Official Luthiers Forum!

It's an awesome shop; I'd recommend stopping by to everyone.

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Mike Hoenerhoff
Elderly Instruments

Here is an update regarding our "open house/shop" later this month.

Date: March 29th, Saturday
Time: 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
Address: Ann Arbor Guitars
302 E. Liberty Street
Third Floor
People's Republic of Ann Arbor.... , MI 48104
(734) 332-6142

Our signage on the outside of the building will indicate that we are "closed" since we are on Saturdays but we are open for this event only so come on up anyway! I'm just trying to keep clients out on this day.

Parking: We have a brand new underground parking structure behind our building and only about 100 feet or less away. It's five levels of underground parking and never full especially around 10:00 am. The structure is called the "Library Lane" parking structure if you want to Google it.

Bring: Have a recent or not-so-recent guitar that you built that you want to show and perhaps talk about - bring her! Have a new tool or jig to discuss, bring it.

Lunch: We will be ordering and pop for attendees from Anthony's Gourmet Pizza which has fantastic .... Trust me I know....

Wood for sale: As mentioned previously our friend Herb David who is going to be 83 in a month or so is selling out his stash and some tools too. Expect to find well seasoned (for decades.....) EIRW back and side sets, Honduran Mahogany back and side sets, and 40 - 50 year old (at least...) German spruce tops for sale.

Pricing will be very attractive and I am pricing this stuff to get it all out of our way... It lives in our shop and we need the space now.

Expect to find prices well below market for this stuff. So bring cash since this is not related to our business we won't have the credit card machine available to us or my accountant would likely commit suicide.... again....

Tools: Herb wants to sell a nearly new long belt sander that has been here a while but rarely ever got used. This is the kind of sander that f*ctories like Gibson use to shape necks and very much something that most Luthiers would covet. Don't have a price yet but it will be priced to move so bring a way to move it if interested.

Inca table saw. These are smaller saws and found a great following in the model maker world. We don't use a table saw so it's in the way and available for sale.

Meet and greet: That's the plan to hang loose and just hopefully get a chance to meet everyone and catch up with old friends too. As such beyond a shop tour we have no presentations planned. If you would like to present something, great, simply contact me and let me know what you have in mind and how we might help you with your presentation.

Beware space is limited, we only have slightly less than 1,000 square feet so it will be crowded, please wear deodorant.... Kidding of course....

You may get a kick out of seeing a very busy, high volume repair shop in a setting that has been in the past visited by the likes of John Lennon, Eric Clapton, and countless other famous folks. The John Lennon chair is now at Herb's house so we won't have that to show you but Herb will be there to describe his meeting with John, Eric, and many more.

By the way Herb is in one of the Big Red Books and IIRC it's book 3.

The open house is open to all OLFers who are interested in attending and having a great time.

If you do plan to attend please post in this thread so that worry-wart me can plan for the anticipated numbers of folks.

That's about it and if you have any ideas for something to add, would like to present a technique, subject matter, an instrument, etc please let me know and I will put you on the schedule.

Thanks and hope to see many of you on the 29th.

Hesh,

Check your PM...

Cheers,
Bob

Thanks Bob - got it!

Count me in Hesh. I also sent a PM.

Mike Franks
www.mjfranksguitars.com
www.facebook.com/mjfranksguitars

Fantastic Mike and we look forward to catching up with you!!!!

I wish that I could make the trip, Hesh, but I am taking my brother to see Yes that night, and I've already paid for the tickets, otherwise I would gas-up the truck and make the trip.
As it is, I'll be attending the gezzerfest instead!

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

Geezerfest is it..... Well our open house will have at least one geezer there.... me....

I wish that you could make it too Alex my friend but if roles were reversed and I had a chance to see Yes (again....) I would likely want to see Yes too!

Try to have a good time anyway and it's also interesting that back in my day the drugs at concerts were not what you will likely see at a Yes concert these days, Flomax and Geritol..... Instead of having to show ID to prove one is over 18 Social Security cards will be accepted at the door along with Medicare Part D Insurance cards....

