Official Luthiers Forum!

Hey folks, let’s use this as a place to capture alternate suppliers for LMI items you use and that are going away. Please give preference to OLF sponsor suppliers wherever possible.

I’ll start:

Product: Fiber veneer - veneer used for making purfling layups. LMI supplied this in sheets.

Alternate supplier: RC Tonewoods - https://rctonewoods.com/RCT_Store/fiberveneer-c-12/

Brad


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When we started our business over a decade ago the only thing we purchased from LMI was HHG. It was not available from The Borg..... (Stewmac) back then.

Now it is.

Resistance is futile besides they have great amp and pedal kits

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Ann Arbor Guitars

Dyed veneers:

https://www.dyed-veneer.com/default.asp

Any idea where to get a bender with a digital thermostat like the LMI version?

I can make everything else easy enough, but the digital control is trickier.

The lady over there told me that they sold the design to Stewmac. Maybe they'll reproduce the LMI bender, but who knows.

Thomas SteMac has been displaying a pic of a new bender with digital readout and saying "coming soon." That's all I know but maybe you could contact them and ask for an ETA and other things that are important to you?

It looks like it has a very innovative waist caul that can conform and hold nearly any shape. It also looks like some extrusions are employed making it look semi-commercial.

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Ann Arbor Guitars

Thanks for the info, I didn’t see that when I searched their site. I’ll probably call.

The very important binding bits…

https://birkonium.com/shop/tools-misc/b ... aring-set/

I recently ordered a bunch of stuff from Stewmac and it was delivered the next day even during busy Xmas time. I love that about them. I've not used all the sponsors here but most of them I have and they have been all good experiences. I like Allied and you can get really good quality rosewood and ebony from Arya Woods. For Euro/Carp spruce Eurotonewood is good. I always get Sitka from ASW now but I have tons if it too, probably a lifetime supply at this point.

LMI was my source for marquetry purflings like these. I'm pretty sure they were made by Gurian but they don't sell these purflings in small numbers. StewMac doesn't carry any at all. Allied Lutherie shows nine different marquetry purflings on their website, but none are currently available. Does anyone know an alternate source?

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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

Yusuke at JaParts has a wide variety of purfling, prebent herringbone, marquetry strips, plastic bindings and purflings, pickguard material, frets, fancy truss rods, tuners up the wazoo, and rosewood for Canadians, as well as an unlistable amount of luthier tools gadgets gidgets and whatsits. Though currently OOS of widgets, but he can get more if you need…

You are very welcome. Calling StewMac may not be possible they changed their business model over a year ago and there was no way to call them. Here is a screen shot of the image which is displayed on their home page if yo scroll way down. They, StewMac do respond to emails very quickly and with folks who know what they are speaking of.

It caught my eye for a number of reasons, digital read out, extrusions, commercial look, the waist caul is innovative and simple and it's clamped to the bench suggesting it can be thrown in a closet of doom when not in use. All good things.

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Ann Arbor Guitars

Some of you will remember that a company called MusiCaravan made the brass/copper, 3 fluid ounce hide glue double boiler pots that LMI sold. MusiCaravan went out of business, and LMI bought all of its inventory. I stocked up on several of these pots over the last year, so I’m well stocked forever (I love these glue pots), but if you didn’t get one and would like to have something similar, Lee Valley sells one:

https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/to ... em=09A0282

The Lee Valley glue pot is smaller, which is fine for many tasks, but you might need a different setup for a larger task, like veneering.