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Posts: 597
Joined: Jan. 14 2007
From: York, England
A Nice Pair
Over the last year or so I've received a lot of help from the professionals on the forum so I thought it was about time I showed my work. Here are some pics of No15 (Spruce/cypress Blanca) and No16 (Cedar/Rosewood negra). Thats 16 guitars in nearly thirty years, mainly classicals with a couple of steel strung acoustics and, most recently, flamencos. Now I'm retired from work I can make about three per year.
The Negra is just too good to part with and has already become my favourite over my Burguet 1F, but the Blanca is looking for a new home. If anyone out there knows of anyone who would like a very nice blanca for £600 please get in touch. I'm in North Yorkshire and visitors are welcome. Here's a sound file of the blanca
Nice work! got any more pictures? Just out of interest where did you get your cypress from. Im all out and the place I get it from dont have any decent sets left. my next two peg heads are going to be Rosewood cedar tops.
Nice work! got any more pictures? Just out of interest where did you get your cypress from. Im all out and the place I get it from dont have any decent sets left. my next two peg heads are going to be Rosewood cedar tops.
Stephen,
I've bought quite a bit of cypress from Akustic Wood in Turkey. Excellent quality and better prices than any other supplier I've used. Here's a link:
jshelton, doesnt the shipping price from turkey sort of balance that out? or is it really inexpensive?
The more sets you order the less shipping cost per set. Shipping is surprisingly not bad at all as you'll find if you order the minimum dollar amount (last time I ordered shipping was free). I have no interest in this company by the way and have only ordered from them three times but I have been totally satisfied with their products and service.
The Causasian spruce appears to be as nice as the cypress but that judgement is based solely on appearance and tap tone since it hasn't aged enough for me to have used either it or the cypress. The earliest sets I have from them are only 3 years old at this point and I prefer to let them cure a minimum of 5.
I buy my wood from Spain. either Maderas Barber or Madinter. I've looked at wood from Turkey. I'm using some right now, but Turkey is not in the EU so there are import taxes. In the end the price for Cypress works out the same as Spain I think.
Cypress generally is so expensive. I'd prefer to use Sycamore: there'e no shortage and I like it. The only problem is, as has been discussed before on this forum, is that customers usually want traditional woods, so for the time being it has to be Cypress
I buy my wood from Spain. either Maderas Barber or Madinter. I've looked at wood from Turkey. I'm using some right now, but Turkey is not in the EU so there are import taxes. In the end the price for Cypress works out the same as Spain I think.
Ah yes, the joys of socialism. In the US we don't have import taxes on exotic wood yet but I'm sure it will be happening in the near future. Our government criminals are already talking about a VAT like you Europeans have.
Our government criminals are already talking about a VAT like you Europeans have.
Well John...you lot are certainly gonna need some central financing from somewhere in the coming years considering foreign wars and the proposed new Health System.. (just watch how much that drains from the economy )... and VAT is an excellent way of not putting up income tax (which looks bad for the politicos) and simply making it a spending tax and everybody benefits in the spending party!
Personally I think it would be fun to abolish VAT (Value Added Tax) and replace it with ERT (Earnings Related Tax), which means you are given a Tax Code which you must produce by showing your Personal Identity Card everytime you make a purchase.
The cost of the item will then be adjusted at the checkout to meet your means, so that a chocolate Mars Bar would cost 22p for a low earner but £5.99 for a Merchant Banker.
Or someone like myself could take advantage of Pat's "Soundhole Masterclass" for only $5,000...but someone like Donald Trump would have to pay $5 million!
The system is further simplified by strict Law Enforcement, such as...
1. No Card...No Purchase.
2. Anyone found trying to defraud the system by making, distributing or using a fake ID card will be publicly flogged and hanged as a mandatory punishment, the event and TV rights going to the highest media network bidder.
Easy Peasy system which allows for the grossest earnings differential and would set all the economies well on the way to recovery IMO.
Or someone like myself could take advantage of Pat's "Soundhole Masterclass" for only $5,000...but someone like Donald Trump would have to pay $5 million!
Well John...you lot are certainly gonna need some central financing from somewhere in the coming years considering foreign wars and the proposed new Health System.. (just watch how much that drains from the economy )... and VAT is an excellent way of not putting up income tax (which looks bad for the politicos) and simply making it a spending tax and everybody benefits in the spending party!
Personally I think it would be fun to abolish VAT (Value Added Tax) and replace it with ERT (Earnings Related Tax), which means you are given a Tax Code which you must produce by showing your Personal Identity Card everytime you make a purchase.
The cost of the item will then be adjusted at the checkout to meet your means, so that a chocolate Mars Bar would cost 22p for a low earner but £5.99 for a Merchant Banker.
Or someone like myself could take advantage of Pat's "Soundhole Masterclass" for only $5,000...but someone like Donald Trump would have to pay $5 million!
The system is further simplified by strict Law Enforcement, such as...
1. No Card...No Purchase.
2. Anyone found trying to defraud the system by making, distributing or using a fake ID card will be publicly flogged and hanged as a mandatory punishment, the event and TV rights going to the highest media network bidder.
Easy Peasy system which allows for the grossest earnings differential and would set all the economies well on the way to recovery IMO.
cheers,
Ron
Ron, you gave me a good laugh. Well done!
We're housebound in the air con today on the Alsea river. The temperature is 105 degrees fahrenheit. All I've done is a little watering in the garden this morning, piano practice and picked some fresh corn, zucchini and peppers for dinner. It's not supposed to get that hot here.
We're housebound in the air con today on the Alsea river. The temperature is 105 degrees fahrenheit. All I've done is a little watering in the garden this morning, piano practice and picked some fresh corn, zucchini and peppers for dinner. It's not supposed to get that hot here.
John,
You wimp! It's was 110 in Tigard today. 105 that's nothing.
Your ERT doesn't really punish the rich as much as you'd hope.
You simply create a corporation which pays you a pitiful salary and yet manages to provide for your daily needs. The corporation takes the tax hits on revenues, and the person gets the tax breaks on sundries.
Your ERT doesn't really punish the rich as much as you'd hope.
Hi Exitao,
I don't REALLY have any desire to "punish" the rich, although it is a bit galling to find that the bankers are wiping away their tears of regret and sorrow for their greedy actions with one hand while stuffing their pockets with new bonuses with the other.
Or the fact that MPs here after much soul searching, bitter regret and public apologies for misusing their expenses accounts to fund a carefree lifestyle have quietly during the lull in the storm awarded themselves an increase to their "occasional items" allowance (for which you need no receipt) from £400 a month to £500 a month...and then buggered off for a 3 month break before anyone can ask any questions.
I'm sure a few of them will (as usual) be going to the Seychelles and Belize and the Cayman Islands for "research" purposes too this summer and claiming for their spouses and children too, since it would be "improper and neglectful" to leave them behind.
It's a tough life in politics, as any of them will tell you.