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I bought a good-sized pile of Lutz from Shane some years ago. He was always back ordered and the wait time was significant. But, his wood was always something special. Well. the big pile is getting to be a small pile and I would like to find a source for some more Lutz that is like Shane's. High Mountain seems to be MIA. I tried Stewmac's best grade of Lutz but it was on the heavy side. even heavier than standard Sitka. So, it went back.
Today I ordered a couple of Ultra Light Sitka tops from Alaska Specialty for evaluation. Seems promising. I have heard mention of Mario Da Costa's widow selling wood but have come up blank with Google.
Are there other sources for reliably great Lutz spruce?
Thanks.

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Stay with the happy people.
--Reynolds Large

See what a Canadian supplier has on offer, Bow River Wood to Works. Inventory changes constantly. I've bought stuff from them in the past and received what I expected.

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Peter Havriluk

Agreed Tom. I'd buy a ton if I could find stock similar to what Shane sold.
I've still got a bit, but only because I build so slow.

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Burton
http://www.legeytinstruments.com
Brookline, MA.

Has anyone tried High Mountain since the new owners took over ?

I think maybe I bought some of this from Deans garage sale. It’s got weird labels like “Old Wunderwood” is that the same stuff? I haven’t used any of it yet but if it’s good stuff then that’s exciting!


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I have a little. Pretty good, but not up to Shane's standards.

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formerly known around here as burbank
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

Weird names sound like Mario DaCosta's tops. I have some of those as well. Mario passed away a few years ago, but Inge still has a ton of tops available.

Cool. That name sounds familiar, Dean said it but I couldn’t remember for sure. Thanks!


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+1. I have less than 8/9 left, and wish |I'd ordered more.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

My stack of Shane's lutz tops has dwindled to just two sets.

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George :-)

I still have a few and a few of Mario's as well. I miss both of the vendors.

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http://www.Harvestmoonguitars.com

Four of Shane’s left. Good stuff!

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

Yes, Shane did produce some wonderful material and was great to deal with. I gave up trying to do business with the unresponsive owners of HMTW. With only one Lutz top left, I went in search last year. With some help from a trusted luthier, I was pointed to Pacific Rim Tonewoods http://www.pacificrimtonewoods.com. These guys are geared toward larger production (they supply Taylor), but they’re happy to do business with small shops with a minimum order. I have a order planned, but waiting for the border to reopen so I can simplify shipping and customs clearance.

I just got back home from hip replacement surgery and don’t have all my head yet. I have details in my shop, but the website should help anyone who’s serious.


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Managed to climb some stairs this morning and consult my desktop computer for additional info about Pacific Rim Tonewoods. They list graded tops for Lutz, as well as Sitka (including thermally modified and bearclaw) and western redcedar. They also stock various binding and bracewood. Pricing is quite reasonable, but there is a minimum order of $400. Enquiries to Eric Warner at e.warner@pacificrimtonewoods.com Let him know you were referred by me.

I have gotten Lutz (recently) and other from Pacrim over the years and it's very nice, although I've never handled Shane's. Eric is a great guy also! The grading is sort of vague (they are a factory). You would likely get a large stash and grade further.

Pat

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Pat

Pat,will Pacific Rim sell to individual luthiers? I inquired years ago and was told they had a very large minimum order, I don't recall how large though.

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Jim Watts
http://jameswattsguitars.com

$400 minimum by any chance?

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

I'm local and I was always under the impression that you sort of had to go there in person. I can't imagine them doing any retail shipping, but who knows. I'm sure there would need to be a big minimum, but I usually can't get out of there without spending quite a bit...

Pat

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Pat

Do I feel a group buy coming on?


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To give everyone an idea of how Shane would do business, it would be a visually perfect top and sold as 2A. He was the epitome of undersell and over deliver. Fantastic guy. He posted a visual story of everything that went into processing logs into sellable tops. I can’t even imagine doing all that work.


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Actually, minimum order for 2021 has gone up to $500.


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I would be in


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Can anyone find the price list? I don’t see it...

They are not retail at all.

Pat

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Pat

I was thinking that very thought!

Not that I buy wood anymore. I have enough for the rest of my life, and then some.

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."