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Bruce Boyd
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2/16/2008 6:02:26 AM
Magic Day
I spent a magic day today at an instrument makers workshop. These are people whose instruments (mainly mandolins) are in such demand that they have a waiting list of up to six years. People who ask $12000 and more per instrument* talking to a small crowd of perhaps 50 about their inspirations, their triumphs and their failures.
They had top notch players there to help demonstrate their instruments - a guy who played in Bill Munro's band (Bill's band "The Bluegrass Boys" literally GAVE Bluegrass music its name!); a lady who is a world class performer of Baroque recorder music - she loves recorders made from mulga (an Aussie desert tree).
And wow - they're just like us! Real folks who have a real interest in making real music.
So forget American/Australian/English/etc Idol - there's still a vibrant sub-culture keeping true music not only alive but growing. Musicians who put passion before profit.
* (To put that pricing in perspective - these are labour-intensive, hand made instruments. 150-200 hours may go into each one.)
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satch
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2/16/2008 8:21:56 AM
Wow - $12000 for 200 hours - that's $60 an hour! Good pay!!
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Hugh Hamilton
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2/16/2008 1:28:25 PM
Sounds fun, Bruce! Where's the pic of your new instrument???? (LOL!)
"$60/hour good pay" - well, don't forget materials, equipped shop, utilities & various other overhead, etc. - translated into net income that 'hourly' number must drop a fair amount...AND - when you buy one of their creations, I'd guess you're likely to see it retain most of its value over its life - if not gain in value...not to mention the joy one can derive from an exquisite instrument...
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satch
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2/16/2008 1:56:43 PM
Too true Hugh! And there is no price that I can put on the sheer joy of playing a fine instrument!
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Bruce Boyd
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2/16/2008 4:05:55 PM
Hugh you can see a pic of the mandolin I would like at:
www.scottwise.net/html/classical_a_model.html
This one's made by a guy who lives and works in a little town not far from here. It's one of the "cheaper" models available at only $3000 - $4000!
To quote from Scott's site - "The spruce ( for the top) is exceptional. I selected a good supply of close-grained spruce from Prince of Wales Island whilst in Alaska (in the 1980s). I recall that the log from which it came was from one of the old iwartime log bridges. It was 88 feet long and four feet through at the thin end! It is the same spruce you see in a lot of my steel string guitars and I am glad to have a few sets of it left, even though it is darkening with age. It takes a long time to open up in the instrument, but the wait is well worthwhile."
So that timber was felled more than 60 years ago, shipped across the world to Scott's workshop and has been seasoning for the last 20 years! Just one of the reasons for the high price.
The $12000 instruments are by Steve Gilchrist and also Paul Duff and are mainly based on the Gibson F5 Mandolin of the 1920s.There are no original F5s available any more so these handcrafted models are in huge demand with US Bluegrass players - hence the price and waiting times.
Even in the 1920s the original Gibson F5s cost $250 - the same price as a Model T truck back then!
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Pulse Eternal
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2/16/2008 5:48:25 PM
There's always a magic charm to any passionately hand crafted instrument. Scott's website has some real gems on it that I'd really love to have the opportunity to play some day.
I'd much rather pay a little more (or significantly more!) for an instrument that is hand crafted by a master of the trade than a factory mass produced product. My dad has a couple of custom hand crafted electric and acoustic guitars and they are lightyears ahead of anything mass produced.
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