Official Luthiers Forum!

I found someone selling some wood on Craigs List. Her father was guitar maker in the 70's and 80's and has some left over stuff for sale. I'm trying to reach a fair price with the seller but really have no idea how to price it except to compare to current suppliers. She has side sets of Indian rose wood, BRW, mahogany and walnut but the problem with those is that nothing is matched. So for example she has a back of BRW but no sides for it.

Also there is spruce (don't know what kind as it's not marked) and cedar. All the wood is decried as coming from the Gurian shop before the fire in the 1980's.

I guess my question is do you think that just because these tops, backs and sides are going on 30 years old makes them any more valuable?

If they are not matched, the price goes way down, IMO, regardless of age or quality.

It would to me, certainly! Aged, seasoned wood is very preferable to wood that has not been seasoned over time in my view and worthy of a premium.

You know we often speak of instruments "opening up" and more recently the torifaction process. We were just talking about this yesterday and I am of the opinion that some of what makes a great pre-war guitar sound as they at times do is time and the seasoning that happens over time to wood. Being able to build now with old wood seems to me to be what every Luthier might want to jump on if they had the opportunity.

There also may be some serviceability dividends as well in so much as the more seasoned wood is the likely more stable it is meaning perhaps.... greater resistance to cracking, etc.

Snag that stuff up JF!

You need to use your experience and judgement when buying old wood just as you would for new. It may have been wood being saved for that "special" guitar, or it may have been wood that was rejected to build with. I have more tops than I will ever use that vary in quality from very good to very marginal. Those with significant run out I use for inexpensive stick dulcimers with formica bodies and other uses where run out is not a concern. When I kick the bucket there will probably be a few "bad" tops left, and some good stuff too.
I don't know what the quality of the wood was that Gurian sold, but most sellers sell a range of qualities to suit different peoples needs.
There is a saying - "when someone gets something for nothing, then someone got nothing for something". You must decide what is a fair price, and if you are willing to pay it. Then the seller must decide if they are willing to accept it. You should also decide if it is stuff you really want.

Thanks for the feedback. Hopefully I'll get to take a look at some of this stuff soon.

I would expect orphaned backs and sides to be discounted well below market prices.

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George :-)

I know there is a saying "one person's trash is another man's treasure" --- but I'd say that "mismatched" pieces guitar/tone-wood is what it is. $.02

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Ken Cierp

http://www.kennethmichaelguitars.com/

I see classical BRW head plates going for $10 or more.

I see some rough cut backs and sides that are thick enough to be resawn for ukuleles. If not, at least the halves of guitar sized backs can be one piece ukulele backs and tops.

I see some sides that can be resawn thick enough to be used for laminated guitar sides.

So, maybe you can get a little more that $0.02. If you do not think they can be resawn, at least get head plates rather than nothing.

To be more clear $.02 is the value of my opinion --- could not even guess the worth of the listed material.

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Ken Cierp

http://www.kennethmichaelguitars.com/

My bad.

what I think is this: irregardless of the inherent (quality) value of the woods, remember you are buying from an individual NOT a respected (known) retailer...in my eyes this should make the price lower than the same wood offered by a known (read with some sort of 'warranty') entity...

at least this is the reaction I seem to get when trying to sell something for needed funds...