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Hi all I am Lars. Group says - "HI LARS" Hi, all money is gone, spent it all on wood and tools !! -we´re with ya Lars, go on.
Well Well it all started with me seeing this beautiful piece of ebony, she was just sitting there totally black with a small tanned sreak of brown. my finger started to itch and I just had to, _what did you do Lars. Well I took her home and then , then , then I was sold. But now I am broke. and although my ebony still sings beautifully I want more more more. I really need help. So I hope I came to the right place ? - you did Lars. we´re all wood addicts here. Personally I prefer Brazillian.



Lars. "with way to much time to kill."

Yep Lars, it's all too common and sad a story!

Help,
Joe

Just this morning I was looking at a Koa B&S set. Wanted it real bad. I already have 4 sets of other woods, 2 are real nice, and I haven't even finished #1 yet. I got it bad, huh?

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Ha! I must have 20 back and side sets and at least that many top sets, and I'm just finishing up #2. It is a cruel master, this WAS!

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

I hear you, Bros! It all started for me innocently enough...until I started visiting Buffalo several times a year! Now I've even given up golf to support my habit. There are so many enablers out there seducing us by making visions of Zoot run through our heads. "Oh, the humanity..."

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

I don't have a crystal ball, but it seems unlikely that any of the exotic woods we use will ever become less valuable. I remember at an ASIA convention many years ago Ted Davis was selling prime red spruce tops for $40 and since it was new to the market, was not having many takers. I just bought a set from his remaining stash for $130.
Point being, it is all money in the bank. We lust after the stuff because it has an intrinsic value. There are plenty of things to feel guilty about: collecting zoot shouldn't be one of them

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It's not the miles ahead, it's the stone in your shoe


In Markham,Virginia

The question is, do any of us want to take the cure? I for one like this sickness, the only know cure is total lack us success because once a little success sets in it is to late. I am finishing #5 and have enough zoot to double that number.

Fred

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Fred Tellier
http://www.fetellierguitars.com
Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/FE-Tellier-Guitars/163451547003866

The worst are the thoughts that drive this compulsive wood/tool acquisiton, like "I really should get this Adirondack top because so far I only have Sitka tops and Adi has more overtones and is stiffer which will make my next guitar a killer strummer but only if I pair it with BRW however I don't know if I have the funds for BRW so maybe Madagascar, Honduran, Amazon,... because it sounds like BRW anyways or so they say but then again a Redwood top may have even more overtones and this warm mellow sound sure is nice for fingerstyle which I also like to play quite a bit so I'll get Redwood as well and a Walnut back/side set because they say this will make a killer combo for fingerstyle because George Lowden has some very cool models in Redwood/Walnut and how about that all spanish cedar guitar I recently saw from Sergei DeJonge with that wonderful sweet sound - I think I want to build one like that as well ... "

Seriously though...so far I only have top+back/sides for my next two guitars...which has probably more to do with my funds than anything else

Christian

Lars, Jon is right. You can't look at this as just spending money. You are making an investment that will continue to grow in value. Be judicious in your choices and be reasonable in your budget and buy as much of the good stuff you can. I'm still working on my first one and I must have 20-25 back and side sets on the shelf. Tops are lacking in numbers. (Note to self: Must do something about that soon). When I first got together with my Sweetie I may have had 4 sets. When more sets kept arriving and I hadn't even gotten close to being ready to build we had a discussion on the disparity of my building versus my buying. I made my case that I never spent more than $125 on a single set (usually less than $50) and that what I can buy now is only going to be much more expensive later, plus it will need to sit around the shop for several months, a year anyway, so in fact I was saving us money. I have a set of EIR that I got off of Ebay probably 8 years ago now. I paid maybe $30 for it. I would have to pay $100 or more now to get the same quality of wood. But remember, you don't have to buy just tone wood. There is a solid mahogany door out in the garage that I got for $80 at a recycling center. At the very least there is a dozen or so necks waiting to be glued up in it. Or if I'm brave, back and side sets.

Some where in the archives is a thread the shows the storage system Kim came up with. Its way cool. It keeps the wood neat and stickered as well as organized. I don't know how many units he has, but the picture showed more than three. He has the unit labeled as well as the stickers numbered, which he then uses in a database to keep track of all the information about the wood that he wants. He's a smart one that Kim.

Oh, I'm an addict too. Welcome to the club.

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Aoibeann

Yup., this sure is addicting !! I am finding myself look at everything made out of wood, thinking, "hmm, that might be something I can resaw" I love this. First time ever I´ve had this drive for something. feels great. I do wish I had the pile of wood on the shelf that your talking about Lillian. . well, there still time.

Lars.

Lars, I collected wood while I waited until I was in a place, had the tools and the shop where I could build. That was a long 9 years. You're building. That's a cool thing. Your collection will grow.

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Aoibeann

Speaking of the devil...

my wife just called me to let me know that a parcel for me has arrived this morning containing...any guesses?

Hi, I'm Zach, and I'm a zootoholic. I'm adicted to zootahol!

Seriously, getting past the WAS jokes, I keep looking at what good wood has done in the last several years since I've been monitoring it and I dont see it going down in value. All the money I spent in the last several years has been a great investment, both for the increase in its value, and secondly it kept hat money out of the stock market. I'm at 45 B+S sets and counting. Now I try to restrain myself and only buy sets that I really like and are unique, or just a really good deal. I've decided that I need to start hoarding Hondo HOG for necks.

I am working on getting several back and sides sets out of Australia.....

Not to mention that I am trying to "Deforest" the local hardwood lumber suppliers of wood that looks *mostly* quartersawn..

I swear.... I will build at least 1 more guitar...

Thanks

John

Hi, my name's Michael and I've been suffering from WAS for far longer than the period of time I've been a luthier wannabe....Koa and Blackwood holds a special place in my heart and I've been known to get a little OCD about color and grain matching in my life...luckily I gave up acid a long time before I got around really beautiful woods....I can easily see myself being lost in the swirls and flames of a nice piece of quilted maple...

other's have made valid points about the ever increasing value of woods....I've noticed the Koa that's been around for the last couple of years is not nearly of the type available before...the same goes with most other woods...its value will only continue to go up so its easy to view such acquisitions as an investment...

WAS is evil. As for me, I've got the money (a dynamic condition), but can't find 'the piece' that I lust for. Wood (and tools) will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no wood.