Would you buy a Guitar Made From This Set?

[JoeCharter]

As evidenced by the numerous threads in this section, people's preferences in BRW can wildly differ. And as evidenced by the result of this poll, a lot of folks like this set.

I'm not sure what the opportunity cost is for such a set of BRW but why not keep it around in case a future client is interested? While it isn't everyone's cup of tea, it does have the benefit of looking pretty unique.

On the other hand, when people look to commission a guitar with BRW, they won't look for a set which they find cool, they'll look for the coolest set they can find. If you want to build a "spec" guitar, is it worth your time building with a set that could potentially take a little longer to sell?

Another factor is your positioning within this market. Do you aim to be a good luthier? One of the best? The #1? Are you a purist or are you a risk taker? Do you want to be known for being conservative in your wood selection or do you want to be known for building guitars that look "spectacular".

These are the things I would consider if I were a luthier.

[Huckleberry]

I really like the way it looks. You say it feels and taps great. So yeah, i would buy a guitar made from it. But I love beautiful figured and interesting woods - striped ebony, ziricote and fiery cocobolo are among my favourites. I do still appreciate a good, quartered, straight grained rosewood, but won't deny that I'm very attracted to the wild stuff too.

I don't know too much about the stability issues, not being a woodworker, but would using double sides help any? All my guitars are kept in a temperature and humidity controlled room, and rarely travel, so I guess that would help.

............

[justonwo]

I think, first and foremost, it's important to have a luthier that you trust to make reasonable predictions about the stability of the wood. As a buyer, if you don't trust the luthier's opinion about a set of wood, then you should really be second-guessing your decision to commission a build with that luthier.

To that end, I generally do enough due diligence before commissioning a build that I trust the builder when they say the wood is stable. Although this particular set is not my cup of tea, aesthetically speaking, I would be inclined to trust Don's assessment of its stability.

The caveat is that I have learned the hard way that wood is unpredictable, even for seasoned luthiers. My best understanding has led me to believe that straight, quartersawn wood has a much better chance of remaining stable over the years, so I am willing to forego the "bling" factor of figured wood for the possibility of a more stable instrument. That, and my aesthetic preferences have changed such that I really prefer the look of straight grain.

[jperryrocks]

It's a very unusual set.

I love figured crackwood. But I'd pass on that set personally. It's just a bit too gaudy for me.

somebody might love it, so why not hold onto it?

But if you want to free up some capital, I could see why you'd sell it.

More people would pass on that rather than take it.

[royd]

Originally Posted by sharp_custom

I like this set. I also like the more traditional sets. Most of what I have is straight grained, quartersawn, and traditional.

Then I'd probably keep it to broaden the scope of what you can offer to a potential client. You've got the "conservative" option, why not have the wild one too?