Gotta run The Lone Ranger is on the radio.....

I'll be there.

Kevin Looker

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I'm not a luthier.
I'm just a guy who builds guitars in his basement.
It's better than playing golf.

Fantastic Kevin, looking forward to meeting you!

Now a days, I usually drop antacid before a show

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http://www.birkonium.com CNC Products for Luthiers
http://banduramaker.blogspot.com

Pepto Bismol, who knew.....

See ya on the 29th Andy!

Read this yesterday, and NOW I get it! I thought I was losing my hair, but it is actually growing into my brain, and mucking things up! Good one, Andy.

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

Hi Hesh, I'll swing by and say hi.

Ken

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http://www.casperguitar.com

Looking forward to meeting you Ken and be sure if you can to bring one of your very cool guitars!

I am just dialing in the final action on my two latest builds, but these will be shipped before your open house. I will bring something, though! Look forward to meeting you in person, Hesh. I walk by your shop often, but almost always in the evening. My wife and I go to Ann Arbor a lot for dinner or shows. Saw Richard Thompson at the Ark a week ago and ate at Real Seafood a few weeks earlier.

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http://www.casperguitar.com

Just a friendly reminder that our open house is a week from tomorrow and on Saturday, March 29th, 2014 from 10:00 Am until 2:00 PM.

It's an opportunity to go a bit back in time to a Lutherie shop that has repaired instruments for some of the most notable players of our time, and before.... Although it was the previous location around the block from us currently this is the same shop and former store that Dan Earlywine got his start with.

There will be a LOT of wood for sale, EIRW and Honduras Mahogany that has been squirreled away for decades by Luthier Herb David. Pricing will be attractive and engineered to move this stuff AND make builders happy as a clam.

UPDATE: The local press, or I should now say the state press will be there with a photographer and reporter too. So if you have a guitar to show off bring it and you may end up with a bit of a marketing credential to point to in the very near future.

We will also have a world-class player available who works for us and has made his living being the on-the-road Luthier for the likes of Sarah McLaughlin, Nazareth, and Ted Nugent. Brian will be available to play your creations for the group if you wish. I always get a huge kick out of hearing how my own stuff sounds in the hands of someone with talent....

The address and more details are listed in the thread previously.

Hope to see you there! If you do plan to attend feel free to post in this thread please which will help us plan for the event.

Many thanks!

Two Days....

Our open house is Saturday, hope to see you there!

Wish I could be there!!

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Beautiful and unusual tone woods at a reasonable price.
http://www.rctonewoods.com/RCT_Store
The Zootman
1109 Military Rd.
Kenmore, NY 14217
(716) 874-1498

Hi ya Uncle Bob!

We wish that you could attend too, it should be a great time! Hope that all is well with you and the family!!

Everyone is fine Hesh. Thanks for asking,

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Beautiful and unusual tone woods at a reasonable price.
http://www.rctonewoods.com/RCT_Store
The Zootman
1109 Military Rd.
Kenmore, NY 14217
(716) 874-1498

FINAL UPDATE:

Our open house is today, Saturday the 29th 10 - 2:00.

Hope to see many of you there!

Just wanted to say thanks to Hesh for organizing this & opening his doors.

I met a great bunch of people and saw some beautiful work. Unfortunately while driving the 3 hours home, I thought of about a dozen questions I should have asked .

So, how about doing something like this more often?

Kevin Looker

_________________
I'm not a luthier.
I'm just a guy who builds guitars in his basement.
It's better than playing golf.

Agreed! Thanks Hesh and the rest of Ann Arbor guitars for the hospitality. Great to meet Hesh, Kevin, Mike and Joe in person and good to see Andy and Max again. Sorry I had to check out early, but the Samurai exhibit at the DAI was good too!

Ken

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http://www.casperguitar.com

It was great to meet you too Ken! Nice that you had the Samurai bonus for the day. All I had for a bonus was a long drive home.

Wish I could have talked more with you Kevin L. At least I have a face to your posts now.

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jw ( o)===:::