Thread: New member needs timber advice.

Originally Posted by Frisco

Just out of curiosity when you say "guys like me" what do you do? I noticed your in Qld. Do you sell timber?

I run a sawmill.

Heres the thing right, or at least from my perspective and I don't play guitar myself, or build them (but I know guys who do):
In most cases a custom guitar isn't just a musical instrument. It's got to be able to be played sure... but like fashion its wearable (or in this case playable) art. It's also a dream, the dream of being the next Hendrix or Clapton or whatever, or of capturing a piece of the youth that went away when the band dissolved and the mortgage took priority. Most guys who buy them - and the overwhelming majority of people who buy them are guys - are usually middle aged men of sufficient disposable income that splurging a couple of grand on a guitar isnt a strain. Some guys buys Harleys, but you can get a lot of axes for the price of a bike, and the dream is still the same. Battling young musicians dont buy custom guitars because they carent afford them, serious muso's can and do but they are very discerning and mostly they get given theirs in exchange for endorsements anyway... you want to make a living making guitars then having a guitar god say he plays one of yours is a definate leg up.

So a custom guitar has to be many things: its got to be playable sure.... but its also got to be special, unique, individual etc... its got to look good, its got to have enough flair that it says something about the owner and enough options that the owner feels they've got to pick and choose parts so the build is individual to them. Its a statement piece, jsut like the middle aged doctors Harley is. If you jsut want playable you go buy a vintage Epiphone Les Paul. A good look around Warmoths site is a really good look at the low end custom guitar market in terms of options etc.

Next point is that its pretty hard to compete with the likes of Warmoth at the low end of the market... and by buying in American species you're doing exactly that. We sell a few pieces of timber here and there to custom guys all around the world... one of the reasons we can do that is because they come to me looking for timber thats NOT the same as everyone else's. Everyones got a flamed maple top on a sitka spruce body, can pick that up by mail order... now a solid body in Northern Silky, or a bass thats got a Blackwood top on a Bunya body with inland rosewood frets.... thats custom. Doing the same thing as everybody else means you got to compete with them. Australia has tonewoods as good as any in the world and the unique aspects of those... both tonally and appearance wise is a better hook for custom business then most. Maton are an internationally recognised guitar manufacturer with endorsements from the likes of Phil Emmanuel... pretty much all their guitars are done in Australian timbers. Then theres a whole heap of "non standard" timbers that can also be acousticly fine... remembering that for the most part the buyer is as much hooked on the dream of custom guitar and the look of custom guitar as the sound. The pickups you choose will have more effect on the sound then the wood over the top of it for the most part.

Dan Memory of ONI is a member here... cant remember his user name but hopefully he'll wander past and find this. Nice guy, serious luthier, and his work is exactly what I'm talking about when I say small custom shop thats actually custom, not just custom you got to pick your parts from the same box as everyone else. Hell, I dont play guitar and I want one of his to hang on the wall just so I can look at it like a painting!!! Dans facebook page is a microcosm of what a successful custom maker does - thinks outside the square, and makes things that are individual in every way. When you compare it with Warmoths site you begin to understand the difference between custom custom and just well I spec'ed it up with this and that:
https://www.facebook.com/oniguitars/photos_stream

This one here by Zivory in the UK, I knew it when it was a tree:

NGD/Review: Zivory Fauzer | The Gear Page

Again, its not anything like a flame maple top on a sitka body... its special from start to finish.

I dont think theres enough market depth in Australia to be buying in timber by the container load unless you plan to be the wholesaler. And again you're up against established competition there too. On the list of things you need to look at in terms of your idea of importing a container load is the cost of holding and storing a container load while you market it.... compounding interest on the outlay and storage costs on inventory and the costs of managing a thousand small sales are things you need to take into account. Or the costs of holding a whole heap of bits and pieces of hardware... necks, pickups etc. Having said that I think there is opportunity there, but I suspect its more with selling Aussie timbers to the world not buying in from elsewhere, unless you're looking at the likes of Carpathian Spruce for bodies which is one of the ultimate dream timbers for a guitar freak.

I wish you well with it, but yeah... think hard before you invest serious money into stock.

Well you have just provided me with a stack of information to think about! Thankyou.
As I mentioned I'm new to woodwork and guitar building so am still learning as I go. With all the research I have done it seems I still have a load more to do.
I will take everything you have offered into account. I will Also start looking at some Australian timbers as an alternative. As well as looking into some of the luthiers you have mentioned! Do you have a page for some of the timber you offer?

Originally Posted by Frisco

Well you have just provided me with a stack of information to think about! Thankyou.
As I mentioned I'm new to woodwork and guitar building so am still learning as I go. With all the research I have done it seems I still have a load more to do.
I will take everything you have offered into account. I will Also start looking at some Australian timbers as an alternative. As well as looking into some of the luthiers you have mentioned! Do you have a page for some of the timber you offer?

Hiho Mr Frisco. Late in replying I know but I thought I'd see if you got anywhere? I do a bit of milling of blackwood and Aussie oak. Plus anything else I can find. I'm in Mt gambier so not so far away. Message me if you're still looking.
Tim