!
Brock Polings cutaway are about as sharp as I have ever seen, so sharp that the reverse kerf will not close in enough to allow it to bend far enough, standard triangle kerf's are the same deal. Kevin's A4 linings will bend into a super tight radius as well as bend to follow the radius of the back at the same time. Its killer stuff!
Author:  Christian Schmid [ Wed May 19, 2010 11:56 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Please welcome back AST (Advanced Shell Tech) To our family!
Wow, the titanium bridge pins look really cool...and they probably don't cost more than those made from fossilized saber tooth tiger canines :lol:

Does anyone know whether the "industry standard taper" on those pins is 3 or 5 degrees? Can't find any other info on the website other than "industry standard".

Christian
Author:  John Mayes [ Wed May 19, 2010 12:36 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Please welcome back AST (Advanced Shell Tech) To our family!
Maybe It's just me, but I find the whole price talking in poor taste. This is a welcome to the forum these guys are helping support the guys running the place kinda post. If you don't like the prices don't buy from them. I just fail to see the purpose of grumbling in open forum about it.
Author:  LanceK [ Wed May 19, 2010 12:45 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Please welcome back AST (Advanced Shell Tech) To our family!
John Mayes wrote:
Maybe It's just me, but I find the whole price talking in poor taste. This is a welcome to the forum these guys are helping support the guys running the place kinda post. If you don't like the prices don't buy from them. I just fail to see the purpose of grumbling in open forum about it.


Thanks John!
I could not have said it better my self!
Author:  Mike OMelia [ Wed May 19, 2010 1:02 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Please welcome back AST (Advanced Shell Tech) To our family!
John,

Have you ever doubled up on some strips to make a wider rosette? I hope nobody got me wrong... I love this stuff! I spose one could carefully abrade one side of the strips to remove any spacing issues. This is the question I am trying to get at.

Mike
Author:  WaddyThomson [ Wed May 19, 2010 1:55 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Please welcome back AST (Advanced Shell Tech) To our family!
Well, I just ordered some of the A4 Kerfed Lining. I can't wait to try it for back braces in my classicals. It has a really cool look. I figure I can get two guitars out of one set, and possibly 5 guitars out of two sets, so I ordered two sets to see.
Author:  John Mayes [ Wed May 19, 2010 3:16 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Please welcome back AST (Advanced Shell Tech) To our family!
Mike O'Melia wrote:
John,

Have you ever doubled up on some strips to make a wider rosette? I hope nobody got me wrong... I love this stuff! I spose one could carefully abrade one side of the strips to remove any spacing issues. This is the question I am trying to get at.

Mike


I haven't. They sell wider strips though I believe. But doubling the strips has a cool effect, one which I've seen done and it's pretty cool. I think you would almost want that very thing black strip in between to enhance the effect.
Author:  Elman Concepcion [ Thu May 20, 2010 9:53 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Please welcome back AST (Advanced Shell Tech) To our family!
John Mayes wrote:
Maybe It's just me, but I find the whole price talking in poor taste. This is a welcome to the forum these guys are helping support the guys running the place kinda post. If you don't like the prices don't buy from them. I just fail to see the purpose of grumbling in open forum about it.


Well, I certainly do not want to step on anyones toes.
And if this is a welcome to the forum guys thread, and we are not allowed to talk about pricing,
then I apologize for my lack of decorum.
Is there a rule in this forum that prohibits price talk based on the thread's subject?

This thread is IMO a perfect place to let the vendors know what we, as possible customers, think about their pricing.
I think they would appreciated. Don't you think?
We are giving then feedback. Not grumbling.
Author:  Brock Poling [ Thu May 20, 2010 10:45 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Please welcome back AST (Advanced Shell Tech) To our family!
I guess the way I view this is I want the absolute most professional appearance I can get, and secondarily I want the most consistent construction methods. It is clear in both the A4 and the ZipFlex that Kevin is a guitar maker who solved a problem with a clever product.

These are top notch professional tools and I don't have any problem paying a little more. You can tell there is a ton of R&D behind these, in both the R&D and fabrication.

To me Kevin is a genius.
Author:  tim88 [ Thu May 20, 2010 10:58 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Please welcome back AST (Advanced Shell Tech) To our family!
I think we have a tendency to look at a product and see the simplicity of it and not really think about all the work that went into the development of it. Just like a cheap pair of pliers looks the same as a pair on snap on pliers, or a cheap guitar can be just as pretty as a fine hand built custom guitar. Most of us wouldn't buy cheap tools, and would be insulted if someone wanted to give us next to nothing on a guitar we spent weeks if not months building and sat around talking about how our hard work wasn't worth much. So why do we do the same to other sellers offering a quality product.

Take the price of zip flex and deduct the cost of having to run a strip of Teflon for the inlay cavity and deduct whatever you think the time savings will be worth and THEN you have the true price of the product.

Have a great one, Tim.
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