Official Luthiers Forum!

Saw this on Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/10006413292376 ... tid=I6gGtw

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Insta - https://www.instagram.com/cbcguitars/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/cbcguitars

I just received email saying the same thing. Bummer.

I just got the email, too!

I think their binding cutter is the best in terms of stationary binding jigs, so now I'm wondering if I should grab one before it's too late just in case I want to go back.

And one of these... And one of those...

Without LMII I would not have been able to build my first several guitars!!! Wonderful people, wonderful products. This is a very sad day....

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"Building guitars looks hard, but it's actually much harder than it looks." Tom Buck

I just got the email too, very sorry to hear this. I buy all kinds of things from them. It is going to leave a big hole to be filled for acoustic and classical guitar makers.

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Instagram: @jfrenchluthier
Web: https://www.jfrenchguitars.com/

Bummer, they are a key source of a lot of tools people in the craft depend on. I’m thinking particularly of their blanket PID controller. Yes, you can build your own controller but for many of us it makes more economic sense to purchase tools like this.

They’ve been a cornerstone of the luthiery landscape the whole time I’ve been involved in the craft, sad to see them go.

Crap on a cracker. That's bad news. I literally just ordered something small last night. No indication of this news in the correspondence associated with that purchase, and no e-mail for me.

I guess I should see what they sell that I really want, but that I don't already have . . .

Sentimental stuff: I got started back in the mid 1990s when they published the catalog with all the building articles. I still have it, along with the price lists from that time. Very sad to see them go. This leaves a big hole.

Noooo! Dang it all! I had a great time working with them over the years! My first build was a LMII kit. I'll miss being able to spec out a fingerboard and have it arrive with whatever scale length and radius I wanted. Guess I'll have to stock up on my standards!

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Tony Thatcher
Bozeman, Montana

A very big bummer. I have been a customer ever since I started 30 years ago.

Sad news indeed. Perhaps it's better than it being bought up by some investment firm.

Happy trails, LMI. You always did things right.

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

Very SAD news Indeed!. They have been a great customer of ours for about 23 years.

I’ve done business with them and their predecessor for45 years or more. Sad to see them go, but they’re entitled to retirement same as I was. Sorry to see that no one is taking over the helm , but as you say it’s at least not some investment company. Best of luck to the fine LMI crew!

Dave.

I am going to miss them. They have always given me great service. I hope to build another hundred guitars before I stop. I will need a new supplier for some things.

Geesh! I concur with everyone else here, what a bummer. First guitar I built in '94 or 5 has LMI wood in it. The only tool I ever bought from them was a little classical guitar tuner drill jig and I just used it last month, have had it for at least 25 years. I always bought wood from them with the utmost confidence. They were certainly a rock in this industry I wonder what happened?

Sad news indeed.


Steve

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Man, I hate to hear this…

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Steve Sollod (pronounced sorta like "Solid")
www.swiftcreekguitars.com

Many thanks to the very fine folks at LMI Chris Herrod, Natalie and others we appreciate all of your very valued assistance through the years. Wishing you the utmost success in all of your future endeavors and/or retirements.

Wow…
Back in around 93 they had a sale on really high-quality East Indian Rosewood ,10 sets for $300! I still have two sets left- lol .
It has always been my go to supplier for certain items and the people there were always very helpful and pleasant.
They will be missed!


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Oh I see now that they are simply retiring. Too bad they could not pass it on to someone else. 30 years is a pretty good run anyway.

This is terrible news. It’s like losing a support column to the entire trade…

Best wishes to them though and wishing them ful relief in not having to deal with us nutcases anymore…

I have no idea where the yellow guy came from. It’s not there by intent.

Very sad indeed. I know they would never show it, but I wonder if their sales have dropped significantly over the last few years. Is this a harbinger of what we will see happening to the trade in the future?

My thoughts and concern as well.

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jw ( o)===:::

Both LMI and StewMac have had a number of “flash” sales over the past year. That has often led me to worry about possible cash flow issues. I have built a lot of guitars but I know I haven’t been making my suppliers wealthy. The customer base for either business can’t be all that large. How many of us do you think there are?

Sad news indeed, they've done so much for the lutherie community over the decades. I learned to build in a small back room of LMI with Tom Ribbecke back in 94' when they were in healdsburg. Charles Fox was also just setting up to reopen his lutherie school in the same industrial park. It seemed like the beginning of the golden era of lutherie me. So much going on then.
Looking back on all that holds great memories for me.

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Jim Watts
http://jameswattsguitars.com