2 questions - A Torrefied takamine and Affirm Financing

[goodry]

Originally Posted by JayBee1404

I’m in the UK and, having worked for a Houston TX-based company for the final thirteen years of my working life up to 2012, I know the US banking system is pretty old-fashioned in comparison with the UK’s system, so I have to ask - don’t you have a system of Direct Debit, by which the buyer authorises his/her bank to make periodic payments to the seller, according to the schedule in the Finance Contract, and upon application from the seller’s bank?

That’s the way it’s done here, and it offers security for both sides - the buyer can’t inadvertently ‘forget’ to make an on-time payment, and has redress through his bank if anything goes wrong with payments, and the seller knows he’s guaranteed to get his money.

Another win-win.

I really dont know the answer to that question. We have a banking application called Zelle that I can tell it ... My total is $5000, I want to pay $100 weekly until the $5000 is paid down, and it will automatically transfer the money to the other person - it sends them a personal certified check depending on whatever amount you choose every week- but, like, there's nothing stopping me from canceling the weekly transfer, only thing would be that the other person would have whatever amount of money Id already paid, the full $5000 is in no way guarenteed, at least - I am unaware of a different system.

[goodry]

This is the main part:

I'm looking to get a Bob Thompson.... He is as old school as they come so I'm not sure I'll be able to convince him to sign up, but, maybe get him to list on reverb and I'll go through there.

I joke about being impatient, but, in reality, I'm concerned he is going to choose to stop making guitars. He was making competition bows for archery, just decided to stop. He was making pool cues that were around $2k each that he told me pros told him were top 10 hitters in the sport. Just decided to stop making them. Sold all of them to one person when he just decided to stop making them.

I joked about asking too many questions and that I didn't want to waste his time, he said, "oh I won't let you, I'm set in my ways, I make what I want and I'll stop or start when I want... My cues were all bought up when I got tired of making them, guitars interested me more"

So at my saving rate, I don't know exactly what a final build will cost, but I'd have an anxiety attack accruing the total over a year or 2.


Im concerned that in the amount of time it will take me to GET the money, he is going to stop building - so, I kind of want to secure one before he decides to hang up the woodworking belt. It would, at the rate im saving, take me around 14 months to save up enough money. The gentleman is 86. I feel its a gamble to hope everything is going just as well in 14 months.

[JayBee1404]

Originally Posted by goodry

I really dont know the answer to that question. We have a banking application called Zelle that I can tell it ... My total is $5000, I want to pay $100 weekly until the $5000 is paid down, and it will automatically transfer the money to the other person - it sends them a personal certified check depending on whatever amount you choose every week- but, like, there's nothing stopping me from canceling the weekly transfer, only thing would be that the other person would have whatever amount of money Id already paid, the full $5000 is in no way guarenteed, at least - I am unaware of a different system.

Ah...’cheques’!

That’s one of the things I meant by saying the US banking system is ‘old fashioned’ - cheques are almost obsolete in the UK, the vast majority of payments are made by card or phone, or by direct transfer between accounts - BACS, D/D, or S/O. In fact the use of cheques in our system nowadays is so small, the banks are considering terminating their use as a negotiable instrument, in which case all non-cash payments will have to be made by the above methods.

[packmule]

I've used Affirm plenty of times to buy stuff, and not just via businesses that list Affirm payment as an option. Affirm has an option where you can buy something from any business if they approve the loan amount (you can avail of it via downloading the Affirm app for your phone, or going through their website) - you just request the loan and give the business name, and if Affirm approves it they'll show you the payment options re: 3 months/6 months/1 year, and if you want to go ahead with it they send you a single use credit card number to give to the merchant - the merchant doesn't have to "sign up" for anything because they're getting paid the amount in full from Affirm, and then the buyer pays Affirm back. I've done this on two occasions, once for a $2400 purchase and once for a $1000 purchase - very straightforward, no hassle for the merchants, paid both loans off early too.

