Official Luthiers Forum!

So as not to hijack the previous wood inventory thread...

How much wood do you guys have on hand? Not every stick, but tops and back and side sets.

Steve

Enough to have legacy wood.

Not for sure but at least half a dozen sets for guitar and the same for Ukes.


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Just guessing...probably 100-150 tops (cedar and spruce), 60-70 back and sides (cypress & EI RW), 60 Spanish cedar neck blanks, 40-50 ebony fingerboards (need to order more). The reason I have to guess is some of the wood is still in billets. I also buy tuners in bulk so there are lots. I have a set of chrome Grovers that I'll never use if anybody wants them, I bought them probably 35 years ago and they're still in the original box.

Guitars, 80 to 100 tops about the same for backs and sides ready to use. I have a small mountain of back and side billets at %16 drying. Mandolin tops, backs 20 something. Two or three fiddles worth of wood and five or six lectrics

Probably 10 times more than I will ever use. Likely 30-40 b&s, only 8 or 10 tops, at an average of 1 guitar per year, more than enough. Problem is I cannot seem to stop the hoarding.

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My memory is so good, sometimes I remember things that never happened.

Probably 20ish b&s sets, a dozen fb's, 30+ bridge blanks and the same of head plates, brace wood for about 5-6 guitars, about 12 cedar tops of mixed species, about 15 spruce tops of mixed species. There's probably close to 100 binding strips, mahogany, sapele walnut and maple lumber for laminated necks, billets for bindings, fb's and bridges, blocks for rosette tiles, etc... A delivery of 20 englemann tops came yesterday from two eBay auctions that I got for $1 Cnd each, plus shipping.
Now, I just need a couple of new body joints, and more time to start using this stuff!
If you use any englemann, Steve, I'll bring you some tops next time I come over!

Alex

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

I think I have six of Alan Edie's incredible cedar tops, a few Lutz tops, and a set of Claro Walnut from Fiddleback Woodshack.

I don't like to keep a lot of extra wood on hand. I build for myself, so I don't need to have an inventory of options. When I get a set, it's because there's a guitar I specifically want for myself (or a friend) made from it.

jshelton, I would be interested in the Grovers. PM please.

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Brad Hall
Mystic Dawg Guitars

Probably eight or ten sets cut and ready. Probably another eight in billet form just waiting.

Edit: Did a count, turns out I have 17 sets ready to go!!! Maybe I should consider the classified

Some of it will probably not be used by me since I buy new stuff just a little slower than I build.

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

Not too many for me 7 tops. And 5 back and side sets.


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I only have about 6-7 B&S sets and maybe just a few more tops. Quite notable in the stash, though, is an amazing set of African Blackwood, a stunning set of Ziricote and 2 sets of waterfall Bubinga that can make you cry. I also have this small plank of figured walnut that will probably yield three sets, if I'm lucky, and if I ever have the nerve (and the saw) to cut it.

I quickly realized that I was sinking way too much money in this hobby. But I'll admit that I'm very happy that I splurged and bought the sets I did, when I did. Looking at the wood that on offer out there today, it seems to me that the quality just isn't what it used to be. And I don't mean this to be a disparaging comment to any of the vendors out there. I think we're seeing a boom in the field of amateur lutherie, and the really mint sets are harder to come by, or are more expensive when they do.

I'm still kicking myself to this day for one set that I didn't buy. It was an exhibition grade Mac ebony set. Heavy chevron type curl that you usually only see in walnut, with color veins hued in green and red. It was the most stunning piece of wood I've ever seen, and I've never seen the like anywhere else. 10 years ago, the vendor wanted 850$ for it. I'm still kicking myself for not pulling the plug.

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I'd like to be able to prove, just for once, that money wouldn't make me happy...

About 30 guitars worth, assorted species (usual supsects, mostly AA/AAA), but only 12 of so neck blanks.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

Tops, about 30 Lutz, 10 Cedar, Six red spruce, 70 spruce seconds. Back sets about 30 with some raw wood to cut some more, probably about 20. Neck wood and stuff, well....



....maple, cherry, a little walnut and some oak that I harvested stickered in the corner. Nothing exceptional, just stuff that is buildable, some just. Really need to get stuff for rosettes, bindings and purfling.

I would feel guilty if I didn't chime in to represent the "other" demographic; newb/WAS/TAS victim.
Quite certain there are 100+ in my stash. For every top wood or B&S set purchased a corresponding opposite obviously needed to be acquired...can't have an uneven stash! Oh logic where art thou?....

Now that I have repented, time to justify : )

I agree with Alain. The quality of sets that I have purchased over the last 6 years is really high. The cost of these woods have risen dramatically and availability deminished.
My Excel spreadsheet tells me so.

So all in all, Great decision on my part to put out the money! That is as long as I build with or sell it, otherwise it was the worst investment I ever made!

Gregor

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Wake up and smell the rosewood!

I have about 60 tops of various species and about 20 back/side sets but I have enough lumber for at least 100 probably more. That's enough to last me many many years but I keep buying it if it's something I don't have or a good deal. The cool thing about hoarding wood is that it's kind of sort of an investment too. If you don't end up using it then someone else will.

printer2 - The next time my wife comments about me getting "another piece of wood", I'm going to show her that photo of your wood stash.

I'm another one with legacy wood.

So far, I "justified" my WAS as needing to buy well in advance of use so it could equilibrate with my shop environment. After reading this thread though, I can now add that the good stuff is getting harder to get, the prices are going up, it's a good investment, so get while the gettin's good. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

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Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right - Robert Hunter

I only build 1 or 2 a year, and now I resaw my own backs & sides, but I do seem to have more tops than I need.
2 red spruce, 1 engleman, 8 curly sitka, 1 western red cedar, and 2 redwood boards to be resawn.
1 curly walnut back & sides, and 1 dalbergia nigra grown in Indonisia (if you believe that, I've some beachfront property is west Texas ) It is pretty wood though
I've also got boards of cherry, pomele sapele, lyptus, birdseye maple, and some kind of mahogany. Most will produce several sets.
I'll probably cut 1 or 2 sets off each the next time I set my bandsaw up to resaw.

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A man hears what he wants to hear, and disreguards the rest. Paul Simon

Not nearly enough...

I have over 200 spruce top sets - with 90% of it falling AA or below and probably 80% falling A or lower.... (That's me grading, not necessarily what they were sold as....)

I am working myself up towards selling most of the lower grade stuff. I just really have no need for 10 lifetimes worth of tops.. Maybe 2 or 3 lifetimes worth would do it... I just haven't been able to get off my butt and put it on eBay.

That's what happens when WAS attacks... In hindsight it seemed like such a good idea...

Thanks for this thread Steve.

I feel better now about my disorder since I'm not as bad as...

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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.

What? I finally got it organized! More or less.

About 10 acoustic 4 solid body blanks, 5 ukuele.
Wish I had more.

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Greg
http://garibaldiinstruments.com/

I don't have much (2 sets) destined to be used shortly, but Alain's comment about regrets hits home. I remember a set of waterfall bubinga that came on the market about 10 years ago (ha! probably longer back than that, now that I think about it)... think it was colonial that offered it but it was just stunning. I still see that wood in my dreams. A combo of reds, creams and an amazing green. I think it was about $200 which was way out of reach in those days.

I keep looking for pics of what the lucky luthier(s) did with those sets. *sigh*

I have enough to make a dozen or more guitars. As another of those making one or two guitars a year, that's plenty ... for now ... maybe.

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George :-)