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Contacted us via messenger . Says he sells EIR to luthiers in the usa ? Anyone done busuiness with him . ?? Your thoughts thanks !

No specific information to offer, except that my memory is that this has come up before. Either here or MIMF. The consensus seams to be that it either was a scam, or it was some young guy who didn't have any actual forestry experience, no actual mill, no understanding of exporting wood, no idea about what woods luthiers need.

This contact may be totally different, so take what I say with that context. I have experience quite a lot lately in different fields that there seem to be a lot of young people in China and India who have access to the Internet and reasonable English, but little else. They go on fishing expeditions to see if they can broker sales to the US. They apparently figure that if they can get the US client, the rest will work itself out in India. Their actual skill is in scraping contact information from the Internet.

I don't blame them. But I also instinctively delete any unsolicited communication offering me some service or product from overseas. I have wasted too much time with amateurs in Asia trying to leverage minimal English and an Internet connection claiming to have solutions.

I got a price list from him several years ago, out of curiosity more than anything else. With shipping from India (I think that's where he is AFAIK) it wasn't any more economical than buying from sources closer to home.
Ken

I buy from Ashok often. Have been for 10 years.

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Allen R. McFarlen
Barron River Guitars & Ukuleles
Facebook
Cairns, Australia

I spoke with him years ago. He was mostly pallets of unmatched sets. Not what I need as far as a supplier.

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Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/

I’ve been dealing with Ashok for 10 years, while I was in New Zealand and now in Canada. He has supplied almost all of my Indian rosewood and ebony: back/sides, bridges, fingerboards, head plates. I have been very clear with him on what I expect (never been interested in second-grade material) and he has always made good without complaint on anything that didn’t pass muster. I get a kick from how shipments come by post, wrapped in cotton fabric, with the commercial invoice sewn onto the outside. It may interest some that William Cumpiano has been dealing with Ashok for longer than me and still speaks highly of his product.

Buying wood direct from places like India is not everyone’s cup of tea. Establishing the business relationship and building trust is quite different than dealing with North American suppliers. I’ve lived and worked in several third-world countries, so cultural differences are less a concern. I’m quite comfortable with it.


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