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When I was a kid I used to hate folks who prefaced their remarks with "when I was a kid...." But just like how we human bags of mostly water tend to become our fathers or mothers, like it or not, as I firmly arrive at Dotard status I'm finding that I'm not exactly who I would have wished to be. So bear with me please as I preface my remarks perhaps one last time with when I was a kid.
When I was a kid I spent countless hours sitting on the floor of my room spinning the LPs of my musical heros and detuning my 1966 Fender Mustang to hopefully be enough in tune with the record to learn the tune.
I loved Ten Years after, Blind Faith, Cream, Hendrix, The Who, Alice Cooper, ELO, ELP, The Stones, Iggy and on and on and on. I once saw Three Dog Night but my friends and I brought paper bags along to wear on our heads so that no one would see us at a concert of a so-called p*ssy band..... No disrespect intended, just being historically accurate to my own experience.
Thirteen years ago I joined the OLF under my own name. That ID with two others, always my own name..... has now posted over 30,000 posts on the OLF. In the beginning I was a taker, understandably so we all came here to learn at some point or on some level. Although I did learn many great things here what I learned that was the very most life changing things for me was an introduction to some very special people, Luthiers, working in the trade Luthiers who assisted me further off the forum toward my own dreams.
Our business is a stunning success and we just smashed all previous growth records for us by again double digit growth. As I age further and some stuff gets a bit harder for me such as thinking....
and seeing, you know the unimportant stuff.... I've decided it's time to give thanks where thanks is due.Hence the post.
It's time for me to semi-retire from posting on the OLF and even though I had to pay my dues here and did so perhaps more so then necessary..... or advisable at times.... it's time for me to move on and enjoy the fruits of my labor.
I'm not worried about what will happen to the newer people here with the same dreams that I once had because the OLF has many of you to help them out. Very fine folks who like me found a port in the storm in this crazy trade.
Regarding our classes I won't be promoting them or even posting pics of them anymore on the OLF and I thank Lance very Kindly for his assistance with our classes. We have one next week that's fully booked and I will be sending Lance something as I always do when OLFers take our classes. the only difference going forward is if you are interested in one of our Fretting and Set-up classes please contact Ann Arbor Guitars directly? Not sure how many more times we will be offering them our daily work is more profitable and the classes are a LOT of very hard work for Dave and I.
Knowing as I do that some here think that saying good bye is something that they are not into, great, feel free to do it your way when it's your turn.... and you have made 30,000 posts....
. Said in good humor of course!For me though I will always be grateful to many people who are still with the OLF or long gone. From David Collins first and foremost to Rick Turner, Mario P., Colin S. and Dave White. Early on I made friends with Serge P. who although much of what we shared was not specifically Luthierie Serge remains one of the finest human beings that I have ever known! The list is too long to acknowledge everyone some of which are now dead as well. Just know I'm eternally grateful.
To the half a dozen OLFers in direct, off the forum contact that I'm currently helping with your projects nothing changes, happy to continue to help. I'm just not going to be looking in here very often or posting much either unless, of course I feel as if I want to do so.
A HUGE thanks to Lance Kragenbrink for his friendship, for his business savvy, and for his ability to keep the eye on the goal of making the OLF the very finest Internet Lutherie forum to have ever existed! Thanks bro!
About two years ago I unilaterally made the strategic decision to settle all former disputes on the OLF so that when I book there will be the least possible hard feelings. Many of you know who you are too. I proactively contacted you and let you know that I believe that I could have done better at avoiding conflict with you and that I was and remain truly sorry that I participated in a less than friendly relationship. Most of you were very gracious and let me off the hook. Many, many thanks guys (meaning men and women). A few of you I consider to be real friends now like it or not....
Ultimately though I can't make up for insecurities of a few or harbored hatred perhaps political in nature or worse.... but I did want it to be known that for the sake of the greater forum I did try. I tried on my own, quietly, proactively taking the hit personally for the greater good and offering apologies AND more importantly a cessation of hostilities. Thanks for hearing me out. To the rest this is available to you too I have zero interest in having a single enemy.
These days I get up and go to our very successful Lutherie business that just once again experienced double digit annual growth! I'm happy there and will likely do this for five more years and then get out of Dave's way leaving him with a quality business with zero debt and a who's who client list with excellent "real" reviews. That's the plan.
To my many friends here you have my contact info and I'm simply leaving the forum and not dead. Keep in touch will ya?
Lastly this decision is mostly made out of my own aging and lack of time to address all the stuff that I have in the air at any given time.
So sports fans (I hate that expression...
) it's not good bye but I won't be posting much anymore instead pursuing my own goals. It's time, I've paid my dues and when you have made over 30,000 posts here many of them helping others you can likely be as freakin pedantic as you like too in your long..... good.... bye. Take care everyone! Thanks Lance and MANY others and remember as you age with your own personal pursuit of Lutherie.... never trust a fart!