[jim1960]

I've never used Affirm but I have Synchrony accounts with Vintage King, Guitar Center, and Sweetwater that operate the same way. I've never had an issue with the way it works. I set up an auto-payment on the Synchrony site and I never worry about it afterwards.

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by goodry

Hey,

after taking the advice of people here, ive been getting out and playing more and more nicer guitars. One of the recommendations was to play the kind of guitar that somebody whom you like to hear, plays.

Jeff Hyde - Lead.. I guess acoustic guitarist (there are 3 people who play guitar in the band) plays a 2012 Takamine E360S. I cant find that guitar anywhere but also, NOW, they make a torrefied version of it. The E360S-TT and some of them I can find with the ct4 cool tube preamp in them.

Has anybody a. played either the 360S or the 360Stt or b. played ANYTHING torrefied by Takamine?

Secondly, I'm impatient. And All these websites are offering Affirm financing - has anybody used them? Do they offer teaser rates and then hit you with like 20% financing rates?

My credit is in the 'excellent' bracket.

Im taking yalls advice and saving $100 a week for a luthier made guitar, so by time I have enough to purchase one, i'll have had a year and a half to get out and play a LOT of guitars to see what sounds best to me.

Unless that Affirm 0% financing is actually worth it ........................ hahahaha.

I think most AGFers are done with me touting my Takamine EF360S-TT but please read my below review of this past July 2020 and my today's reassertion of my enthusiasm for the Takamine EF360S-TT:

I received my new Takamine EF360S TT (Thermal Top, i.e., torrified top) Sitka Spruce/East Indian Rosewood with the new TLD-2 Line Driver preamp system on Wednesday but didn't play it until Friday evening. Having been a Takamine player since early 1980, I've had a few Taks including the 2007-released Takamine EF340S BG Spruce/Mahogany with TLD-1 Line Driver. The Takamine EF340S BG set me up to expect what I got with the Takamine EF360S TT in that the nut width is 1.772 inches with quite a full neck profile. The EF360S TT has an evenly-shaded torrified top with fairly close, evenly spaced straight grain, and is squarely quarter-sawn with nice silking. The rosewood is straight-grained too. As I expected, the overall craftsmanship of the Made In Japan Takamine EF360S TT is excellent! The guitar includes a fine hardshell case and given the price I paid, $320 off the advertised price, I consider this is another exceptional professional acoustic-electric guitar value.

So, what does the Takamine EF360S TT sound like? Well, it came set up full-on bluegrass with a perfect neck-relief but high-side action, and the guitar delivers a loud, open and full tone. I'll likely lower the action a bit but for now I'll enjoy the extra thunder of the high-action setup! Plugged in, the combination Palathetic Pickup and TLD-2 Line Driver delivers the hottest signal into my LR Baggs Synapse that I've come across to date compared to other pickup/preamp systems I've used. The flat-EQ'ed amplified tone of the guitar sounds pretty much like the acoustic tone of the guitar and this system would work well with a ToneDexter, Fishman Aura Spectrum DI, Steel Guitar Black Box or LR Baggs Acoustic Session DI, all of which I'll eventually try with the guitar. The TLD-2 Line Driver endpin preamp is a stealth-type system with no immediately-accessible onboard controls. The TLD-2 preamp is set-and-forget adjustable by removing the three screws that hold it in the end-block and pulling it out of the end of the guitar. Unscrew back the barrel cover to reveal the TLD-2 circuitboard. It has three internal, three-position switches (-5dB/0dB/+5dB) with which to alter the frequency curve of the amplified tone but the factory settings sound good to my ears. The TLD-2 also has an adjustable Gain control enabling the gain to be set from 0dB to 26dB.

Overall, I feel the Takamine EF360S TT is a worthy professional guitar for players who prefer big dreadnought tone without having to bring their prized Martin or other expensive guitar to a jam or gig.