Official Luthiers Forum!

Here is a blast of that past. Going through my library and came across this. Anyone remember this one? It's hard to remember a time when we used to look through catalogs, write everything down, and then call or mail in an order

I'm amazed by how good the articles are in it. I know back in the day I read it through and through.

Good stuff.

Still have mine............!! No price list to go with it though. That would be interesting to see.
Tom

_________________
A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

Still have mine, too. It was very important to me back in the day.

I've got it too. I even have an article in it.

_________________
Jim Watts
http://jameswattsguitars.com

What was the year on that?

I have a 1977 Stew Mac catalog.

Pat

_________________
formerly known around here as burbank
_________________

http://www.patfosterguitars.com

Think it was 1997. Until a few years back I had the fore runner to LMI which was Bill Lewis in Vancouver B.C. I moved and a lot of stuff got left behind. Also had Gurian catalogs and remember Honduran Mahogany sets for $15.00. Oh how I wish....!!
Tom

_________________
A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

I think that one was 1995. I remember buying BRW head plates one at a time as needed. If only I bought 100 of them!

Gosh I didn't know Stew Mac went back to the 70's.

I was just looking at mine and realizing there is some really good stuff in the instruction section I had forgotten about. Also an article by John Greven laden with superlatives extolling the virtues of KTM-9.

_________________
It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

Wow!
You've got me thinking about the past! They've come a long way.
Got me thinking about Vitali imports in so-cal, where I bought my first spruce top.
I looked them up and they're still there.
Also got me thinking about a 1 x 10 x 6' piece of figured koa that I found elsewhere,
but couldn't dish out the $15. Did buy a piece of sequoia redwood for the same amount.
You could barely see between the grain lines!

+1

mine has an insert with it with sets from "the tree" for sale .... 400 for wave (quartersawn), 500 for quilt (flatsawn) ... and BRW sets too ....

_________________
Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

I remember their catalogs costing $5. I think you got a refund on the first order. Now they don't even make a print catalog.

Sent from my HTC Desire 626s using Tapatalk

_________________
Another day, another dollar.

I remember it being closer to $25.

I still have several issues of the Lewis Luthier Supplies catalog, 1975 & forward.
Brazilian sets $35 - $55

_________________
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008907949110

I studied and studied that thing. I'm sure I wouldn't have figured out how to build a guitar without it.

At the time I think I remember thinking, 'why should I have to pay for a catalog from a company that is trying to sell me products?' Then I finally got it only to realize how much information was in it.

BRW sets for $35? Good God! So whats the equivalent of that today? Because I wanna buy a few hundred of them and have a nice retirement

IIRC my first Lewis Catalog was from 1970. $9.00/set for IRW and $11.00/set for BRW.
Some well known builders of the time wondered if it was really worth paying the extra
two bucks. $35.00, OUTRAGEOUS !!!!

Brent

Fun to read this thread! Of course, I have a few old copies at my desk. They are amusing to look through, but it's true -back in the day there was nothing else around that revealed so much information (except maybe the Cumpiano book). But for us it was endlessly frustrating that the thing would be out-of date (with regards to what we had in stock) as soon as it was printed. Not to mention price changes and having to spend a year or more living with the little mistakes we would find in it. The last one was printed in 1998, and our last paper catalog was printed in 2011.