Official Luthiers Forum!

In quotes 'cause I'm really not technically qualified to give any software a review, but nonetheless....

Disclaimer...I only bought a computer about 6 years ago specifically for the purpose of recording music on. Using a DAW I could manage. Yay Reaper! So, I've never used the word processor other than for basic emails and stuff like forum posts, never made a presentation, used Office, or Excel, or Spreadshhets, or any of that newfangled gadgetry used so successfully by so many to keep their act together. I generally see computers as things that eat hours of recordings with a keystroke, cantankerous little beasts best kept at bay with an axe.....

Nevertheless, with biz picking up I took the plunge and bought Luthiers Workbench. Though it takes some time to set up, as you have to enter all your own fields (model specs, price, wood, genus/species types, customers, dealers, etc.), once done, it does become faster to use. It has fields specifically for repairs as well as components, suppliers, and all that. It allows you to spit out invoices and receipts, keep build notes, and photos of builds as well. Anyway, it's quite in depth and shows on the main screen which builds are active, ordered, finished, and completed, and even keeps track of who owes you money.

So, to summarize, though I don't know much about software in general, this piece seems to do a good job of organizing the myriad little details that can become so cumbersome on the backs of envelopes. At 80$ (I think), maybe some of you could find some good use from it. And you can trial it for a month to see if its useful to you. If anyone is interested in demoing it, I would certainly be interested in hearing some more qualified opinions on the matter....

Cheers!